July Convene Magazine article – The Message is the Medium
I was recently interviewed by Convene Magazine, the monthly publication from PCMA. See the article, The Message is the Medium, here.
Let me know what you think.
Jul
21
Oct
15
5 Reasons Why a ‘Social Media Approach’ is Critical
Working for a large trade organization, I am challenged by the typical mix of technology early-adopters, agnostics, and, of course, those who just don’t understand what the big deal is when it comes to Social Media – so they would rather not. Trying to explain why this is important critical is often difficult and frustrating – at best. Nine times out of ten, I walk away trying to remember why I am in this line of work in the first place.
So I came up with the ‘elevator speech’ version of why adopting a social media approach is so important for any organization:
- Gives you a voice, makes you personal & approachable
Blogs and other social networks have a different tone, they are informal yet informative. Inspired, passionate blog posts and conversations allow your audience to connect with you on a whole new level. - Increases understanding through conversation
The old school of communications was a one-way street. No matter how good your content, messages, and imagery, its ability to really impact the level of understanding is minimal compared to the world of social media. Because messages and content are being discussed, or used in a context that makes sense to the audience, it immediately increases understanding. It’s all about messages within the ‘human context’. - Increases Discoverability – so people can find you and learn about the good works that you do
There is a ton of data behind this – the fact is, if you adopt a social media approach, Google (and other search engines) will love you. And there is no love like Google love. - Broadens your reach
Having a presence on existing social networking sites works for you while you are sleeping. Using sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and Delicious gives you a exposes you to communities that you would have never found otherwise. - If you don’t participate in existing online conversations and activities, they will happen without you
The world of social media is crazy and out of control – and makes many organizations feel uncomfortable. All the more reason to pick a few insightful networks, blogs, and sites and join in. Do this–and start a few of your own–then earn the respect of your existing audience as well as develop new relationships along the way. Don’t get left out.
Oct
7
The Blurry Line of Social Media
As many of you – I spend a lot of time online both personally and professionally.
In the age of Social Media, I use a variety of community outlets such as facebook, flickr, youtube, linkedin, twitter, stumbleupon, de.licio.us for both aspects of my life (personal and professional) – and the line between the two is becoming very blurry.
For instance, I use facebook quite regularly in my personal life, and now I am beginning to set up facebook groups for my employer, etc. If I make another facebook profile with my work info, then there will be 2 of me – which sort of defeats the whole purpose of social connections, etc.
On the other hand, do I care if those folks in my professional life know that I am an obsessed Harry Potter fan? Or an Obama supporter? Or the fact that I am pro-choice? What books I read? Do I need to be careful about the applications I use and how they may be perceived? Does this have an impact on me professionally?
I really don’t know if there is one clear answer here – but certainly this is something to think about.
Any thoughts?
Jun
2
Great Resource: 7 things you should know about
If you are responsible for technology, or managing your organization’s online presence – Educause has put together a series of smart, useful briefs called 7 things you should know about.
Aside from liking it because I love the number 7 (it’s very Harry Potter), the series provides concise information on learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology or practice and describes what it is, how it works, where it is going, and why it matters.
While the materials have an education ‘spin’, they are relevant to most of us on many levels, reviewing sites, social networks, and concepts such as Twitter, Flickr, Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, RSS, Creative Commons, and much more.
I use these briefs to help educate and ‘enlighten’ my organization, helping to shift the fundamental attitude and culture of understanding around social networks, information management, and technologies that help support the mission.
Thank you Educause for putting this together!
Mar
28
Podsurfing – The Thomas Jefferson Hour
I have been a fan of podcasts for quite some time now – listening to everything from David Weinberger’s “Everything is Miscellaneous” series, to PotterCast and MuggleCast, Learning Italian, to grammar girl.
My new favorite is a thought-provoking weekly series called the Thomas Jefferson hour. Discussion topics are varied, informative and insightful – touching on life during Jeffersons era as well as his perspective on current events. I have recently become very interested in learning more about the “founding fathers” of our country – and this series is just what I was looking for. This is an ever-inspiring series that I highly recommend.
Visit the website: http://www.jeffersonhour.org/, or subscribe via iTunes.
Humanities scholar and author, Clay S. Jenkinson, adopts the persona of Jefferson each week to comment on current events and answer questions you may have about Jefferson’s thoughts on any and all topics. Clay has portrayed Thomas Jefferson for more than two decades. He is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities highest award, then called the Charles Frankel Award, for his humanities-based first person interpretation methodology.