Social Avenue

Chapter Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:05:00 +0000

Well, I announced that Social Avenue would end in December and tonight I am officially closing the chapter on this blog (my very first one) and opening the chapter on a new one in the coming months.
I am mapping out what I want it to be and actually have been waiting to find the inspiration and vision to collect my thoughts to bring it to life. Tonight all these ideas came rushing in, and I think I have found my niche and focus for my next blogging experience.
So, I close this experimental chapter of blogging and get ready to enter a more advanced realm of blogging in the ever-changing social web landscape. I hope you will find me and join in on the conversation when it finally comes to life...

In the meantime, continue to follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or follow what I am doing at Ohio Hi-Point Career Center in my attempts to have public education embrace new and emerging media.

Ohio School Districts/Organizations in the social space

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:15:00 +0000

I wanted to compile a list of Ohio public school districts and educational organizations using the social media tools of Twitter and Facebook. Three years ago when I got started in school PR, just a few of us, in this state, were even attempting it. Now, I am moderately happy to say I can count 30 schools/organizations on Twitter and 15 with a Facebook presence. This is progress over the past two years, but with nearly 700 schools in Ohio, you can see there is a lot of catching up to do. Of course, social media is not always the best medium for all schools, but after spending nearly a decade in education, I can tell you that the small amount of schools using social media is based more on the fact that they are scared than and not because it wouldn't prove effective. Schools in general, in this state, do not have the financial resources to truly commit to strong communications and marketing programs. Most do not even have a full-time or part-time person to handle these needs (and they are needs, not wants). Anyhow, before this post turns into a rant, here is the list I have compiled of Ohio schools/organizations on Twitter and Facebook (so far):

FACEBOOK PAGES/PROFILES:
Akron Public Schools
Crestview (Convoy) Local Schools
Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA)
Ohio Hi-Point Career Center (this is the school I work for)
Tri-Rivers Career Center
Elyria City Schools
South-Western City Schools
Lorain County JVS
Muskingum Valley ESC
Warren County Career Center
Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center
Butler Tech
Middletown City Schools
Miami Valley Career-Technology Center
Bucyrus City Schools
Cincinnati Public Schools
Apollo Career Center

TWITTER:
Pickerington Local School District @plsd
Ohio Hi-Point Career Center @ohiohipoint
Butler Tech @butlertech
Miami Valley Career-Technical Center @mvctc
Middletown City Schools @middletownoh
Chardon Schools @chardonschools
Warren County Career Center @warrencocareer
Ohio Department of Education @oheducation
Fairview Park Schools @fpschools
Muskingum Valley ESC @mvesc
Westlake Schools @westlakeschools
Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center @pickawayrossctc
Pioneer Career and Technology Center @pioneerctc
Bucyrus City Schools @bucyrusredmen
Akron Public Schools @akronschools
Cuyahoga Valley Career Center @cvccworks
Highland Local Schools @highlandschools
Lorain County JVS @loraincountyjvs
South-Western City Schools @swcsd
Vandalia Butler Schools @vandaliabutler
Worthington City Schools @wcsdistrict
Ohio School Boards Association @ohschoolboards
Upper Valley JVS @uvjvs
Columbus City Schools @colscityschools
Johnstown-Monroe Local School District @jtownohschools
Kenton City Schools @kentonschools
River Valley Local Schools @rvschools
Midview Schools @midview
Mentor Schools @mentorschools
Garfield Heights City Schools @garfieldhts
Crestview (Convoy) Local Schools @cvknights
Eastland-Fairfield Career-Technical Center @efctc
Cincinnati Public Schools @iamcps
Apollo Career Center @apollocc
Granville Exempted Village Schools @granvilleEVSD
Heath City Schools @heathsports
Dayton Public Schools @daytonpublic

This is the most complete list I could put together. If you know of any schools in Ohio on Facebook or Twitter, please feel free to let me know!

Another thing, many of these schools utilize these tools really well and with a purpose, but many need work. Which ones do you think are most effective? And what suggestions do you have for school districts and their presence on social media sites?

The new high school rivalry battleground: YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:37:00 +0000

In what is by far for me the highlight of the online world in 2009, two high school video production classes, hundreds of students involved, lots of creativity and the power of YouTube have created what I believe may become all the rage in 2010: lip dub videos. Not just lip dub videos mind you, but lip dub videos that create new high school rivalries. Could we have the first social media high school rivalries happening between two Shoreline High Schools? Hundreds of thousands of views already on the top internet site, YouTube, and what can best be described as a pending internet meme.

First came Shorecrest's lip dub video posted on YouTube set to Outkast's "Hey Ya." For those unfamiliar with a lip dub, it is a video shot with a steady cam and shot in one continual take. You will see what I mean by watching their video:

Now, take a look at their rival high school's response. They took a notch further by reversing the lip sync as you will see when you watch.

The whole thing has captured national attention with news stories and with the help of Shorecrest alum Rainn Wilson (from The Office), who has been using his Twitter account to humorously bash Shorewood. It all adds up to another example of the power of social media and the internet, creating unique and innovative displays of talents. It is most interesting to note how high school students, who are digital natives and whose use of the internet and technology is second nature, come up with the idea of challenging neighborhood rivals via the popular YouTube, thus creating a new meme and creating a new way to show school spirit.

What blogging meant for me

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:01:00 +0000

While I am not giving up on blogging and plan to launch a new one sometime in 2010, I thought it was appropriate to write about what this blog, Social Avenue, did for me, my professional life and for me as a learning tool as social media was becoming all the rage.

GAVE ME A VOICE
Blogging as a platform has given anyone who wants to be heard a voice. Whether that's a blog like this one that has had a small, niche audience or whether that is someone/something like Chris Brogan or Ms. Single Mama or even bigger, The Huffington Post. Blogs are a format of communicating that gives everyone equal footing to write about topics they want. For me, I didn't really know what I wanted this blog to be except a place to write about and discuss topics on the industry in which I work. Some posts, as I look back, were just plain dumb and worthless, but others, in my opinion, did contribute to the discussion of social media integration and policy and usage in the very strict K-12 educational space. I also think that there are some great observations about social media tools as a whole. More than anything, as a PR professional, this blog taught me more about these new communication channels.

INTRODUCED ME TO OTHERS
Social media allows for networking and building communities. This was true of being a blogger. My blog opened a lot of doors to meeting some great PR professionals and educational professionals and media professionals, and I am thankful for that. Here is a list of some of those I have met and connected with along the way as a result of blogging at Social Avenue:

Lara Kretler, AVP at Fahlgren Mortine in Columbus and local blogger.
Leigh Householder, Brand Strategist at Ologie in Columbus and Advergirl.
Angela Siefer, Chancellor at Shiny Door (I featured Angela and her then-new company, Shiny Door in my first-ever Social Avenue Profile).
Michael Bowers, Director at the Small Business Development Center in Columbus and blogger of Ideas2Deals.
Richie Escovedo, a school PR person in Texas and blogger at Next Communication, and someone with whom I still want to write a blog post with as we discussed on Twitter earlier in the year! Time slips by!
Michele Savoldi, whom I interviewed on this blog when she was starting up Columbus Impressions.
Chris Celek, a former editor with Cox Ohio Publishing, whom I interviewed for a blog post and who ended up presenting at a conference I was in charge of planning.

