The question of whether or not Pinterest was a tool to be used by the college or extension came up a couple weeks ago in a college social media forum. No one present had much experience with Pinterest, so not much more was said. The primary user in the college of which I am aware are Jeff Hyde for the Agricultural Entrepreneurship programs. I hadn't used it beyond viewing links others sent me so decided to explore. I am now the proud owner of a "Penn State Extension" board.
One thing I find interesting about Pinterest is their enrollment process. Unlike most social media hubs, you have to be invited to join Pinterest. You can request the invitation from their site. In my case I recieved the invitation within 24 hours of my request. The invitation included links to get me started. Unfortunately, at the time I received the invitation I did not have time to work on this so rushed through some of the information and logged out. Yesterday when I logged in I had to try to figure out some things that probably would have been evident had I spent more time with the prescribe introductory links. After a little bit of time on these I began exploring other sites. I decided I needed to give myself an assignment so set off to create a Penn State Extension board. In my research I did find a Cooperative Extension board which contains "pins" from around the country, but I wanted to make my board unique to Pennsylvania to explore how we might use it to talk about what Penn State Extension offers.
So, I began work on my board. Naming it was easy. Then I realized I still didn't know how to pin things to my board, so did a little backtracking on that. It didn't help that some of the initial pages I attempted to pin had no images sufficient for pinning. This may have implications for future web design if it is hoped that people will promote your pages through tools such as Pinterest in the future - in this case, you need images that can be utilized to make it easier for this to happen. I believe from my web travels yesterday I came across a solution for pinning items that don't contain images, but couldn't find it again when I retraced my tracks.
Eventually, I got a respectable board established with basics about what Penn State Extension is, and some program pages, newsarticles and notice of upcoming events. I like that new items are automatically shifted to the top and that I can select the cover picture. It's also nice that the URL for what you are pinning is automatically posted. I found it interesting that if I post something someone else has, even if I didn't get it off their page, they get credit for the initial "pin."
I felt that sense of accomplishment I used to enjoy when freshman would accomplish something they thought was impossible or hard as I finished, but recognized the next question is the every repeating "So what?" How do we know if this is an effective way to reach our audience? Will people use it? Is there a mechanism to evaluate success? These are all questions that have to be answered to determine whether or not this is something to encourage for programs such as this. I must admit a bit of pleasure this morning when I found that one of my items had been repinned three times already. So, did three people find this that wouldn't have otherwise known about Penn State Extension? At least I know three people looked at the page. I look forward to seeing how this develops over time. I'll keep you posted. (and if you give me material, I might even "pin" you.)
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Current hashtags for twitter
This is not anything profound, just a list of hashtags I've been using lately in promoting some of our extension programming along with some of the rationale for their selection.
#CoopExt - Seems to be best tag to use for Cooperative Extension activities and events. Appears to be used universally - good way to follow what is happening in other states. Some people have used #Extension which I understand, but when I search on it I see a variety of topics covered from domain names, hair design, and phone installation.
#MilKids - information about programming and resources for children of parents involved in the US military
#AgEntre - this evolved from conversation with Sarah Cornelisse, Jeff Hyde and Keith Dickinson regarding topics related to new product or business development by agricultural producers. We discussed #EntreFarming, but the suggestion was the #AgEntre is more inclusive.
#NGV - Natural Gas Vehicle
Some that don't appear to need much explanation: #PennState, #FoodSafety, #HACCP, #ServSafe, #stormwater, #water, #renewable #energy, #invasive species, #DayCare, #marcellus #dairy.
Added to the list on 5/16/12 -
#MasterGardener
#FoodPreservation
#Arboretum
#Marcellus
#wine
New additions as of 6/7/12 -
#forestry
#urbanforestry
Be sure to follow me on twitter @kavines.
#CoopExt - Seems to be best tag to use for Cooperative Extension activities and events. Appears to be used universally - good way to follow what is happening in other states. Some people have used #Extension which I understand, but when I search on it I see a variety of topics covered from domain names, hair design, and phone installation.
#MilKids - information about programming and resources for children of parents involved in the US military
#AgEntre - this evolved from conversation with Sarah Cornelisse, Jeff Hyde and Keith Dickinson regarding topics related to new product or business development by agricultural producers. We discussed #EntreFarming, but the suggestion was the #AgEntre is more inclusive.
#NGV - Natural Gas Vehicle
Some that don't appear to need much explanation: #PennState, #FoodSafety, #HACCP, #ServSafe, #stormwater, #water, #renewable #energy, #invasive species, #DayCare, #marcellus #dairy.
