#41 - Mastodon and Decentralized Social Networking Models for Higher Ed Marketers w/ Andrew Cassel of Middlebury College

My guest for this episode is Andrew Cassel, Senior Social Strategist at Middlebury College. In this episode we dive into emerging social platforms like Mastodon, BeReal, and the future of social networking in a Web 3 environment.Key Takeaways:Understanding the decentralized, ad-free experience of Mastodon instances and the FediverseGrowing authentic community engagement through hashtag use on MastodonThe dopamine rush of gaining followers on platforms without vanity metricsMonetization challenges and community support funding models behind platforms like MastodonBalancing creativity and storytelling with metrics expectations in higher ed marketing rolesWhy BeReal feels inauthentic for brand accounts but creates a sense of communityThe importance of owning and controlling your own platforms and dataHow tools like generative AI could impact higher ed storytelling and SEOConnect with Andrew:Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleburyWebsite: https://www.middlebury.eduConnect with John:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnazoniLearn more about UNVEILD: https://unveild.tvJoin The Newsletter: https://unveild.tv/newsletter