Students seek advice from social media and high school formals website

School formals have turned from simple celebrations into big productions with the industry now worth a reported several billion dollars each year in Australia alone. Now the top ranked website for school formals has just been upgraded to intergrate social media sites Facebook and Twitter. Students and parents can now acces advice and information on everything they need to know for preparing for the biggest Year 12 event in a more social and interactive environment.

Today’s teens want the utmost in glamour and sophistication, and fierce competition is on when it comes to finding the right dress, wanting to learn style etiquette, and organising everything from corsages and hummers to glitzy venues and glamorous, well groomed partners. Both boys and girls are now spending, on average, over $1,000 each on their end of school celebration.

Australia’s number one Google ranked site, HighSchoolFormals.com.au has proven popular with teens since it began in 2002. The site offers tips to students leading up to their formal, advice for parents hosting post-formal parties as well as providing schools with a range of venues, decorations and entertainment options.

The recent social media integration reflects the way that students are spending more of their time, and capitalises on the site’s strong presence on Facebook and Twitter. The website already has more than 3,000 fans on Facebook.

The website’s editor, Marzie Mackinney says the school formal is the biggest celebration and the highlight of year 12.

“High school formals are a rite of passage for every year 12 student so they should plan well and treat themselves like a queen or king,” she said.

“The website provides up-to-date information for both boys and girls with the latest fashions plus beauty tips and tricks, style trends and what the celebrities are wearing.”

HighSchoolFormals.com.au is the product of Direct Digital who are leaders in the school market, providing a comprehensive fundraising directory and fetes and festival guide that is sent free to every school in Australia each year.

Direct Digital Principal, Mandy Stevens, has experience in niche publishing across many forms of media but says that the secret to successful publishing in today’s environment is not to focus on your own product, but rather to always focus on your target audience.

“The High School Formals site was established as an online resource,” Ms Stevens said. “The social media upgrade of the site and our upcoming iPhone application are merely shifts to meet the needs of our target audience.”

Direct Digital recently conducted a survey with 100 high school students who ranked their formal as the highlight of their final year. Students participating in the survey overwhelmingly cited Facebook as their primary source of entertainment and information.

The social media integration of the website comes ahead of an iPhone Application that is also being developed, to allow students to keep organised and track the countdown to their formal.