In recent years, it seems that universities have tried to find creative and practical manners by which to reach out to the student populous using the technology at hand. At Brandeis alone, students receive text messages, e-mails, newsletters, flyers and phone calls containing information ranging from upcoming events to how to avoid the H1N1 virus. However, some universities are now jumping on the Twitter bandwagon as a means to communicate with students. In theory, Twitter would provide a one-stop shop for up-to-date campus information that is normally spread by use of a variety of media. However, there are a few key issues that prevent Twitter from achieving this goal for Brandeis.

The 140-character limit is the most prevalent issue with the whole idea. Thinking back on the most important or interesting pieces of information that one has read, how many of them were contained within 140 characters? Most likely, next to none. Then, to fit posts into the 140-character bubble, users began abbreviating and using symbols anywhere possible.

Would students really want their university's posts to read like that of a 12-year-old girl's instant messages? If one sees a university's Twitter page riddled with abbreviations, incomplete sentences and symbols for words, how prestigious can the university appear to be? Can one really be adequately told how to stay healthy in 140 characters? Or all that they need to know on why they should join a particular club? The answer is generally "no." Frankly, if all that needs to be said can be said within 140 characters, then the information is generally not important.

Using Twitter can potentially achieve an important goal for Brandeis. GlobalQuad.com, a new Web site that compiles all the Twitter feeds of a university and its groups into one single feed, says that their goal is to create an online community that accurately represents the culture of a university. This would allow Brandeis to create an online representation of what the school has to offer.

This Internet-based society would inform the student population of all the opportunities that are available at school while also letting others, including prospective students and alumni, view a depiction of everyday culture at Brandeis. If the University is posting about the various events going on around campus and others are contributing as well, then to an outsider looking in, the University will seem vibrant and bustling with culture.

Yet Twitter could be detrimental to the Brandeis community, as well. If Brandeis fails to post all the coming events and groups, then inevitably some groups that aren't publicized online will feel snubbed by their own school. Instead of Brandeis focusing all of its attention on trying to compile everything happening on campus, each group should be in charge of their own advertising. Brandeis could leave it up to each group to post on the University's feed to give more information about their group, but if a certain group does not post any information online, then the online image of Brandeis may appear to be lacking in certain areas. Even in the most ideal Twitter situation in which all groups, all information, and all events are represented, to those looking in on the University by way of Twitter, if everything happening at a school can be summed up in various 140 character posts, then the school will not seem at all impressive culturally.

Sometimes, simplicity is the best choice. The idea of Brandeis using Twitter as a tool to reach students, however creative and however modern, will never be a practical alternative to what is already in place. An e-mail, an advertisement, a pamphlet or any of the typical ways in which people spread information are more practical and efficient, even if less inventive. There very well may be other alternatives not yet available that will make informing the Brandeis community of certain information easier. Nevertheless, Twitter is not Brandeis University's solution.