Added to the list on 5/16/12 -
#MasterGardener
#FoodPreservation
#Arboretum
#Marcellus
#wine
New additions as of 6/7/12 -
#forestry
#urbanforestry
Be sure to follow me on twitter @kavines.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Thinking about CRM tools
I've been giving some thought recently to CRM tools - software intended to strengthen the relationship between a business and its clients engaged in virtual interaction in an online environment. However, as I begin in this thought process, I can't help but think back 20+ years ago when I began work as a county extension educator - a role that relies heavily on an individual's ability to develop and maintain relationships on many levels from individual to entire organizations. Of course, at that time the primary mode of communication with individual clientele that was not face-to-face was by telephone. Face-to-face connections occurred during farm visits or in group educational settings except those times you would run into a client in the grocery store or a restaurant. I can't ever remember anyone making a big deal of it, but it was understood that when you received a phone message you would respond as quickly as possible. The staff assistant who took the message generally made certain that the client knew you were away and had an idea of how long it might be before you got the message so they had an expectation for when the call would be returned. Unless someone dropped in the office as you were arriving, that stack of phone messages was the first thing you would conquer on your return.
When we increased the number of computers in the extension office and moved them onto people's desks and equipped them with email I do remember the discussion about how quickly you needed to respond to email. At that point, many people treated email much as they would the phone and when an email came in felt the need to respond instantly. Some were concerned that their productivity in other areas was suffering because of the constant interruption. I have heard people suggest that people schedule time to respond to email - first thing in the morning, last in the evening, maybe after lunch - so they can preserve other time to work on other projects without this distraction. But it remains extremely important to respond to emails in order to maintain relationships just as it was important to return phone calls in the early days. However, the opportunity exists at times to evaluate the situation and return an email with another form of response - phone or maybe even a face-to-face visit when it seems that is best for maintaining positive relationships. But not responding is not an option in such a people-oriented business. And much as the staff assistant did with callers in years gone by, if we anticipate our response may be delayed beyond our normal expectations we generally provide automatic responses to buffer the expectation of the sender so they do not read our delayed response as a failure to respond.
Now enter social media. Similar to email - but quicker paced, and much more public. Failure to respond is not an option. How do we utilize the tool to share information and education while working our best to develop and maintain relationships? After all, isn't the key to CRM responding in a timely manner with what the client needs and doing so in a manner that is useful to them and aids in the development and maintenance of a positive relationship that provides benefits of regular interaction in the future.
So, answer the phone, respond to emails and utilize communication through social media that is intentional in setting the tone for that positive relationship. Be your own CRM tool.
When we increased the number of computers in the extension office and moved them onto people's desks and equipped them with email I do remember the discussion about how quickly you needed to respond to email. At that point, many people treated email much as they would the phone and when an email came in felt the need to respond instantly. Some were concerned that their productivity in other areas was suffering because of the constant interruption. I have heard people suggest that people schedule time to respond to email - first thing in the morning, last in the evening, maybe after lunch - so they can preserve other time to work on other projects without this distraction. But it remains extremely important to respond to emails in order to maintain relationships just as it was important to return phone calls in the early days. However, the opportunity exists at times to evaluate the situation and return an email with another form of response - phone or maybe even a face-to-face visit when it seems that is best for maintaining positive relationships. But not responding is not an option in such a people-oriented business. And much as the staff assistant did with callers in years gone by, if we anticipate our response may be delayed beyond our normal expectations we generally provide automatic responses to buffer the expectation of the sender so they do not read our delayed response as a failure to respond.
Now enter social media. Similar to email - but quicker paced, and much more public. Failure to respond is not an option. How do we utilize the tool to share information and education while working our best to develop and maintain relationships? After all, isn't the key to CRM responding in a timely manner with what the client needs and doing so in a manner that is useful to them and aids in the development and maintenance of a positive relationship that provides benefits of regular interaction in the future.
So, answer the phone, respond to emails and utilize communication through social media that is intentional in setting the tone for that positive relationship. Be your own CRM tool.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Penn State Extension Spring In-Service
The highlight of this week was spring in-service for Penn State Extension. Like other extension organizations, Penn State Extension is in the midst of change - structural and contextual. The in-service provided an opportunity for administration to communicate more details about the change and introduce key-players and opportunities. Educator teams had time to learn, ask questions and think about how the changes need to be implemented in educational programming and how it interacts with other programming.
I was struck in the sessions I attended on Tuesday afternoon by the lack of understanding of the ability educators to connect with clientele and establish relationships in online environments. This is truly a place where we need to move beyond myth and into reality. True, we can only build relationships in this environment with individuals who are online with us, but the potential for those connections continues to expand. Penn State researchers are looking at this and finding similarities in connections established by individuals in online environments as compared to face-to-face environments. (Penn State Live, April 3, 2012, Being ingnored online or in person, its still exclusion, http://live.psu.edu/story/58872#nw1.)