I also was invited to participate in discussions and events because I blogged. I was invited to Experience Columbus to check out their leap into social media, to NBC4 to meet people like Ryan Squire, Jamie Timm, and more to discuss community blogging and to The Columbus Foundation for a panel with the likes of Geoff Livingston and Artie Isaac.

HELPED OTHERS
Finally, I think some of my blog posts helped others. I think it especially contributed to the discussion of social media in the K-12 environment. I don't think this on my own, but was told many times by others. It was always great to get comments and questions on a blog post when I did. And it was always great to know that something I posted or shared or thought out loud on here may have moved others forward or helped break down some walls.

Retiring Social Avenue

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:56:00 +0000

I haven't been practicing what I preach. At least not on this, my personal blog. In June of 2008 when I started this blog, it was really just an experiment and a way for me to openly talk about social media and marketing and public relations. It quickly proved to be more than that for me in my professional walk of life. Though I would not consider this blog widely-read, it did get a little following and allowed me to meet and connect with other like-minded individuals. It got me invited to interact and contribute to various social media projects. It gave me a platform to share my ideas and to become a thought-leader in the realm of K-12 social media.
But, I have not been practicing what I preach. How so? This blog and my social media efforts in the educational world have opened up doors that have me speaking and training and consulting to my colleagues and professional friends. I always talk to them about how social media, especially blogs, must be updated and how it must be consistent. Otherwise, people (followers and fans) will just move on.
So, I need to take my own advice. I haven't been updating this blog. It's been over two months since my last post. I have been busy on other social media projects at work and in other areas and have not been too inspired to write blog posts here anymore. So, with that said, it is the end of the road for Social Avenue, a blog that I started as an experiment, but ended up being so much more. Of course, I have some final posts I will write this month before 2009 ends, but I am retiring this blog and looking to the future. I have long had a vision for a new blog with a more focused purpose, one better designed with more functionality. I hope to launch this new blog in 2010 and continue to be a small voice in the blogosphere.
I will keep Social Avenue up as a way to look back on the beginnings of my work in the world of blogging and social media. But, I feel it's time to lay this blog to rest and move on to the next step. Thanks to all who took the time to read this blog, to post comments and to share your thoughts. I hope you will take the time to read the few posts I will put here this month as I wrap things up on Social Avenue, and I hope you will read my new blog when it's ready to go!

Hi-Point Journeys | Inside a High School Social Media Campaign, Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:23:00 +0000

The campaign is about three weeks old now and here are some results:

154 fans (and growing) on the Facebook Fan Page.
Front page story in The Bellefontaine Examiner, our school's official newspaper of record. The story was pitched actually through social media as well after the reporter who covers our school district started became a friend on my Facebook page and "Liked" the campaign
The actual micro-site, which hosts all the social media elements and serves as our "hub" of the campaign has had about 600 visits so far
The interaction on the Facebook Fan Page has been pretty good. We have had teachers, parents and students making comments, "Liking" posts and links and it seems to be more of the "hub" of the campaign than the actual micro-site
We have had a few comments on the blog (moderated, of course), mostly from family members of the bloggers. I have also had several SPAM posts that have been "unapproved for publishing"

How are we promoting the campaign? This is where traditional promotion comes into play. Our recruiting coordinator and our student ambassadors visit our 14 partner school districts each year during September and October to present to the sophomores on our school and the program options. So far, they have visited about half of the schools. This is one way where we are communicating about this. What is the full promotion plan? Here's a look:

One-on-one and Face-to-face: Our student ambassadors, which include our 10 student bloggers, are talking directly to our main target audience, the sophomores, during school visits, passing out a special sell-sheet, which provides information on the campaign
Sell-Sheet: A special sell-sheet was designed by our agency, Springboard 360 Marketing, to promote the campaign
Contests & Giveaways: If the sophomores become a fan of our Facebook Fan Page and post on our wall what they want their "Hi-Point Journey to be," they are entered into a drawing to take place during our main recruiting event, an open house and career preview night. The event, held in November after all school visits and our Sophomore Career Days tours, allows the students to get inside the labs and have time with the instructors. Many apply that night with their parents present. Our hope is the contest (which is giving away an iPod Touch and Flip Cam) will entice them to attend the event, but will also allow for some measurable interaction on one of the social media channels
TV Commercials: One of our school's 1978 graduates, who was inducted into our distinguished alumni hall of fame last May, happens to own a production studio in Columbus, Ozone Studios. Leveraging this new-found relationship allowed us to produce great new TV spots and a two-minute web video using the actual student bloggers to talk about their Hi-Point experiences. The commercials were produced in a "raw" and transparent and authentic look and feel that lends itself to this campaign
Direct Mail: In a couple of weeks every parent and sophomore will receive a special invitation in the mail promoting the open house and career preview night and the Hi-Point Journeys Campaign. I am hoping this will yield measurable results in seeing more prospective students following along and more parents following along. The mailer will include a card that the students can bring to the open house and career preview night, which will allow them to get into our Expo area for free. This area is where local restaurants do menu tastings (The event is actually called "A Taste of the Future"). The card will also get them a free Hi-Point Journeys t-shirt. The mailer will include one card for the student and one for their parents or a friend
T-Shirts: High school students love, love, love free t-shirts for whatever reason, so why not make prospective students (and their parents) walking billboards advertising the Hi-Point Journeys Campaign. Our campaign logo is on the front. On the back, "Follow the journey: hipointjourneys.com"
Social Media Promotion: Of course, since our district already has existing social media outposts, we have been pushing the campaign on our Twitter, Facebook Page and YouTube Channel
New Website: Our district launched a new website at the same time we launched this campaign. The new website has all of our social media outposts integrated into the front page. The Hi-Point Journeys Campaign is also featured prominently throughout the new website, which receives on average around 900 unique visits per day

Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Do you have any ideas how to better promote this campaign? Do you have any ideas about how we should be engaging with our followers? Feel free to comment here.

Next time, I will blog about issues that have come up, problems we have had and give you some measurement of the campaign so far.

