PhD, Associate Professor M.P. Bondarenko¹
PhD, Associate Professor V.A. Balueva¹
P.A. Sychev^2
1Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture, Volgograd
²Volgograd State Agricultural University, Volgograd

Objective of the study was to identify the importance of social networks in the life of a person planning to go or already going into higher education at a physical education university and to study the degree of their influence on the formation of competitive advantages of a university.
Methods and structure of the study. During the study, the following methods were applied: traditional sociological methods based on sampling and sample research, dynamic analysis of social networks, subscriber counter and website traffic checker. We studied the following social networks: Facebook, Vkontakte, Instagram and YouTube; the possibility of their use in working with both applicants and students of physical education universities. The study was carried out at the premises of FSBEI  HE Volgograd State Physical Education Academy and lasted from 2016 through 2018 academic year.
Results of the study and conclusions. The analysis of social networks showed that Facebook is suitable for working with students from Russia and the CIS countries, and can also be used to attract foreign students. Vkontakte is one of the few social networks allowing you to post texts, links to documents, generate specific tasks for individual groups of students and quickly check their completion. The peculiarity of YouTube is that most of the videos uploaded were made in real-life classes held at the departments of FSBEI HE Volgograd State Physical Education Academy. The analysis of Instagram revealed not only increased interest in photographic materials, but also increased number of straight questions sent to Direct from future university entrants.
The findings indicate raising awareness of the main participants of the experiment, an increase in the number of social network subscriptions.

Keywords: social networks, educational services, students, applicants, users, competitiveness of a physical education university.

References

1. Bondarenko M.P. Razvitie sistemyi materialnogo stimulirovaniya truda v professionalnom sporte [Development of material labor incentive system in professional sports]. Volgograd: VSAPC publ., 2016. 280 p.
2. Vorobyev A.V., D.V. Kolesnikova et al. Vnedrenie informatsionnyih tehnologiy v deyatelnost sportivnogo kluba [introduction of information technology in sports club activities]. Fizicheskoe vospitanie i sportivnaya trenirovka. 2016. # 2 (16). pp. 78-82.
3. Kienko M.V., A.G. Gezalyan et al.Svyazi s obschestvennostyu v sporte [Public Relations in sports]. Vzaimodeystvie biznesa s sotsialno-ekonomicheskoy sferoy v usloviyah modernizatsii ekonomiki i obrazovaniya [Interaction of business with socio-economic sphere in context of modernization of economy and education]. Proc. Intern. res. – practical conferences (November 21-24, 2016)). Volgograd: VSAPC publ., 2016. pp. 145-150.
4. Bondarenko M.P. Wages in municipal sport facilities. World Applied Sciences Journal. 2013. v. 27. №  13 A. pp. 478-481.