Yesterday, during the Animal Welfare and Environment Initiative's symposium on Addressing Controversy in Animal Agriculture I reflected on an article I read - "5 Tips for Using Social Collaboration to Inform Your Content Strategy by Sarah Skerik http://blog.prnewswire.com/2012/03/26/5-tips-for-using-social-collaboration-to-inform-your-content-strategy/ - as I think it speaks very strongly to the potential for Extension to use social media in this manner, especially as relates to controversial topics. We need more training and practice in this area, but I believe that is to come.
In the closing session, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Bruce McPheron, praised the gathering for their role in change. "If there is an agile piece of the university, it is sitting in this room" he said. He shared his expectations for the group as they provide leadership for the rest of the college in continuing change - enthusiasm, leadership, scholarship and committment. He emphasized both formal and informal or experiential scholarship. My interpretation was that regardless of our role, he was challenging us to do it well and be willing to share the benefits of our knowledge with the rest of the community.
Change has happened and change continues. Penn State Extension is poised to accomplish what needs to be done, learn new ways of doing business and provide support and encouragement throughout the college and university community. Let's do it!
I was struck in the sessions I attended on Tuesday afternoon by the lack of understanding of the ability educators to connect with clientele and establish relationships in online environments. This is truly a place where we need to move beyond myth and into reality. True, we can only build relationships in this environment with individuals who are online with us, but the potential for those connections continues to expand. Penn State researchers are looking at this and finding similarities in connections established by individuals in online environments as compared to face-to-face environments. (Penn State Live, April 3, 2012, Being ingnored online or in person, its still exclusion, http://live.psu.edu/story/58872#nw1.)
Yesterday, during the Animal Welfare and Environment Initiative's symposium on Addressing Controversy in Animal Agriculture I reflected on an article I read - "5 Tips for Using Social Collaboration to Inform Your Content Strategy by Sarah Skerik http://blog.prnewswire.com/2012/03/26/5-tips-for-using-social-collaboration-to-inform-your-content-strategy/ - as I think it speaks very strongly to the potential for Extension to use social media in this manner, especially as relates to controversial topics. We need more training and practice in this area, but I believe that is to come.
In the closing session, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Bruce McPheron, praised the gathering for their role in change. "If there is an agile piece of the university, it is sitting in this room" he said. He shared his expectations for the group as they provide leadership for the rest of the college in continuing change - enthusiasm, leadership, scholarship and committment. He emphasized both formal and informal or experiential scholarship. My interpretation was that regardless of our role, he was challenging us to do it well and be willing to share the benefits of our knowledge with the rest of the community.
Change has happened and change continues. Penn State Extension is poised to accomplish what needs to be done, learn new ways of doing business and provide support and encouragement throughout the college and university community. Let's do it!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Past and Present - Changes and Similarities
On my way into work this morning I was reflecting on one of the projects I've undertaken in the past couple months - thinking about ways to use social media to increase marketing of Extension programs. A little over 10 years ago, when I moved to the Purdue campus, the charge was to figure out how to deliver extension programming in an online environment that would meet needs and enhance relationships with Extension clientele.
Ten years ago I was focussed on the educational programming. Today I'm looking at programming across the state and more from the marketing perspective. Although, because of my background, I'm thinking too of how as an educator I would utilize today's tools to focus on building relationships with the clientele.
It is interesting to see the number of states and programs as well as individuals out there utilizing social media in Extension so I pay close attention to what they are doing. In addition, I've been looking at what commercial businesses are doing. I believe social media tools have increased our reach in terms of the number of people we can interact with as well as their geographic dispersal. While some people think Extension boundaries match those of the county or state, those boundaries do not exist in an online environment. Many extension programs are becoming more specialized so opportunity to interact with others outside those man-made boundaries may be crucial in providing the educational content to meet a particular client's needs. Further, because the amount of educational programming being delivered in an online environment continues to increase, access to that programming can be convenient regardless of geographic location. As I've been following other states, primarily through their Twitter posts, I've been interested in seeing the types of programs and approaches they are taking. I think this interaction can only strengthen relationships in Extension nationally and internationally and guide us in improving our programming. The interaction provides a type of virtual, continuous professional development opportunity to those that are engaged.