Hi-Point Journeys | A Look Inside a High School Social Media Campaign, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Last week I introduced you to my school district's social media campaign, Hi-Point Journeys. This week, actually today, the campaign was fully launched! Thursday I was asked to present on social media at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia, Ohio, to a consortium of career-technical marketers and recruiters. I presented the Hi-Point Journeys Campaign to them. While they seemed amazed at this innovative campaign, there were lots of questions (as expected). Schools are weary of social media because of the lack of control and the so-called "dangers" associated with being on the internet and engaged in social networking. So, of course, many questions they asked, and many questions I always get asked, have to do with what safety precautions we have taken for this campaign. Here's how we are managing the campaign, allowing students to participate and being mindful of how being involved in social media could backfire:

Campaign Management:

A blogging schedule was developed for the students to follow so they know what weeks they have to write a blog entry
Topics were developed focusing on the talking points and messaging we wanted to get across to prospective students and parents. These topics have to do with the students' life at Ohio Hi-Point, not their personal lives. Even though some may say that this isn't "true" social media since I have developed the topics, I don't limit what they write about or edit their entries beyond fixing some grammatical and mechanical errors. Also, there are many weeks where they are able to write about whatever they want, as long as it is related to school and student life
When the students aren't assigned to blog, they are responsible for taking pictures and filming video. They have more freedom here, but in the training meeting, I took the opportunity to teach them about appropriate social networking and appropriate use of the cameras. I am a proponent that schools should be teaching appropriate use of social media instead of trying to deny its existence
All photos, videos and blog entries filter through me first before they are posted. While I would love for the students to have access to the different outposts to post their own contributions, there are still a lot of problems that could result from this, so for now, I manage all of the postings

Student Participation:

The 10 students were chosen by our Recruiting Coordinator, since she works more closely with the students. Each student is an "ambassador," meaning they applied, were interviewed and were selected by staff to serve the school district as tour guides, in recruiting events and as community ambassadors. They go out to our partner schools during the recruiting season and present to 8th graders and sophomores
The students and their parents signed a contract related to the campaign, understanding that any poor choices related to their blogging, photos, use of equipment, videos, etc. would fall under the same consequences related to poor behavior in the classroom or in the school, and they could be punished appropriately
The reward for completing the 10 month project? They will get to keep their digital cameras and the FlipCams. Total investment for us: Less than $5,000
Students and parents sign two documents every year, as well, including our "Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement" related to activity on the internet and on school computers and equipment. They also sign a form giving us permission to use their images for marketing purposes

Being Mindful:

I said to my colleagues at Buckeye Career Center that they would be using this campaign as either a case study FOR social media in their schools or AGAINST social media in their schools. I am aware, as is our administration, that this is experimental. Using students to tell our story isn't a new concept, but doing it in such a full-scale fashion on many different internet platforms, on TV commercials, in recruiting visits, in print collateral, and allowing prospective students and parents to engage with these students, is relatively new, at least in Ohio. This could all backfire, so it is a lot of work to be mindful of constantly monitoring and making sure that it is working and that the students are protected

Thoughts? Next time, I will take you inside how we are promoting the campaign and trying to engage prospective students and parents and others.

In the meantime, the campaign is launched now, so you can visit all the elements from our Hi-Point Journeys Microsite and find all of the social media this campaign is utilizing.

Hi-Point Journeys: A Look at a High School Social Media Campaign, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:11:00 +0000

I am excited, and I am nervous. My school district and the marketing and communications department (which like most schools in Ohio, at least, is just me!) is finally putting social media into action. My school district began using social media in 2008 for communications purposes. We have a presence on Twitter, Facebook (259 fans and growing), Delicious, Flickr, YouTube and utilize blogging in several ways. However, this time, we are using social media as a tool of engagement, recruiting and overall outreach, and yes, we are using high school students to do it.
I have blogged several times about the challenges of using social media in a school district. Public records, legal challenges, media scrutiny, lack of control, fear of the unknown, dangers of the Internet and more have led schools to have to tread lightly when it comes to the full-scale embrace of this shift in ways to engage, communicate and reach our constituents. But after much research, planning, discussions and working with a great company to help bring the campaign to life, I am happy to say that my district is fully embracing it and is going to be using social media in a full-scale marketing campaign to engage and recruit students and engage and communicate with parents.
Let me introduce you to Hi-Point Journeys. 10 People. 10 Months. One Amazing Journey.

Background: Our school district is a career-technical school district, serving juniors and seniors at 14 partnering school districts in 5 counties. We have nearly 700 students on our main campus in 20 plus programs and in academic courses and serve another 1100 in various "satellite" locations (typically career-tech programs located within our partner schools or at our new South Campus in Urbana). We are a public school district, one of 49 career-technical planning districts in the state of Ohio. However, unlike most public schools in Ohio, we face the challenge each year of having to recruit our student body. Like all public schools, however, we also receive our funding based on the number of students we have enrolled in our programs. So much like colleges, our recruitment begins early and has a process in which we must go through each year in order to reach out to prospects and their parents. While our enrollment has increased over the past 4-5 years, we are still faced with challenges, and we have had problems in consistently reaching out, communicating, following up, telling our real story and engaging prospects.

The Campaign:
As part of our recruitment efforts, Hi-Point Journeys will utilize 10 of our current seniors, in various programs, from various partner schools and from various backgrounds to tell the story of our school, their programs, their senior years and give an inside look into what life is really like as a student in a career-technical program at a career-technical school.
Our 10 students will blog, based on a set schedule I have given them and topic ideas and suggestions, but also about the things they want to blog about.
The 10 students have been given digital cameras to capture photos of their daily experiences and classroom activities and the student life at school. They have each been given their own FlipCams to capture videos in the same respect.
With their words through their blogs and through the images and video they capture, their 10 month journey through their senior year will enable our best asset to tell the school's story in the very authentic and transparent way today's audiences demand.

The Elements:
The Microsite: Developed by Oxiem Marketi ng Technologies, the microsite will be the "hub" of the campaign, the place where prospects and their parents are directed to visit, and where all of the other elements (including individual profile pages of each blogger) will live and update automatically. It will also link to our website and call the prospects into action with a link to apply or ask more questions.
The Blog: The Hi-Point Journeys blog will host the entries of the 10 students. It will be update nearly every day of the week with a new entry on various topics, allowing these students to tell the story of the school.
The Facebook Fan Page: The 10 students will have their own fan page, a key element in this campaign. Why is it key? This is where some of the measurement and engagement come into play, a big factor in running social media campaigns. We will know success by 1) the number of fans we have, 2) the number of those fans are prospective students and prospective student parents, and 3) the number of prospective students who post "what they want their 'Hi-Point Journey' to be (more on this later on).

The Flickr Page: Photos that the 10 students take with their cameras will be posted on their own Flickr Page.
The YouTube Channel: A special YouTube Channel has been set-up to host the videos they film with their FlipCams, along with the television commercials that were filmed and produced by one of our alumni (more on this later) and other videos I put together for this channel. And you can check out the two-minute web video we are using with some of the bloggers:

This gives you an overview of what the campaign is all about, but I know there are unanswered questions and details left out. Hey, it's a blog post, not a place to post the full, boring campaign plan.
How are we allowing students to be online like this? What safety measures are we taking? What policy and procedures and training are we using for this campaign? How will we promote this to prospective students and their parents? How will we measure the success or failure? How do we know this is actually engaging people and not just wasting time? Why are these 10 students complying, what's in it for them?

