Fast forward 17 days and now MVNU is on record as the first NAIA member institution to secure 1,000 or more fans on a sports-specific fan page on the popular website. The Cougars’ fan base eclipsed the mark at http://www.facebook.com/MVNU.Cougars about 20 minutes before Taylor (Ind.) University (which has had a fan page since January 16) did on Friday afternoon.

"It was a lot of fun to see all of the Cougar fans come together and reach this milestone,” said MVNU sports information director Dave Parsons. "I know that social media is a powerful tool in getting an organization’s message out, and I just returned from my annual conference in San Antonio where that point was made over and over again. Eric (Smith, the Taylor sports information director) and I were able to have some fun with this contest with our respective fan bases and it really was a win-win situation for both schools.”

By harnessing the power of Facebook, the MVNU sports information office is now able to gain additional exposure for all of the stories that are released about the various teams, events, players, and coaches. The fan page also allows for the promotion of upcoming games, camps, and other events as well as being a place to give fans access to pictures and videos.

In addition to adding the fan page on Facebook, fans can also follow the Cougars on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MVNU_Cougars. Both Facebook and Twitter are free to users and accounts can be set up in a matter of minutes. Neither outlet is meant to replace MVNU’s main source of providing information, however, which is the school’s official website at http://cougars.mvnu.edu. By using both Facebook and Twitter to supplement the official site, MVNU is able to reach out to many people who had never previously visited the school’s website and drive them to it.