With Panhellenic formal recruitment last week, I know your Facebook feed was flooded with an excess of recruitment pictures from each chapter. Am I right? Well, all of these matching, enthusiastic pictures will eventually end up on the sororities' Tumblr pages. Tumblr is a highly-prized tool for Penn State sororities to showcase both their accomplishments, daily activities and gorgeous members in order to give the potential new members an idea of what the chapter is like and why they should become apart of it!
However, as you've gawked at both your chapter's and other chapters' Tumblr pages, have you ever wondered who is behind posting new pictures daily, and tirelessly stalking your sisters' Instagram pages for new, fun photos to post? Well, keep reading as Melissa Choe, Sigma Kappa's webmaster, explains the ins and outs of the responsibilities involved in maintaining her sorority's social media pages!
1. How are you spending your school year?
This semester, I’m the webmaster for my sorority, Sigma Kappa. I essentially run our chapter’s management/communications system called GIN (Group Interactive Networks), our chapter’s website, our Tumblr page and our Facebook account. I’ve also acquired an undesignated role of "Merch Chair" - designing some PR shirts for the chapter.
2. How did you acquire this position?
I’m a junior now, but I rushed as a sophomore, and upon joining Sigma Kappa, I knew that I wanted to take on some sort of leadership position. I ran for webmaster because it seemed like a fun, easy job and I’ve always been interested in graphics/ design.
3. Is this position any different than how you imagined it would be going into it?
Definitely! I thought that I would be working mostly with the GIN system and our chapter website. GIN is mainly for chapter management as far as membership, important news and includes a full calendar of chapter events. The chapter website is somewhat pre-composed from the Sigma Kappa nationals, so I input information and news regarding our chapter specifically.
On the other hand, managing the Tumblr and Facebook page has given me much more leeway to be creative and change things! I’ve worked alongside our PR chair on revamping all of our social media sites. Everyone knows the sorority Tumblrs are stalked insanely by potential new members, so this past summer I worked on changing the layout and consistently updating the page with new pictures. I’m a kinesiology major, so being webmaster isn't exactly pertinent to my studies, but it has allowed me to use my more artistic side!
4. What is your most memorable experience so far as webmaster?
The most fun part of my position is probably going through photos of my lovely sisters to post for our Tumblr, and designing cute clothes!
5. What would be your advice to anyone who aspires to obtain this position next year?
For anyone seeking an executive or chair position, go for it - especially for things you’re truly interested in or passionate about. I’ve had fun with my position, and holding any sort of leadership role is a great experience that will surely be beneficial to your future career.
