The Student Room gets exciting new social networking features

It’s been 18 months in the making but the upgrades to the world’s largest student site are finally here boasting a wealth of new features designed to make the site faster, more fun and much much more engaging.

The update combines the best bits of Facebook with the benefits of a massively active discussion forum.

Watch the video below to get a flavour for the new social network style features:

All these site updates are based upon extensive research within the student community over the past few years, we’re giving our users what they’ve asked for. We fully expect more students to join The Student Room and to spend more time when they get there.

What do these updates mean for you and your company/organisation?

Picture Albums

Students can now upload pictures into photo albums on their profile and share them in to threads in discussions and social groups. Giving students the ability to interact beyond the written word.
We already have the ‘Which pair of shoes do you think I should buy?’ type threads, which will no doubt benefit hugely, but what about ‘Art Portfolios’ or ‘Maths Equations’, pictures from open days or freshers week?
The potential is huge and we’re sure that our users will surprise us with what they use them for.

• Improved engagement using photos as well as text
• People love to take pictures and most people have a digital camera or cameraphone
• Photos about your products and services
• Privacy settings to restrict who can see their photos

Social Groups

Societies have developed into Social Groups with extra functionality so that likeminded students can have discussions, upload photos and see other members of the group.
We don’t know how they’ll be used but the potential is there for university groups for freshers or fans of a particular brand, sports team or tv show.

• Students can discuss their common interest and share photos
• Users can be targeted by social group
• Improved engagement in the social network means more exposure to your brand

Improved Search

With a site this big containing so much interesting content that’s constantly being updated we need a search engine that can handle it. Students can find their favourite social groups and forums quicker and brands can find out what students are saying about them.

• Filtered search results to find the most relevant content for our users
• Find more than just posts! Get articles, social groups and events all in a single search
• Easy to find out what students are saying about you on the largest student network in the world

Improved Profiles

Members can now add friends, social groups and photos to their profiles as well as leave messages on their wall and manage privacy settings for all their personal content.

• User profiles are set to become the heart of the new site updates, bringing photos, social groups and friends together

Social Bookmarking

With so much content being added to the site every minute the largest student site in the world is breaking out and set to spread across the internet. Threads are going to be let loose for students to share across other social networks.

• Members can share their discussions with Facebook, Twitter, Digg etc.
• Share funny, useful or ridiculous content
• Word of mouth opinions about your brand will continue across the boundaries of The Student Room and come back with new members who want to know more

Post Rating

With over 27,000 posts a day it’s important to be able to sort the best from the good.

• Ratings will help users find the best content
• See the most influential members on specific topics
• The better the content the longer users stay on the site, which means more exposure to advertising

Games Arcade

Online games are a major part of the internet and integrating them with a social network like The Student Room provides a new dimension for those with a competitive streak.

• Compete for high scores
• Take part in tournaments with other users
• Have FUN on The Student Room, spend more time engaging with the site and increase the opportunity for brand exposure