Facebook: A Modern Marketing Tool

Millions of people use Facebook to connect to friends and family across the world. At the University of Mississippi and within Oxford, students, faculty and local residents use this social network not only to keep in touch with friends and find out the latest gossip, but also to know what's going on locally. With the increase in users, many local business owners are turning to Facebook as a marketing tool. The owner of LuLu's boutique, Lindsay Mitchell, uses Facebook to post discounts, new merchandise and fashion tips in order to increase customers and provide quality customer service. Many Facebook users believe taking advantage of social media outlets is key to reaching customers in this age of technology.

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Where the pepperoni pizza will have you jumpin' for joy, man!

Recently, the Ole Miss Dining Services seem to have come under scrutiny again over rising food prices at the Ole Miss student union food court and other eateries on campus. Though some students may gripe, the university claims that the price increases are necessary.

Every year the food services here at Ole Miss hold a survey to compare their prices to competition around town and after seeing some of the results this year, I was very surprised.

The reason I was so surprised is because the prices of the items available on campus weren't astronomically higher than the prices at places like BP and Shell. The price of a box of Cheerios on campus is $5.79, while the price at Shell was over$6. Soft drinks and milk were priced at $1.39 on campus, which is the same price available at BP. Ole Miss Dining Services has even joined in on the "$5 phenomenon", making meal combos available in the food court for as low as $5.

"We can't be compared to places such as Wal-Mart because we are convenient stores." said Laine Poole, the Ole Miss Dining Services marketing manager. "We do not increase prices just because we have a captured audience."

Convinced that the university diabolically sought to exploit me for as much money as possible during my tenure here in Oxford, I was pleased to see that maybe they weren't the lying pirates I had made them out to be. Some items in the food court do still have higher prices compared to competitors, but can you really put a price on convenience?

The food court has served me well over the four years I have spent meandering around Ole Miss. It was home to the only Chick-fil-a in town until earlier this year! Located in the heart of campus, the food court offers convenience unparalleled for students living in the dorm or studying for hours on campus.