Importance of Social Media to Cooperative Extension
Anne Mims Adrian @aafromaa
[email protected] Military Families Learning Network
Social Media Strategist
University of Missouri Extension Fall ConferenceOctober 30, 2012
#MUEPC2012
Cooperative Extension has a problem
with reaching enough people.
% of adults who know and don’t know of Extension
Cooperative Extension has a problem
with reaching enough people.% of 18-35 year olds who know and don’t know of Extension
We are good at what we do!
Of those who have used Cooperative
Extension, 83% rate Cooperative Extension as
excellent or very good.
Cooperative Extension is not reaching
and impacting enough people.
11% have used Extension:
23 Million…sounds like a lot but it’s not enough
Bridge the “knowledge gap” of who
we are and what we do is essential
to the future of Extension—
increasing our reach and influence.
Cooperative Extension has a problem
with reach and influence.
Reach >> where we have “touched” or been noticed.
Influence >> making impacts or differences in people’s lives, businesses, and communities.
Here’s the math# of Cooperative Extension professionals = 15,000
27% of 230 Million adult population = 62 Million
To reach (“touch”) 62 Million people, CES professionals must reach ~ 4,100 people each.
To reach (“touch”) 124 Million people, CES professionals must reach ~ 8,200 people each.
*These numbers do not consider that a portion of CES professionals work directly with youth, not adults.
Average number of social ties
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Technology-and-social-networks/Part-3/SNS-users.aspx
Average number of social ties
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Technology-and-social-networks/Part-3/SNS-users.aspx
Those on the Internet have 25% to 45% more social connections than those who are not on the Internet.
More math: The idea of actual influence gets more narrow.
Dunbar number = 15015,000 X 150 = 2.25 Million
Remember the 11% of the population have used Extension?
11% of 230 Million adult population = 25.3 Million
Recent history of downsizing
One solution to budget cuts is restructuring.
•About efficiency.
•Not about increasing reach.
Downsizing decreases our possibility of increasing reach.
% of US Adult Population
11%25M
27%62M
54%124M
1,700 / CES 4,100 / CES
8,200 / CES
This is where we want to be
Methods to reach and impact
11%25M
1,700 / CoopExt
27%62M
4,100 / CoopExt
Methods to reach and impact25M
62M 4,100 / CES
1,700 / CES
Improve reach and impact25M
62M 4,100/ CES
1,700/ CES• See audiences more
as members of communities
• Become nodes in
networks• Increase others’ talking
about CES & our work
• Increase conversations
with others
8,200/
CES54%124M
GoalsIncrease the number of social ties
Extension professional’s have.
More importantly, capitalize on social
ties and connections to discuss and
develop our education efforts.
Increasing Extension’s reach
Not only a Communications Unit
problem to solve.
Approach education differently to
increase our reach and impact.
Extension’s role:create connecting environments that help others build and contribute to informational and innovative platforms
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bejadin/5299575167/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yel02/216662431/
Extension become defined by how we
contribute to ecosystems — platforms
—assuring optimal levels of sharing,
serendipitous insights and innovative
thinking.
Break for questions
Improve the way we connect and share.
Improve the way we learn, connect with
ourselves and with others.
A mindset change.
Start with ourselves
Extension's role in the new information orderFrom Eli Sagor, Extension Specialist and Forester, University of Minnesota
"help people think critically, interpret, analyze and apply information they gather from all of the different platforms."
Use available free tools to do our work better.
Use social media tools to make our content more discoverable.
In order to get cooperation, you have to give cooperation.
Grace Towns HamiltonGeorgia State Representative 1981
Benefits of social mediaReach new audiences
Reach existing audiences in new, engaging ways
Stay connected with communities between program meetings
Build relationships with new and existing clientele
Build personal learning networks
Respond effectively to emerging situations
It is more
than reach.
It is more
than reach.Benefits of openly sharing
Resources are shared by other
Reach is scaled through others as we become nodes in the networks
Credibility is built among communities members who have never heard of us
Possibility of viral spread (which can also be short-lived) emotionallyuseful and contextualcrisis (could be bad or good)
Increase ways of communicating.
Increase number of viewpoints.
Listen to & engage with new clientele (not normally engage with).
Bridge & maintain relationships with my current clients.
Improve own professional and personal development.
Collaborate with others (colleagues, local partners, & new communities).
Possible personal goals
Characteristics of connecting environments
Open
Connectedness
In the flow
Fluid; agile
Willingness to fail
Planned serendipity
Seeing value in waste
Borrowing from other fields
Resources:
Where Good Ideas Come From
and
The Connected Company
Challenges in social media
Livestock Poultry Environmental Learning Center Integration of Traditional and New
---------
Mindset change from ExtensionFarmer generated Facebook group—Southern Farming--More active dialogue if initiated by the clientele.
Develop relationships with others
AgFax-Owen Taylor links to the blog #1 source of traffic
Blog was picked up by Owen Taylor, editor of AgFax - ran as regular
article – also as email
Write-up on #CESValue campaign & cuts to Smith-Lever funds was ran.
Became key discussion piece
Twitter #ManureMondaystarted by @LPELC
Reach: 12-15,000 accounts
26-34,000impressions
Let me hear from you
Why do you and Extension need to use social media?
What do you or Extension need to use social media?
What do you or Extension want to accomplish with social media?
What prevents you or Extension from using social media?
Emergency examples
Crowdsourcing
Participative environments are changing journalism, information flow, crisis communications.
#Sandy, Google Crisis Map
http://google.org/crisismap/2012-sandy
A mindset for using social media
1. Be open about who you are.
2. Listen and take active roles in conversations. This is how we know know what information people want
and what concerns them
3. Don't look at it as another duty. People are finding ways to use new tools, we should too.
4. Be open to hearing all views.
5. Surround yourself with people who will risk trying new things.
6. Be willing to join others –you don’t have to “build” places.
Social media-just another set of tools
Popular social media outlets
Different tools have different purposes
The hammer or broadcasting is not the right tool.
Setup Google Alerts
your name
your organization
your topics
Your Identity
Create accounts; reserve your name
Complete profiles
Learn online privacy concepts
Efficiency and filters
Learn the lingo
Learn dynamics of mobile computingin context, real-time
Use apps to manage
Hootsuite,
Tweetdeck
Twitter for cell
some messages to SMS-text
Linked through Facebook and Twitter
Leads to calls from local reporters
County Agents appreciate the ability to curate
content
Posting allows sharing of links
CurationCollecting, filtering and making sense of information and putting findings into context
Scoop.it Summify
Pinterest Blogging
Google Plus Others
Relax and experiment
Faculty to dialogue and share in the open and to participate online
How can we inspire more extension and research faculty to use social media space for communication, dissemination of information and dialogue?
What are the barriers?
Photo Creditshttp://www.clker.com/cliparts/Q/S/P/Y/x/X/thumbs-up-md.png
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bejadin/5299575167/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yel02/216662431/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/g_kat26/3379204852/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aafromaa/7402166018/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/g_kat26/3379204852/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ky_olsen/3133347219/
http://google.org/crisismap/2012-sandy
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150201140291135&set=pu.54543936134&type=1&theater
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellogreenstar/5735502525/
References https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2SZOh3K1wNmNjcxNTliOTEtZjlkYS00MmFkLTg5ODYtYzRkMTIwZTQ1YjRi/edit?hl=en Brand Survey
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Technology-and-social-networks/Part-3/SNS-users.aspx
@AAFROMAAAnne Adrian from Auburn AL
[email protected]/aafromaa
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution
3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
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