Importance of Social Media to Cooperative Extension

Anne Mims Adrian @aafromaa

aadrian@extension.orgeXtension 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

aadrian@extension.orgwww.slideshare.net/aafromaa

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