On the 10th of September, Facebook announced the launching of a specific section on its app named “Campus” which the tech giant was spotted working on a few months ago. This section is dedicated to college students, in which it will allow them to communicate with their college friends over shared interests.
To be able to access the “Campus” section, a student must create a separate profile, as it is different from the personal main Facebook profile of the student. To do that, students must put their college email address and graduation year to prove their affiliation with the school. It is requested that students enter other information like major, hometown, and classes; however, whether they do so remains optional. Because it is separate from the personal profile, students may hide or change information of their original profile, such as the profile picture.
When students finally access their Campus profiles, they can start viewing content shared on Campus, where only people “within Campus” could see what is shared. Campus profiles allow students to access the Campus directory, Newsfeed, and Chat. Students have the option to establish study groups, ask for advice with college-only Groups and Events, and even plan virtual concerts.
Based on Campus profile information, students may find classmates of the same major, graduation years, taking the same classes, and more. Facebook ensured that blocking someone on their personal Facebook profile, would apply also to Campus, and vice versa.
Facebook is rolling out Campus to a sum of 30 Universities across the United States of America, of which are Johns Hopkins University, the California Institute of Technology, Florida International University, and the University of Hartford. Campus will be readily available on the Facebook app for students of these universities. The platform has not yet declared anything in regards to launching Campus in other countries.
This feature is being introduced in the time that most campuses are shifting to partial or full-time remote education due to the novel COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative marks the return of the platform to its original roots, as it was primarily a colleges-only network. Campus may also be a chance for Facebook to regain its popularity among the younger users, who have been shifting to other platforms.
On introducing the new section by Facebook; Charmaine Hung, Product Manager, Facebook Campus, declared in a news release, “This year, students across the country are facing new challenges as some campuses shift to partial or full-time remote learning, so it’s more important than ever to find a way to stay connected to college life. College is a time for making new friends, finding people who share similar interests, and discovering new opportunities to connect – from clubs to study groups, sports, and more.
In the early days, Facebook was a college-only network, and now we’re returning to our roots with Facebook Campus to help students make and maintain these relationships, even if they’re away from their college”.
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