I promise. More details in my next blog post. In the meantime, you can fan their page on Facebook, visit their Flickr page and YouTube Channel, but the blogging is just starting this week, pictures have yet to be taken and the FlipCams have not arrived yet, and the microsite is not quite ready. Yes, there are kinks in the plan, and I will write about those later as well.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to leave them here!

School Communications | Build an Army

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:29:00 +0000

Controlling the message is key. Leveraging the power of new media to help control that message has never been more vital.
We can see this all over the news right now. Fringe, conservative groups have leveraged the viral power of email blasts, text messaging, blogs and more to mobilize into an effective "army" of rabid and misinformed town hall rioters hell bent on disrupting any logical, rational or real discussion on the important topic of health care reform.
Make no mistake about it. These town hall protesters are the product of a well thought-out campaign on behalf of those whose special interests would be most threatened by any new legislation that reforms health care. I will blog more on this topic later, but I digress for now to focus on education, levies and how the message has been lost as many school districts struggle financially, are forced to turn to taxpayers for new money and are rejected because of rumors, misinformation, poor communication and an overall loss in the game of message control.
The cards are stacked against a school district for the most part. Many school districts, because of previous financial cuts, are often without a school PR person to provide frequent and consistent communications and outreach. But even if there is a school PR person in place, regulations prohibit this employee from working on a levy campaign during school hours. Obviously, then, committees are typically formed, levy campaign consultants are hired, and the traditional methods are utilized: yard signs, flyers, t-shirts with a catchy slogan, door-to-door knocking, newspaper editorials, rallies, endorsements. All viable tactics. But what else can a school district do to build an "army" as passionate as those who stand and campaign against them and decry "No New Taxes!"?
We learned from this past presidential election that people, if engaged, if connected with emotionally, if given a sense of ownership and pride, will turn out and pull off the unthinkable. There is something to be learned from Barack Obama's historic victory in his use of new media strategies and tactics to build an "army" of people, of all ages and backgrounds, who became part of a movement, not just a campaign. In my opinion, this is what is lacking in school levy campaigns. Many times this is simply because the resources have not been there. Now, with social media and the viral, affordable and engaging nature of all of the tools available, I think it is within reach for schools to build an "army" of people passionate enough to grow and spread into a movement and to control the lost message that education IS the beginning of everything else that makes our country, and world, work.
So how do we do it? What tools do we use? What strategies and tactics make sense? I have some ideas, and I will share them in my next post, but I am still waiting to hear your thoughts and to deliberate your ideas! Please share...

School Communications | Breaking the Levies

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:58:00 +0000

I don't know about everywhere else in the United States, but in Ohio the word "levy" strikes fear into the hearts of a school district staff. Especially today, in this day and age, when the economy is hurting, job loss is high, and the country is in recession. Even before the current economic conditions, however, schools in Ohio have had to struggle through levy campaigns, where going to the tax payers in their communities is always a challenging situation. Why so challenging?

Senior citizens dominate the polling places during elections. Most senior citizens within a community no longer have connections to the school, as their children have since graduated and left the community. So why would they want to support the school when they have no connection? While schools have gotten smart enough to engage in senior citizen community engagement, many times there just is not enough resources to do it effectively
Misunderstandings about how much money will be paid in taxes, where the money is going to, and how much school districts get from the state all play key roles. One of the biggest misunderstandings comes from people thinking schools are funded MAINLY from lottery sales. This isn't helped by a horrible advertising and messaging campaign from the Ohio Lottery that claims most of the money made from the lottery goes to schools. False. The Lottery is actually capped within the state education budget as to how much can go to education. There is no increase each year, and the funds are shared amongst nearly 700 school districts throughout the state. My school district, for instance, only receives a little over $700,000 from Lottery funds. Unfortunately, the system is broken, and the majority of school dollars has to come from tax revenues. Period. If people would understand that a community, a town, a cities economic development and health starts with the school district and its students, perhaps people wouldn't have a problem paying their fair share. The message has been lost
The media has seen success (measured by ratings and newspaper sales) by focusing on a school's problems. From headlines about the teacher and student engaged in improper behaviors to public record requests for credit card receipts to publishing employee salaries and creating the impression that these salaries are high and wasteful of taxpayer dollars. Rarely do we see positive stories about school's and the great things that happen there everyday. Rarely do we see the impact teachers make on the lives of their students or hear about the teacher who manages a classroom of 30 kids (when it should be only 20), then stays after school to coach a sport or advise an extra-curricular for very little pay and gives up time in their lives and with their families to make sure that the students in their schools receive extra help, have positive experiences and excel in activities. This adverse relationship with the media has become a source of warping the view of schools, the teachers and the administration and where money is being spent and what is actually going on inside of a school. Tax payers then think their money is being wasted and nothing positive is happening within a school building. I recognize the media's job is to report the truth and hold institutions accountable, and I believe this is important, but there is a lot of great stories and realities that go untold because it is not "sensational" enough
Geography. Many school districts cover large areas made up of multiple towns and communities, each with their own distinct cultures. Sadly, in this day and age, socioeconomic factors play such a large role in school districts. School districts serving multiple communities, many still upset over consolidations and other changes throughout the year in the way schools operate, face huge hurdles in changing long-standing opinions and rumors and feuds. Typically, what we will see when voting districts publish their results, small and rural communities (typically feeling ignored and slighted by the school) vote in droves against the levies. There is also a huge difference in the communities that are made up of a more "affluent" and "educated" population as opposed to the areas that are more "blue collar." These socioeconomic and geographic factors pose a communication challenge for the districts

So what to do? The school funding structure is unconstitutional. The Ohio Supreme Court has made that clear time and again. So why does our legislature continue to not fix it? And why do we as a society have such a negative view of how school's operate, how much teachers and administrators are paid? Why do we not see that everything begins with how well our school's are doing? Why don't we understand that communities that are economically well-developed and strong are the ones that have excellent school districts (Home sales and property values could be affected in South-Western School District)? Why are levies such a difficult thing for school's to deal with? There are so many issues and factors that have led to an educational crisis in Ohio and it seems to me that there needs to be a large-scale effort to fight back and communicate the facts and what it all means.

The fact is the system will likely never be fixed. Our politicians genuinely could care less about education because the education industry cannot pay their campaigns and provide the perks like the pharmaceutical companies and the giant corporations. Let's face it: education will continue to be ignored by those who can fix it because it does not benefit them to fix it. So what can school's do to flip the script? How can new media be leveraged? How can the message be pushed and go viral so the facts come out? How can all of the positives, which will far outweigh the negatives, come out without having to go through traditional mediums?

Over the next few blog posts, I will offer up my suggestions, show how some school districts and communities are starting to figure this out, and hopefully take your suggestions and ideas. Contribute to the conversation and let me know what you think. Watching the South-Western City Schools levy go down last week (again) and how it went down, watching the students react to the devastating news that their schools would be changed significantly, that people would lose jobs, that extra-curricular activities would be canceled--it made me fed up and sickened (see the listing of the impact here). While we will never overcome the bureaucracy and the corruption that keeps our school systems struggling, we can offer solutions to control the message and maybe begin a movement that helps to ensure that levies pass and students and teachers have the resources they need. Do you have suggestions?

