Ryan Lytle (@rlytle), education web producer at U.S.News & World Report (@USNewsEducation), admits being a web producer in education was never a dream of his. “I was drawn to the responsibilities that came with my position, with the control I have over our social media endeavors and the opportunity to do a lot of writing,” he says. “Especially being young – I’m 22 – in this field, I really wanted to start somewhere where I had the opportunity to wear a lot of different hats and have a lot of different responsibilities.”

Ryan (about.me page/LinkedIn), who has worked previously at MTV, NBC, the Washington Post and Cincinnati Enquirer and an alumnus of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, fielded questions about social media and higher education.

1. ASMH: When and why did you first get involved in social media?

RL: Well, I first got involved on Facebook when I was 17; actually right after I got my college email address so I could register. I started using Twitter during my first college internship (at The Cincinnati Enquirer) in 2008. I was really drawn to the idea of being able to connect with anyone and everyone. I can’t even tell you the opportunities that have been opened to me because of my consistent presence on social media.

2. ASMH: What are some of the most innovative uses of social media in higher education, in your opinion?

RL: I still think every college and university benefits the most by having a highly-engaged Facebook and Twitter program. We’re on social media to listen, learn and discuss ideas. Universities need to have their brand in this area, and they need to listen to what people are saying! I do love the schools that are being more proactive and bringing platforms such as Foursquare to their campus. Students are so tech-savvy that you benefit by having your brand out there on every platform.

3. ASMH: How important is your journalism background to your job?

RL: I think my journalism background does help to an extent. My grammar and ethics courses are put to the test almost on a daily basis. But, I’ve learned basically everything I’ve needed to know through my internships and student organizations. There’s no replacement for hands-on experience. But, my journalism background helped me land great internships so I can’t say it didn’t help.

4. ASMH: I see according to your LinkedIn profile that you were part of MTV’s first-ever Twitter Jockey competition. What was that competition, and why did you get involved?

RL: Short version: I was contacted by MTV near the end of my senior year in college, because they felt I had a strong social media presence. They were on the search for their first ever MTV Twitter Jockey — which is basically the web equivalent of a MTV Video Jockey. I never signed up for anything — they literally found me on the web. I participated because I knew this national attention would be amazing for my personal brand and it was everything I could have ever hoped it would be. I learned a lot about myself, my abilities in social media and what I hope to do with my career.

5. ASMH: If you were forced to conjure up a crystal ball and predict what some of the social media trends that are likely to unfold in higher education in the coming months and years, what would your top three be?

RL:

1. More and more universities will use social media not only to research prospective students, but to recruit students.
2. More colleges and universities will create iPad (or tablet) apps for their online classes.
3. Foursquare, or some other geolocation app, will have a much more prominent place for college visits.