In North American skies, the Golden Eagle is known for its high-pitched, yelp-like call. It was a different bird song, however, that had Marquette and its mascot in the news last week.

According to rankings published last Monday by the online company Klout, Marquette is tied for the ninth-most influential college on Twitter. Klout tracks the impact of tweets and gives numerical scores to Twitter accounts based on the results.

Marquette started using Twitter in 2008, just two years after the service was created. The @MarquetteU Twitter account now has more than 9,100 followers.

A starting point like that enhanced Marquette’s chances of getting its handle recognized, according to Tim Cigelske, a communication specialist in the office of marketing and communication who manages the @MarquetteU Twitter account.

“At the time, there (weren’t) a lot of other schools on Twitter,” Cigelske said. “We made it a point to dive in and establish a presence.”

Daradirek “Gee” Ekachai, an associate professor of public relations, said Marquette’s involvement in social media has been a great opportunity to connect with both current students and alumni.

“People who have been following Marquette know how involved and engaging we are,” Ekachai said. “This is a way for the university to reach out, to engage and maintain a conversation.”

She said the two-way stream of communication Marquette maintains increases its impact.

“One thing that makes MarquetteU’s Twitter engaging is that they’re not just doing one-way communication like a lot of other schools do,” she said. “They actually ask questions, they invite students and alumni into the conversation.”

But Cigelske said the ranking doesn’t mean Marquette’s influence is constant.

“The Klout score fluctuates over time,” Cigelske said. “So if there’s a big basketball game, it’s going to go up. So you kind of have to take it with a grain of salt. On the other hand, it’s nice to be on a list with Harvard and Stanford, to be a tenth of a point behind the University of Texas at Austin, which has a much broader reach than we do.”

Marquette has multiple Twitter pages, and also boasts more than 13,000 fans on Facebook. Its Foursquare page was once ranked in the top 10 for universities with more than 4,000 fans, Cigelske said.

Ekachai said maintaining multiple social media accounts requires dedication.

“It’s very time-consuming,” Ekachai said. “Sometimes people ask questions that, if you do not reply immediately, could create a bad situation as well.”

But Ekachai said Marquette’s social media efforts have gotten students more engaged.

“Students and alumni really appreciate that Marquette has adopted these new media so quickly and is willing to listen to them,” she said. “The social media (and) Twitter thing is about listening, and responding to their needs and their questions. It’s a great example of how Marquette is willing to embrace openness.”

Laurie Osman, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and avid Twitter user, said Marquette’s promotion of social media to maintain relationships with students and alumni helps keep everyone connected.

“It’s nice to have Marquette send you a message via Twitter wishing you a good break, good luck on the exam or congratulations on the new job,” she said.