You may have heard buzz about a new Facebook page that’s popped up in the Syracuse University community. It’s called “Syracuse University Compliments” and it’s very much in the same vein as pages like “Overheard at [insert college name here],” but with a twist:everything said on it is genuinely kind-hearted and meant to make someone’s day better.
How It Works
Syracuse University Compliments is moderated by an anonymous individual who receives the compliments via Facebook message and then filters through to ensure that nothing negative is posted to the page. Posts on the page are generally to a single person, but sometimes an organization, and say things such as “Dear Brianna, you never fail to make me laugh” or “Hey Darryl, thanks for helping me with my final project. You’re a nice guy.” The page has exploded across campus at SU and has gained over 1,500 likes in under a month.
I love the Internet as much as (probably even more than!) the next person, but sometimes, it’s used to say some pretty brutal things to people. YouTube comments are like an unreadable abyss of negativity (and grammatical errors) and even Facebook, which lacks anonymity unlike Youtube, has a definite flame war problem. It’s really refreshing, and even inspiring, to go to the Syracuse University Compliments page and see nothing but nice things being said about our classmates.
Compliments: Sweeping the Nation
Although compliment fever just hit Syracuse University, we’re a bit late to this party. James Madison University has had a compliments page since 2011 along with several other universities. The trend has even started to receive some national media coverage in recent weeks. The founder of Syracuse University Compliments states in the page’s About secion that he or she was inspired to start the page after seeing the one for Queen’s University in Canada.
Regardless of where the idea for the page originated, I’m glad it’s here. It’s comforting to have a safe space filled with positivity during such a stressful time like finals. (That said, it’s also a very effective procrastination tool. You’ve been warned.)
What has your experience been with the compliments pages popping up across college campuses? Is this your first time hearing about them or have you been anonymously posting nice things about people on their pages since 2011? Let me know by commenting below or tweeting @SamiiRuddy.