Social network site connects internationals
SABEENA MAHARJAN
News Writing Student
A social networking site where international students can rendezvous is now available. The OCCC International Student Forum is similar to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, said Sunny Garner, International Student Services coordinator.
It has attracted about 100 members, including some American students, Garner said.
“Members can create their own profile page, write blogs, upload photos, make comments over the posts and interact with other international students,” she said.
Nhu Nguyen, a literature major from Vietnam, is a member. “It is a door to share information and make friends,” he said.
Navin Parajuli, a Nepalese student majoring in science, recently posted a link about Dashain, the national festival of Nepal which generally falls from late September to mid-October, celebrating the victory of god over demons.
“Cultural sharing is what I like the most about it,” Parajuli said. “When I log into my page, I feel like I am not the only one who is missing home.
“You are not only sharing when you write; you are improving your writing skills as well,” he said.
John Richardson, Marketing and Public Relations coordinator, said the college was experimenting with the idea of social networks, but wanted something that allowed them to make the page look the way they wanted it to.
“There is a free social network company called Ning [where] anybody can create their own social network and it does not cost anything,” Richardson said.
That’s the option the college chose for the OCCC International Student Forum, he said.
“Being in a foreign country, it is very important to connect, to feel like you belong,” Richardson said. “I thought, for international students, this was the perfect opportunity to bring people together.”
Garner said she is excited about the website. “I want it to be more OCCC than just a Facebook or Mypace.”
Her plans include a live chat on the website at some point.
Garner encourages domestic students to join.
“I think it would teach them a lot about other cultures and also friendships can be made.”
Richardson said he is interested in what students think about the site. He said adjustments can be made based on feedback from users. He can be reached at jrichardson@occc.edu.
OCCC students can invite their friends and relatives to join this forum by signing up at www.occc.edu/myinternational or www.occcinternational.ning.com.
