Texas A&M Has Largest Number Of Facebook Fans

Texas A&M University is now the top university-sponsored Facebook page in the world with more than 60,000 fans.

As a result of challenging Louisiana State University to a friendly Facebook rivalry, the official Texas A&M Facebook page gained more than 16,000 new fans in the last two weeks to become the largest university Facebook page in the world. Louisiana State University previously held the number one position with 56,000 fans.

This rivalry between Big XII and SEC schools is the first of its kind to take place on Facebook, says Diane McDonald, associate director with the Division of Marketing and Communications at Texas A&M.

LSU posted a link to the Texas A&M news release about the Facebook challenge in an effort to rally its fans, resulting in approximately 4,000 new fans in the same time period.

“Being the top Facebook page is another example of Texas A&M taking the lead with social media. We also were one of the first schools with an iTunes U site, as well as the first public university with a suite of mobile apps,” McDonald notes.

Texas A&M officials say they are accomplishing the goal they set when the page was launched: to provide a non-authoritative “community of spirit” that rallies around an exchange of Aggie values.

They attribute the recent surge in the number of fans to the power and spirit of the Aggie network. When the university recently announced the “Spirit of Aggieland” photo contest, fans responded by posting more than 260 spirit-filled fan photos to the Facebook page.

Diane McDonald“Facebook is the top social networking forum in the U.S, placing Texas A&M as the number-one school on the largest social network in the country,” McDonald adds. “Being the number-one university on Facebook showcases our Aggie traditions and network – with a contemporary twist.”

Texas A&M also has expanded the page to include a portal to a select group of university pages under the “Favorite Pages” section. The “Favorite Pages” group includes fan pages for the university’s academic colleges and departments and the Corps of Cadets.

“Facebook is also connecting past, present and future students,” says McDonald. “Many of the inquiries on the wall and discussion board are posted by future students – and are answered by current and former students.”

“I plan on remaining a Texas A&M Facebook ‘fan’ for as long as I have my account on Facebook. It’s a great way to stay connected and up to date with the Aggie community,” says Ashley Leathers, class of 2009.

Texas A&M invites even more students, faculty and staff to become fans of Texas A&M and to share the page with their Facebook friends. Anyone with a Facebook profile can become a fan, McDonald says.

To become a fan of the official Texas A&M Facebook page, visit http://www.facebook.com/tamu and click on the “Become a Fan” button at the top of the page.