The Gator Nation recently showed its social media presence to the judges of an online contest.
Or rather, a little bird told them.
UF was announced Thursday as a finalist for the 2012 #College Shorty Award. The announcement came after 243 people tweeted why UF should win the fourth annual social media contest. One tweet per person was counted as a vote.
The Shorty Awards Academy members will review finalists’ social media, along with tweeted votes. Winners are announced March 26.
UF had the third-highest number of votes. Butler University’s mascot won the popular vote with 412 votes. Queens University of Charlotte was second with 393 votes.
The #College Shorty Award is given to an accredited college that uses social media to engage students and demonstrate spirit, according to shortyawards.com.
Katherine Madrid, 19, tweeted a vote for UF “because the Gator Nation is EVERYWHERE…including Twitter!”
Madrid, a criminology and psychology sophomore, said UF’s social media keeps students easily informed.
UF has Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, YouTube and Instagram accounts managed by Bruce Floyd, social media specialist in UF’s marketing and communications department.
“I feel like our social media accounts reflect our fans.” he said. “It’s not necessarily about what I’m doing but the conversations we have with our fans.”