A Social Media Love Affair

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Several weeks ago I posted what I hated about social media, and now I am getting around to blogging about what I love about social media. It has been a real love affair of sorts. Social media and I became friends first, then it grew into an every second of every day kind of infatuation. Since then, though, I have settled into things and the obsession, infatuation and passion for social media has tapered off. Still, I think social media is a powerful medium that has signaled a real shift in how we communicate and market. So, there is much to love about social media, and here's a list of what I love about it:

New Connections: More than anything else, social media has opened up a whole new pool of connections, many of whom have become friends. While most of these connections remain on the professional level, the use of tools like Twitter and Facebook and Linkedin have been an excellent way of doing business and getting to know new people. At first, it seemed strange opening up on these tools, but choosing to "follow" like-minded professionals has been great for learning new things that I probably never would have had the chance to know before.
Old Connections: Thanks especially to Facebook, Linkedin or other social networking sites (the now-irrelevant MySpace), social media has changed the way we keep in touch and has allowed us to re-connect to old friends. Some may think that's a bad thing to re-connect with that person who may have driven you crazy in junior high, but for the most part, social media creates a sort-of "at-a-distance" re-kindling of old friendships. This is excellent if you are nosey and want to see what a disaster that person has become who used to torment you in gym class.
Lightning Speed: The ability to blast messages and communicate with masses of people is made much, much faster with social media. While email is still popular, full inboxes, Spam and an abundance of e-newsletters have created an opening for social media to take advantage of, which is to send short, quick messages and then make it viral with sharing tools that allow you to pass-it-on with the click of a button.
Leveling the Playing Field: Never before has a medium allowed small businesses, entrepreneurs, everyday, common people, non-profits and more market to the masses like social media has. This is one of my favorite things about it. Before, large advertising budgets of the corporate giants could quickly swallow the messages of the rest of us and celebrities controlled our attention anytime they wanted. Now, the mom-and-pop store can easily create a viral sensation on tools like YouTube and any one of us can be a "celebrity" with our own blog or large followings on Twitter and Facebook.
Down Fall the Sacred Cows: Finally, I simply love it because it makes the establishment and those who love control and order nervous. Social media, because it is new and viral and real and transparent gives control to anyone, anywhere, anytime. I love anything that shakes things up and takes down existing "sacred cows." Social media has caused people to change, and change is always a good thing.

Social Media Hate List

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:05:00 +0000

I shouldn't really say hate. It's a strong word. Over the past year-and-a-half the world of social media has exploded and is fairly mainstream now. And with it, there have been things about it that have grown increasingly annoying to me! To each their own, but here is my collection of the things I have grown to despise--a hate list of sorts:

Personal Branding: I am tired of hearing about this and the idea that we should brand ourselves. To me, personal branding can be done right (and without much thought if you are just yourself), but for many out there it seems to be a way to create their Paris Hilton-esque attention-seeking and false self.
Search Engine Optimization and Keywords: Ugh. Do we really have to put that much thought and energy into the words we use. I know it matters if we are wanting to be the "most popular," and it really matters for businesses investing loads of money in products and services, but it is really just so annoying and tedious. Especially since it changes every damn day.
Tweet-ups, Meet-ups, etc. etc.: Now I don't hate these things, and I actually enjoy them. What I have grown to hate is the fact that there seems to be one hourly! Okay, I am using hyperbole, but I can hardly keep track of all of these events. And who has this much spare time to spend attending this many networking functions? And it's like if you don't than you are not in the "in crowd of social media." Again, to me, these have lost their luster and impact because there are way too many various groups trying to do too many of them!
So-Called Social Media Experts: I have had people in the education world look at me as some sort of expert just because I was an early adopter of social media, but I am not an expert. As a matter of fact, no one can truly be a social media expert. Social media is too new. There are definitely those more proficient at it, but there are definitely no experts yet. We don't even know the long-term impact of social media, and it changes daily, so quit selling yourselves as experts. Because you're not.
Identity Crises: Yes, social media has blurred the lines between who knows marketing and PR and who knows technology. It is very possible to be proficient at both, but just as I would never claim to go out there educating people and consulting with people on how best to code and use HTML and all the other "techie" terms, I don't expect IT people to be out in the world providing PR strategies and marketing strategies just because it is online and via social media. Marketers have a specific skill set and IT people have a specific skill set based on their training and experience. Make no mistake that there is a difference.

So, hopefully I don't offend anyone with my list of personal annoyances, but I wanted to vent. And don't worry, there are plenty of things to love about social media, and I will post next on my social media love list. In the meantime, feel free to disagree with me or tell me about your social media "hates" or annoyances.

Happy Birthday, Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:14:00 +0000

So Social Avenue is one-year-old today. Last year, on June 30th, I launched my blog, not really knowing what I wanted to do with it. Over the past year, this blog has been an incredible place for my own learning of a new medium that has an abundance of opportunities and chances to communicate issues and opinions and then engage in conversations.
Let's face it, my blog isn't up there with the likes of the great social media "rockstars" as they like to call themselves, but I have enjoyed doing it. I feel like I have at least contributed to the conversation some, and that is the true power of what social media is all about.
So, where do I go from here? I have been slacking on posting and uncertain about the future of what to write about or where I want my blog to go. Over the next month, I have decided to use my blog as a forum to rant and rave about what I've learned over the past year about social media marketing and the whole social media "scene." So, stay tuned and hopefully year two will take on a new life of its own!

Social Media | Summer Camp Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Saw this today from an advertising in the Columbus Business Journal, and it truly looks like a good investment and learning opportunity. The teaching of social media is becoming big business with seminars and workshops and conferences and meetups galore all over the place! I just finished doing a workshop through my school's adult and continuing education division on social media for small business owners and entrepreneurs, and I am sometimes astounded at the sheer desire to "get" all of these tools.

I will post more about my experiences teaching social media in a small town later, but wanted to share this opportunity for my readers. Click and learn more about this Social Media Summer Camp, complete with Tweet-ups!

General Motors turns to social media for re:invention

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:07:00 +0000

I caught a commercial today while watching TV. Usually this antiquated form of advertising blends into the background as I sit with my laptop open surfing the web while looking up every now and then to listen and watch whatever is on TV. This time, though, I couldn't take my eyes of this commercial simply because General Motors, an iconic symbol of American manufacturing, industry and the automotive world has been the "big" story this week with news of their bankruptcy.

