The institutionalization of student blogs

Professor K sent me a very interesting link to an article in the NYT that talks about how universities are incorporating student blogs in their efforts to offer prospective applicants insights into life on campus. In this article Cristen Chinea talks about her blog which discusses her life as a student at M.I.T. What is really interesting is that blogs by students like Cristen are displayed prominently displayed on M.I.T.'s admissions page. The bloggers themselves are inundated with queries and responses from prospective applicants and are free to offer opinion and respond without fear of censorship from the institution. What's more, the students are actually paid to participate in this collaborative venture! What I found really interesting is that M.I.T. refuses to pull down posts that offer criticism of the university or the facilities offered on campus. The fact that M.I.T. chooses to blaze a new trail in bringing outsiders and students in touch on a university sponsored forum represents to me the generative power of social media. This is a great example of how social media can be utilized by institutions in a manner that respects the agency of the individual. How long before other schools including Purdue follow suit with this idea?