Kristine , The challenges you speak of is common among many institutions and there are, arguably, even greater challenges for online schools who must use technology-mediated forms of communication to develop "bonds" with students. In the career counseling profession, the bond between the practitioner (career advisor, counselor, coach, etc.) and the client (student) is known as the Working Alliance. The working alliance is a partnership between the student and advisor based on a foundation of trust and open-honest communication that improves collaboration in achieving the end-goal of obtaining employment. So, what you speak of is very important and as you take this course, you'll see that there is a heavy emphasis on how social media can be used as a tool, not just to simply blast out messages like an email distribution list, but to actually influence affinity with students/alumni/employers and influence decisions and behaviors. This is a much more strategic thought process than "how to use Facebook to inform students of events." Many career services office, unfortunately, focus only on message dissemination vs. social tools as a means to foster working alliances which you point out, is a real challenge. I am glad you see the benefit in developing a sense of community (affinity) and simply incorporating social media as one of the tools you use to do so. Robert Starks Jr.