The commercial was pretty good taunting that this isn't the end of General Motors, but only the beginning of something new. My immediate reaction was this was a smart and quick move on GM's part to immediately try to rally the public around them in the midst of their failures that have hurt the economy and cost thousands of jobs. Next, though, I thought this could be perceived as a frivolous and unnecessary use of money, especially since the federal government (and taxpayers) now own a huge stake in GM and the idea of a huge media buy might now make sense. All of that aside (I am a firm believer in marketing in the midst of crisis or mishaps), the TV commercial calls its viewers into action, to visit a specific website that will cover the "story" of GM's comeback.

GMReinvention.com is a full-blown social media paradise with video, blogs, a Flickr feed, a Twitter feed, a Facebook fan page, RSS feeds and much more! It has been done before, but this stood out as the future of what marketing and PR is all about. We have been driving people to websites for quite awhile now with ads, but the full integration of social media, the open and transparent nature of GM's so-called comeback, and the fast and instantaneous reaction of the company in response to the headlines of its bankruptcy are whatevery company is now faced with in this new, transparent, fast-moving and customer-controlled world we are now living in.

Social Media| Movements vs. Campaigns

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:38:00 +0000

Today I had the privilege of being invited to The Columbus Foundation to take part in a discussion about the role of social media in philanthropy and non-profits. It was exciting to once again be in a room amongst some of the great social media leaders and thinkers in Columbus, but it was also a great opportunity to hear the thoughts of Geoff Livingston, who wrote what many consider the primer on social media, Now is Gone, and has a blog called The Buzz Bin that I have read many times to gain some insight. Livingston was at The Columbus Foundation working with the staff there on a public study on how people are using social media in philanthropic efforts. The study is set to be released later this year with regional reports from other major cities as well. Livingston has a deep passion for charitable causes and cause marketing, apparent through his efforts with LiveEarth.
Some points of the roundtable that came out regarding social media and philanthropy included:

The Obama campaign was cited as a perfect example of creating a movement, calling people to action, empowering anyone and everyone to get behind something bigger than themselves and actually go out and do something about it
Livingston mentioned the fact that Facebook Causes, an application on the leading social network, was an example of social cause marketing failure. Essentially people sign-up for the cause but do nothing FOR the cause. This, in turn, is not actually creating a movement
Lara Kretler, a local blogger and AVP at Fahlgren Mortine, noted that while the invitation to get involved is wonderful if it comes through the social media platform, that does not necessarily mean that the end result should not be actual human interaction. She mentioned how she is moved more and engaged more by an actual handwritten thank-you note than by a blanket email or direct message on Twitter
It is important to create movements rather than campaigns. A transaction is not necessarily the goal in philathropic efforts, but creating an impassioned public uniting around your cause
Allowing multiple voices to speak on behalf of your organization is important. Once again, there is an element of losing control of the messaging, but the authentic nature of true advocates speaking about the cause is more powerful than crafting polished copy that is "corporate speak"

Livingston shared a social community built for the LiveEarth campaign called Friends of Live Earth. The platform, built on Ning, allows anyone and everyone to join the social community and speak their minds, share ideas, build consensus and most importantly embrace dissent in the idea that honest and open discussion ultimately HELPS the cause.

One thing he said that stood out for me in the discussion was that the risk of having these open social communities where anyone is allowed to speak is minimal compared to the benefits.

What Does It All Mean?

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:11:00 +0000

That's something this video asks, and something that I have been thinking a lot about. I have been on blog burnout lately, overwhelmed by work and by all the rapidly changing technology! Sometimes I wonder if it is moving all too fast for us, and we are wasting our time strategizing over social media when it's all going to change in a year!
Anyways, this is a great video. I saw it for the first time last year, and while it is probably already outdated (like everything else), it is thought-provoking and something to think about.

Newspapers continue descent?

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:59:00 +0000

I was at a Starbucks just the other day meeting for the first time with an advertising sales rep from a small daily newspaper in one of my school district's areas when I was astounded by a comment made to me that proved to me what I suspected for awhile. To paraphrase the statement went something like "The more you advertise with us the more your press releases will get in our paper." The shock wasn't in the fact that the line between advertising and journalism has been crossed in print media, but the shock was in the admission of this. In all fairness to the ad rep, they were very intelligent and earned some of our ad dollars that day, but that one slip led me to realize what may very well be the sad state of affairs with the dying breed of media that is the newspaper.
Now this newspaper is just a small daily with a readership of only 6,000 or a little more so it hopefully does not reflect a growing practice. Still, the signs have been everywhere for awhile that print media are desperate to stay afloat.

Journalistic and advertising lines were blurred in a recent edition of the L.A. Times when NBC's Southland, a new drama on the network, ran a traditional advertisement on the bottom of the front page, but was adjacent to an advertorial-style article that resembled a traditional news story. Also, see this PR Week story on the ethical debate
In the April 6th edition of PR Week, analysis was given to a President Obama prime time presser where the leader of the free world ignored reporters from The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. Instead Obama fielded questions from "niche" publications and media sources like the blog, Politico, broadcast and cable outlets, Ebony magazine, Spanish-language Univision, and more. "In other words, the era of irreplaceable print newspaper as gatekeeper of public discourse is over," wrote Frank Washkuch

We know many newspapers are ceasing operations, moving to the online world solely, laying off staff and struggling to maintain relevancy and influence in a web-based world. So are print journalists losing their influence? Should advertorials run on the front page of newspapers? Have ethical practices that keep a correlation between advertising dollars and editorial decisions begun to evaporate? Your thoughts?

Check 'em out: A sampling of social media usage

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:32:00 +0000

Here are some links to see how social media is integrating itself into nearly every industry and business. I'm not necessarily saying these are the greatest ideas, but showing the continued trend of organizations and businesses leveraging the tools for business growth, communications, brand awareness and more. And even how celebrities have embraced social media to beg for privacy (ultimate oxymoron).

CHURCHES:
Trinity Wall Street Church in Manhattan used Twitter to tell the story of Jesus' crucifixion yesterday with multiple people playing roles in the play tweeting their lines. Check out the story.

SCHOOLS:
I'm digging the new Capital University "Will You" campaign, which is geared at allowing prospective students to engage with the college experience before even attending. See the hub of it all and see how they are aggregating multiple social media.

Butler Tech, Ohio's largest career-technical school district, has fully embraced social media. See their website to see their various elements. Now, they are having students blog to showcase the Butler Tech experience.

TELEVISION/MEDIA:
During the Women's NCAA Tournament on ESPN, Rebecca Lobo (former UConn star and now an analyst and sideline reporter) began using Twitter during games to give a more behind-the-scenes look at what went on in the huddle, in the crowd, and her own personal observations. She has over 8,600 follwers in a very short time.

RETAIL:
1-800-Flowers is making an attempt at building buzz through influential mommy bloggers with their "Spot-a-Mom" campaign.

DiGiorno is using the influence of Twitter to help launch its new flatbread pizza by allowing the product to be sampled at Tweet-Ups or networking events to reach-out to influential "Tweeps."

CELEBS:
Most noteworthy use of celebrity self-promotion, ego, and stupidity comes in the form of Lindsay Lohan's headline-driving breakup with Samantha Ronson via Twitter!! Oh the drama!! She's not the only "celeb" using the tool. Many of the D-listers who are only famous because they remain in the tabloids are sounding off via Twitter as well.