As our reach is increasing, so also are our networks and our opportunity to facilitate the development of virtual communities. I've been hearing a lot about #AgChat lately, although I have another obligation on Tuesday evenings that prevents my participation. (I have been following their tweets.) This appears to be a virtual community based on a common interest in agriculture. They entertain "speakers" who can share with the group and facilitate and encourage group discussion. It sounds a lot like some of the night meetings on specific topics I used to host as a county educator many years ago, but with a lot more convenience and sources of ideas that may be international, and are at least national in origins rather than just lcoal, providing a wider range of diversity in approaches and ideas. This virtual "community" becomes very real in terms of opportunity for educational programming, discussing key issues and identifying potential solutions.
So, in a nutshell, although the tools and capabilities have changed, the primary focus for Extension programming remains on development of relationships. Because of the tools, the nature of those relationships has changed and the definition of a community has greatly expanded. The quality and relevance of the educational programming remains important but the mode of delivery has changed.
Ten years ago I was focussed on the educational programming. Today I'm looking at programming across the state and more from the marketing perspective. Although, because of my background, I'm thinking too of how as an educator I would utilize today's tools to focus on building relationships with the clientele.
It is interesting to see the number of states and programs as well as individuals out there utilizing social media in Extension so I pay close attention to what they are doing. In addition, I've been looking at what commercial businesses are doing. I believe social media tools have increased our reach in terms of the number of people we can interact with as well as their geographic dispersal. While some people think Extension boundaries match those of the county or state, those boundaries do not exist in an online environment. Many extension programs are becoming more specialized so opportunity to interact with others outside those man-made boundaries may be crucial in providing the educational content to meet a particular client's needs. Further, because the amount of educational programming being delivered in an online environment continues to increase, access to that programming can be convenient regardless of geographic location. As I've been following other states, primarily through their Twitter posts, I've been interested in seeing the types of programs and approaches they are taking. I think this interaction can only strengthen relationships in Extension nationally and internationally and guide us in improving our programming. The interaction provides a type of virtual, continuous professional development opportunity to those that are engaged.
As our reach is increasing, so also are our networks and our opportunity to facilitate the development of virtual communities. I've been hearing a lot about #AgChat lately, although I have another obligation on Tuesday evenings that prevents my participation. (I have been following their tweets.) This appears to be a virtual community based on a common interest in agriculture. They entertain "speakers" who can share with the group and facilitate and encourage group discussion. It sounds a lot like some of the night meetings on specific topics I used to host as a county educator many years ago, but with a lot more convenience and sources of ideas that may be international, and are at least national in origins rather than just lcoal, providing a wider range of diversity in approaches and ideas. This virtual "community" becomes very real in terms of opportunity for educational programming, discussing key issues and identifying potential solutions.
So, in a nutshell, although the tools and capabilities have changed, the primary focus for Extension programming remains on development of relationships. Because of the tools, the nature of those relationships has changed and the definition of a community has greatly expanded. The quality and relevance of the educational programming remains important but the mode of delivery has changed.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Spring Break
Staying on campus during spring break serves as a good time to reflect on the many positive benefits of living in a college town. It is nice to have the more relaxed pace, less hassle and traffic, no need for reservations, ease in finding downtown parking. And quiet.
Although they aren't on campus, I follow the travels of many students who have friended me or tweet and see the fun exciting things they are doing. Or the way they are enjoying a little down time with family and friends. (I remember those days - when being at home for a week provided endless opportunities to reconnect and explore new things with family and friends - spring break!)
But it is very quiet this Wednesday morning on campus. I miss the liveliness, chatter and life that the students provide. The things that make us look twice and shake our heads (and smile.) The students do such a wonderful job of keeping us fresh and helping us to keep asking questions - why are things that way? does this always work? could there be another approach? So, as I reflect this Wednesday morning, I am greatful for the students, present and past, who challenge us and bring a little life to this place.
Although they aren't on campus, I follow the travels of many students who have friended me or tweet and see the fun exciting things they are doing. Or the way they are enjoying a little down time with family and friends. (I remember those days - when being at home for a week provided endless opportunities to reconnect and explore new things with family and friends - spring break!)
But it is very quiet this Wednesday morning on campus. I miss the liveliness, chatter and life that the students provide. The things that make us look twice and shake our heads (and smile.) The students do such a wonderful job of keeping us fresh and helping us to keep asking questions - why are things that way? does this always work? could there be another approach? So, as I reflect this Wednesday morning, I am greatful for the students, present and past, who challenge us and bring a little life to this place.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Blog Transition
I started a blog many years ago using a program the University developed, but the program doesn't seem to have kept up so I'm going to try moving my posts and adding new ones here. This blog will relate more to my thoughts and reflections from a professional standpoint. I'm looking forward to experimenting with this product to see how it works and if it meets my needs. If you want to look back at previous postings, go to http://www.personal.psu.edu/kav11/blogs/thoughts_and_reflections/blog/.
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