Social media scavenger hunt a success

West Virginia University students combed every corner of campus in the first-ever University sponsored social media scavenger hunt this week.

Using Twitter and Foursquare, students learned about the history of WVU and won prizes in the process.

One student, Kristin Rader, came away from the women's soccer game Thursday with a brand-new iPod Touch because of her participation in the scavenger hunt.

Rader, a senior biology student, said she had fun scouring the grounds looking for clues.

"The clues were really interesting," Rader said. "Sometimes I couldn't go to a clue because I had class, but I would still try to figure out the location just for fun."

She didn't think many people would participate until she followed her phone to UniversiTEES on High Street for a clue.

Nikki Goodenow, a Trademark Coordinator who teamed up with University Relations for this project, said she was most proud because students were being educated about the history of the University.

"We wanted to show newer students the different places around WVU, some of the places they may not be aware of," Goodenow said. "We created a badge for Foursquare called ‘Proud Mountaineer' to educate people about social media and WVU landmarks at the same time."

All participants received a 30-percent-off coupon to the WVU Team Shop at the WVU Coliseum.

"People were getting excited to compete against each other," Goodenow said. "Social media is fantastic for connecting everyone, everywhere across the country. We don't need to be in the same room to engage in a conversation."