Lazy Days Ahead!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:53:00 +0000

Thursday morning I will be on my way to Miami and then off to Key West for a six day vacation! Needless to say I am excited to not think, to not strategize, to not write, to not do much of anything except relax!
So, just announcing to the dozens who read my blog that I will be taking some time off (or trying) from blogging. I will be thinking of blog topics I am sure while taking some time off of work and my other obligations, but I am anxious for the warmth, the ocean, sleeping in, and some tasty beverages!
I will return to blogging after April 2nd. Cheers!

Getting to Know the Lesser-Knowns, Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:08:00 +0000

I haven't done one of these in quite some time, but over the past couple of weeks I have discovered some more social media tools that I love already, or I will soon love. From time to time I find myself getting completely overwhelmed with the ever-growing lost of tools available, but some of them stand up for me and make the whole experience easier and more productive.
Here's some "lesser-knowns" you should try out:

1) HootSuite: Manage multiple Twitter accounts? If so, get HootSuite. It's a place where you can manage all of them in one place! I manage two Twitter accounts (my personal one and one for my school district), but for a couple of months I was managing four of them (the ODE Twitter experiment and one for the NSPRA/Ohio conference). This made my life much easier because often I would find myself accidentally "tweeting" on the wrong account because of my failure to simply log out of the one I was currently posting from. Not only can you manage all of them at once, you can schedule future "tweets." So no more excuses that you don't have time to Twitter. Take time out of your day and enter 3-5 "tweets" that can be scheduled to automatically go out at various times or something like that. This is perfect in my mind for a school district or business to schedule "tweets" to stay consistent and drive traffic back to your website or blog.

hanging with mike 3 on 12seconds.tv

2) 12seconds: This one I just discovered tonight, and I admit that I think it's a great concept, and I see tremendous potential with it, both for myself and for my school district. It is best described as Twitter with video. At first, I couldn't get the 12 second limit on the video postings, but the developer contacted me via Twitter and told me that it was 12 seconds because anything longer than that is boring. In today's fast-paced, fragmented media world this couldn't be further from the truth. Brief video messages accompanied by brief micro-messages.

3) Flock: Another tool I discovered today, and while I don't quite have it down yet, I can tell it is going to be useful and make web browsing and managing all social media tools an easier and more time efficient process. Since one of the biggest reservations I hear from people about social media is "who has the time?," I think Flock might be the solution. It is described on their website as the "social web browser." You can follow your Twitter and Facebook accounts, update your blog, follow and drag and drop YouTube and Flickr videos and photos, be connected to your web-based email like Gmail or Yahoo and more. While I can't attest to it's usefulness or time savings just yet, it is definitely something to explore.

My Next Speaking Gig

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:46:00 +0000

On April 9th I am one of the presenters at the "Social Media 101" workshop co-sponsored by the Logan County Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio SBDC, and Ohio Hi-Point Career Center (my employer). I am joining Michael Bowers, regional director at the Ohio SBDC and author of the blog, Ideas to Deals. It's a free workshop held on our campus in Bellefontaine (at Ohio's highest point so prepare for thinner air!) and will run for a couple of hours from 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
You can read all about the workshop here. It should be a great hands-on workshop, especially designed for small business owners and to educate the Logan County business community on social media tools that can help increase their professional network and grow their businesses. However, it is open to anyone, but you have to register.

The Case of Agency A and Agency B

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:42:00 +0000

I check out advertising and marketing agencies from time to time for ideas, inspiration, resources, or just to watch trends. It struck me recently that some that I have checked out are not walking the walk when it comes to integrating social media into their own company marketing and outreach efforts. This really bothered me for some reason. Why? How can you convince the client to embrace a social media strategy when you yourself do not showcase how the tools can be put to use? I decided to showcase these "all talk" agencies here to reveal what they are missing from their very own marketing mix with regards to social media. Names have been changed to protect the innocent ;)

Agency A:
Offerings: strategic communications, event planning and promotion, social media strategy, media coaching, cause-related marketing, media relations
Social Media Footprint: Yes. Leaders are on Twitter, offering social media workshops, leaders on Facebook with their own business page, posting on YouTube with mobile uploads, have utlized Facebook pages and Twitter in strategies for clients.
What's The Problem?: Well, for starters, this agency, which promotes its social media workshops and pushes social media more and more has yet to apply it to their own company. Their website does contain a blog, however, the blog has not been updated with any consistency and does not have an RSS feed or email subscription option or any ability to post comments, which takes from the whole idea of it even being a blog. The company's leaders may Twitter, but why not the agency as a whole? Or, if the leaders are the Twitter spokespeople for the agency, why not let potential clients know this by placing a link on the web site? For that matter, how about any mention of the fact you are on Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube?
What To Do? The blog's entries are great, but the conversation is not. Make your blog a link from your site and open it up for comments, add the RSS, the email subscription, and at least let potential clients know that you are engaged in social media yourself by adding your Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook to the blog.

Agency B
Offerings: branding, advertising, marketing planning and execution, media relations, web site design, event management, e-marketing, to name a few.
Social Media Footprint: Limited, but there, as employees are Twittering, though the "tweets" are few and far between.
What's The Problem?: Late adoption is the problem! How can an agency claiming to be full-service with a graphic design, web site design, e-marketing just now be offering social media integration into their clients' plans? You may be able to build web sites and as the agency of record for many clients, it seems negligent almost to only now be learning the tools of new media.
What To Do?: It's not the end of the world to not have expertise in social media and to just now be learning it, but why aren't you showcasing to your clients you are now with it by contributing a blog? Why aren't you active on Twitter and Linkedin and Facebook? Why does your web site remain updated only a couple times per month with no social media elements on it to mention except RSS feeds? All of this is a must-do. Get it done.

I'm not an expert on the agency, but I do sit on the client-side, and from that perspective, I would be concerned if my agency of record did not showcase to me a keen understanding of social media.

Would you select an agency that didn't "walk the walk?" What agencies are engaged in social media and utilize it well for their business?

The List of 15: A Beginner's Guide to Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:41:00 +0000

I originally did this as a supplement to a presentation I gave to the Ohio ACTE last summer. I told my group today at the NSPRA/Ohio Conference that I would post this on my blog and they could utilize it to explore social media tools on their own time. So many of them just wanted to know where to even start. I discovered that I had to do a lot of updating to this list just in the matter of seven months! That is how far social media has already come and evolved!
For those who want to get started at a beginners level, The Get Social Project: The List of 15 introduces you and allows you to explore social media tools on your own time and at your own pace. If you complete the list of 15 you will be more aware of the tools and may even decide that they can be useful in marketing, communications, or recruiting. If you have questions or need help, you shouldn't hesitate to ask by emailing Shane Haggerty at shaggerty@ohp.k12.oh.us or by posting your question or comment on this blog. To get started, you have to understand the reason why social media can be valuable. View this video for an easy explanation.

