"Don't be square. Be E-squared!" urges Elon University's director of university relations, Dan Anderson, in a welcoming message on E2: the Elon Town Square, a Web site designed to draw in alumni, current students, their parents, and faculty and staff at the North Carolina institution.
Many colleges have started alumni groups on social-networking sites such as Facebook, but Anderson pointed out in a newspaper story on Sunday that many graduates did their graduating long before Facebook and online networking became popular. So Elon Town Square was conceived as an easy, less intimidating introduction restricted to the Elon community. It's also a way of connecting students of different generations, as well as opening up communication with faculty, staff, and even interested parents. People can set up personal profiles and find others with similar interests.
The site has garnered more than 2,600 members since opening in May, including 1,000 current students and 1,200 alumni. –Josh Fischman
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