Trading Consequences & Planning Project

Communications/Launches

Nicola OsborneEDINA Social Media Officer

nicola.osborne@ed.ac.uk

Trading Consequenceshttp://tradingconsequences.blogs.edina.ac.uk/

• Two Year (Jan 2012 – March 2014) “Digging Into Data” project on economic and environmental history through nineteenth century trading records.

• Project partners: University of Edinburgh School of Informatics, York University Canada, St Andrews University, EDINA and, latterly, University of Saskatchewan.

• Significant responsibility to communicate and raise awareness of the project in order to:

• Justify substantial investment

• Ensure academic partners saw real impact for their work

• Build interest in the project before launching deliverables: search, visualisation tools and white paper.

• Ensure sustained interest as historic academic work continues into Summer 2014, publications beyond that.

Communications Channels During Project

Twitter@digtrade / #digtrade

Project Bloghttp://tradingconsequences.blogs.edina.ac.uk/

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Additional Presences…

SlideShareIndividual accounts used, gathered via Storify as were other materials: videos, guest posts elsewhere etc.

Storifyhttps://storify.com/digtrade/trading-consequences

Tracking Tools

TAGS Explorer

Google AnalyticsTools used throughout project to tailor blog content, gauge interest, identify key interested parties

Requirements for Launch

• Project outputs to be launched:– White Paper on Trading Consequences– Online visualisation tools (x 2)– Online database search tools (x 2)– Additional deliverable: GitHub resources for the

project including the TC Lexicon.• Communications plan required by Jisc, submitted for

approval with draft White Paper• Additional need to track post-launch conferences,

activity, blog posts for managing interest and maintaining momentum.

• Maximum impact and press coverage desired by funders and team.

Launch Planning… • Website updated with support information, visualisation and search tools updated to

ensure correct partner organisations, help information and links consistent across presences.

• Branding checked across presences, URLs checked, all partners asked to check own details, organisation names & branding, project publications etc. via checklist.

• Researchers, all project partners, engaged in press release drafting and approval process, including identification of key stories/possible top lines.

• Press release drafted by Press Office with EDINA, final version agreed by partners and press offices at all partner organisations.

• All data providers and funders contacted to inform them of launch date, kept posted on press release, sent preview of tools and sent approved release with permissions to reshare.

• Final press release pushed out through UoE/Press Association• Press releases launched in parallel through each partner, and some data providers. • Launch blog post drafted for launch. Additional blog posts and activities planned as

follow up to launch.• Hashtag publicised, all partners encouraged to tweet. Jisc prepped to retweeted

project.• The Conversation approached, researchers co-authored piece for just after launch.

Coverage• Press: The Times; Metro*; Evening

News*.• Blogs/reviews: Chronicle of Higher

Education. • Arranged pieces: The Conversation;

EDINA News; Yfile; St Andrews HCI blog; Informatics News.

• Approaches from: BBC Reporting Scotland (feature); Edinburgh Evening News (feature)

• Presentation invited by data provider following launch.

• Extensive twitter activity, particularly from academic historians and researchers.

*Not as helpful as could have been – project name not included!

How to take this forward for other projects…

• Build awareness and momentum ahead of launch. • Launch plans help focus activity, create clear timelines, specify

responsibilities – TC plan can be shared as example if useful.• Ask for help. Andrew Bevan, Nicola Osborne and UoE Press Office can

all help with planning press releases and social media. • Be proactive identifying and approaching key channels: specialist

press, The Conversation, blogs that have covered the project already, opinion leaders on Twitter.

• Keep branding and hashtags clear and consistent.• Stash images, key stories, successes, etc. for use in launch/publicity.

Have a clear idea of what you want to communicate about your project and to whom.

• Ensure project partners, funders, data providers, collaborators all involved and engaged in launch – they are your best cheer leaders.

• Ensure some follow up activity planned to capitalise on interest.• Track and monitor impact of activities – for you and your funders.