The List of 15:
Phase one:
1. Read one or two blogs and post a comment on at least one. Here are some educational communications/strategy blogs you can visit: DrTimTyson.com, Next Communications, or explore my blog you're on, or do a Google search like "Blogs About..." or visit Technorati to search blogs. Posting comments is an important part because it contributes to the online conversation. Read any blog you want and make a comment. Become a part of the conversation to learn how the conversation and blogosphere etiquette and community works.
2. Once you find a blog or blogs you are interested in, subscribe to it by adding your email if it has that option. If you can't subscribe to it, subscribe to the RSS Feed on the page. Need more help on understanding an RSS Feed? Watch this video.
3. Create your own iGoogle page where you can host various blogs all in one section. Here you will be able to view the various blogs you subscribe to and see if they have been updated. An iGoogle page is just a way to host your RSS feed subscriptions. There are others, but I am just suggesting this one as you begin your exploration of all this.
4. Create your own blog! You can create a personal blog (maybe you have something to say!) or create one for your school district or organization. You can use WordPress, TypePad, LiveJournal, or Blogger.
Phase two:
5. Join Twitter and start following people. You don't need to know people you follow, but rather pay attention to the field they work in or what they are interested in. Twitter is a great way to network and seek out advice or professional help. Also, many news organizations and corporations (airlines JetBlue, Southwest) are on Twitter and you can follow them and benefit from their updates. You can follow me @shanehaggerty or follow Ohio Hi-Point @OHPthisminute. If you still don't get it, watch this video for an explanation.
6. Sign-up for a Facebook profile. It's easy and fast and you can divulge as much info as you want. Once on there, search for friends, search for groups (most colleges have alumni groups) or professional interest groups. Many businesses and organizations (especially non-profits) have embraced Facebook.
7. Sign-up for a Linkedin profile. Linkedin is a place for adults and professionals and is a great way to network and seek out professional advice and services. Many organizations and companies have started using Linkedin (which allows people to basically post online resumes) for human resource purposes. There is also a group for Ohio Career-Tech Communicators you can join or create a group that applies to what you do.
Phase three:
8. Visit Flickr and search around. Then, create a Flickr account to share photos or videos.
9. Watch YouTube videos. There are a number of colleges, especially, that have their own dedicated channel on YouTube for hosting. In Ohio, Butler Tech and my school district have their own dedicated channels. If you are brave, create a video and post it on YouTube. The thing to remember about YouTube or all online video is that people want videos to be REAL. This means it doesn't have to be slick or have high production quality. People enjoy rough, grainy, unplanned, transparent, etc. Hey, if the Pope, the U.S. Congress, and the President of the United States are on YouTube then you should be too!
10. Visit other video sites like Viddler, VeOh, and SchoolTube or TeacherTube, which may be "safer" for some school district's to post their videos online.
Phase four:
11. Visit Wikipedia and see what a Wiki is all about. Also, visit WetPaint and see what you can do there to create a Wiki. WetPaint is a bit more user friendly and controllable, in my opinion. Wikis are great tools for classroom collaboration and for internal staff collaboration. You can use Wikis for long-term project planning, meetings, document creation or editing,etc.
12. Check out Yahoo! Groups and Google Docs and see all the tools you can use there. Yahoo and Google Groups are also tools you can use for collaboration and planning. Google Docs also has web analytics, e-commerce options, chat, organizational email services, and other services that allow you to manage better and embrace collaboration and cooperation.
Phase five:
13. Explore delicious and sign-up. Use this site to easily bookmark websites you come across you'd like to use later for resources or for presentations or just for enjoyment. You can see how delicious works by visiting my delicious page.
14. Explore sites like Digg or Reddit, where news releases, articles and stories can be posted. Your press releases or feature articles will be more readily available for people doing web searches, and they can be ranked or "dug" on a site like Digg and increase in popularity. Or just use it for your own personal reasons such as researching.
Phase six:
15. Monitor your online presence. You can see what people are talking about and filter conversations on Twitter through their search site. Certainly you can do simple Google searches to see where your social media presence and footprint is at on their search listings. Check out Technorati to see if your school district has become blog fodder. Monitoring and measuring are expected in PR and a social media presence is easy to monitor.

Share what you create, how you are using social media, what works and what doesn't, and your opinions, by emailing shaggerty@ohp.k12.oh.us or by posting directly to this blog.
Of course, you may not want to do all 15 things on the list, so you can pick-and-choose and explore what you wish. By completing everything you are guaranteed to at least educate yourself on what your students and now even parents are experts at.

Observations from the NSPRA/Ohio Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Haggerty) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Our board of directors at NSPRA/Ohio wrapped up a successful two-day conference with our colleagues from around the state in school public relations, and I think it was a total success, but I made many mental notes throughout of what work still needs to done to be the leaders of this shift in the world of communications. Today's workshops saw Chris Celek, a former editor and reporter from Cox Ohio Publishing Group, have a full house during his session on media relations, a very open roundtable in the social media session I conducted, a strong session on podcasting, and an interesting roundtable on the generation gap that keeps many from adopting many of the new tools that I blog about often.
Here's a list of my observations from day two:

I work at a career-technical school and never realized how great I have it! In hearing some of the restrictions and fears and policies and horror-stories from some of the large K-12 districts in Ohio, they truly have their hands tied in a number of ways. Career-tech schools are progressive by nature, don't have to worry about the elementary or middle school grade-levels, and simply have bigger budgets and more resources because of having to recruit and market to students. There are numerous issues that we must figure out a way to overcome and a lot of "sacred cows" that have to be set out to pasture before social media can fully be integrated into many of the K-12 districts
Sometimes we pushed the external tactics to reach large numbers of constituents too much. I hope my colleagues realize the professional development and networking and media relations aspects that they can use social media for in their day-to-day lives that can make their jobs easier
Social media must first be explored, research must be done to find what works best with each district, training has to happen for administrators and staff, and schools must start teaching the students how to responsibily use social media. It should be part of curriculums because it is now becoming so common and used for so many purposes
I think the majority will go and start exploring. I had numerous Linkedin requests and a number signed up for Twitter accounts during the sessions. Many said they planned to blog, and I think some people overall are a lot more open-minded about this topic

On another note, the annual awards luncheon was held following the breakout sessions, and I will take some time to brag up the fact that I did win two awards. Our district newsletter (yes, we still have to do a direct mail print piece) won a Mark of Excellence Award and our district website won the Best of the Best for School Website Award! This was an exciting capper on the conference. Of course, I spent a lot of time telling people at the conference (before I won) how I was sick and tired of our website and was getting ready to scrap it so we could integrate all of the web 2.0 and social media functions! And then the website won Best of the Best! Next year I am going to push for the addition of a social media category in the awards. Ohio does have some school districts engaged in some great social media strategies and hopefully, because of this conference, there will be a whole lot more.