Blogs in Plain English

This week's "Plain English" video is about blogs and blogging. At the conference, our day one boot camp will provide some insight into blogging and how it can be utilized within your districts.

Enjoy!

Follow NSPRA/Ohio on Twitter!

Twitter is one social media tool that has grown by leaps and bounds in 2008 and continues to gain notoriety for its micro-blogging, 140 character only "tweets," brief messages read by those who choose to follow you. The above video from Common Craft helps you understand the purpose of Twitter.
NSPRA/Ohio is using Twitter to post frequent updates about the upcoming conference to be held in Columbus on March 12 and 13, 2009. You can sign-up for Twitter and have an account in just minutes! Our direct link to Twitter is http://twitter.com/nspraohio. You can also sign-up at http://twitter.com and then search for us by typing in @nspraohio. The "@" symbol helps Twitter identify people or companies directly.
Twitter is not only a great place to communicate with friends, it is also a place people are conducting business, making connections, and growing professionally. Many corporations, politicians, non-profits, small businesses, and media members use Twitter. Barack Obama successfully utilized Twitter during his campaign. Airlines like Southwest and JetBlue utilize it to communicate flight status updates and other information to customers. Media types use it to get story ideas and to provide direct links to stories in their newspaper or television station or website. Schools are also using it, along with Education Week magazine and other educational resource providers. Want to follow some Ohio school districts? Check out these three to see how they use it for communications:

• Miami Valley Career Technical Center
• Butler Tech
• Ohio Hi-Point Career Center

Once you sign-up, the easiest way to understand it is to start following others and see who they are following and who is following them. Start following some of these people. You will be surprised who is on Twitter! Following people in a career field or subject matter that you work within is certainly a great way to find professional resources and connections. Search for your local newspapers, TV stations, and websites, and you will likely find them on there. The Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News, Cleveland Plain-Dealer, and Cincinnati Enquirer are just some major Ohio newspapers that utilize it.

Give it a shot and give it some time. Twitter is not easily understand at first. It might even seem like a waste of time, but sticking with it and increasing who you follow will help you learn why Twitter has become such a popular and useful social media tool.

Social Media in Plain English

As we prepare for our conference on social media, these videos, made popular by a company called Common Craft, make it easy to get a basic understanding of social media the various tools available for usage. We will post a new video each week that can educate you about all things social media.

Presenters announced for day one workshop

NSPRA/Ohio will be rolling out more details of this year's conference activities in the next few weeks. The topic of social media will be at the forefront of this year's professional development, and we are excited to have two experts on the topic leading our first day workshop. Scheduled from 1:30-5 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, our "Social Media Workshop," will feature Angela Siefer and Nick Seguin. Siefer and Seguin will lead a session focused on the myths and fears of social media, incorporating blogging into your district's communications plan, RSS feeds, and strategies on how to incorporate social media within your district.

Here's more about Siefer and Seguin:

Angela Siefer envisions a world in which all members of society have the tools and the resources to use the Internet for the betterment of themselves and their communities. Angela is the founder and trainer at Shiny Door, providing social networking workshops and guidance. She specializes in assisting those who are hesitant of social networking’s value. Angela has a varied history of working within the start-up world and the nonprofit world. Angela was VP of Business Development at Lumifi, Executive Director of Grassroots.org, and Executive Director of the Ohio Community Computing Network. She is also a co-founder of Cbus Tech Life.

Nick Seguin is strategist and PM at dynamIt, a web engineering and design firm based in Columbus, Ohio. Nick manages web projects of varied scope for local, national, and international clients. Though he drives a technical firm, his background in marketing allows him to address the anthropological aspects of web and leverage technology to increase engagement and experience. Social/new media at it's core is about strategic and convenient communication. Nick works hard to both stay on-top of new tools and lead clients to their end-goals utilizing appropriate solutions. Nick studied and lived in Europe, is on the programming advisory committee at TechColumbus, is a Startup Weekend facilitator, and is one of the founding group members at Cbus TechLife. He speaks and consults on social media, blogs at www.nickseguin.com and can be found "tweeting" @NickSeguin.

Social Media's Rise & Influence

At this year's annual conference, "Social Media Bootcamp," the rise and influence of social media will be the main topic of discussion. Like it or not, fear it or not, social media's rise in 2008 was enormous and in 2009 it is expected to continue to grow in users and in demand. As a school district, communicating in non-traditional ways is more important than ever. Research shows that teenagers, parents and other key constituents within your communities are utilizing the internet as a routine part of their days. Below are some statistics about social media that showcase the rising influence of social media as an important communications and marketing channel:

• 394 million people watch video clips online
• 346 million read blogs
• 321 million read personal blogs
• 307 million visit a friend's social networking page
• 303 million share a video clip
• 272 million manage a profile on a social network
• 248 million upload photos
• 216 million download video podcasts
• 215 million download audio podcasts
• 184 million started a blog
• 183 million uploaded a video clip
• 160 million subscribed to an RSS feed

Had enough? Or still not convinced of the power of social media? Here are some stats about online/social media trends:

• Blog reading has risen 66% on a global scale in a year
• 60.3 million Americans have read a blog
• 36% of consumers will think more positively about an organization that blogs
• 32% of consumers trust bloggers' opinions on products and services
• 43% of online consumers belong to a social network
• 74% of social network users message friends as part of their daily routines
• 64% of teenagers ages 12-17 engage in at least one type of online content creation, up from 57% in 2004
• 87% of parents of teenagers are online
• More than 40% of women in their 40s have social networking profiles (it's not just for teens), with more than 70% of women with children ages 13-17 engaged in discussions on social networking

These are statistics and figures compiled by Universal McCann, Pew Research Center and SheSpeaks about online trends and social media usage. It is clear that social media has been embraced by teenagers and is now becoming more and more common for adults, especially parents and women. It is not just a fad, but a new form of communication. How do school districts become a part of the online conversation in effective and safe ways? These issues will be discussed during our Annual Conference.

The Official Conference Blog

What would a conference about social media be without an official conference blog? By visiting this blog you can use it as a resource to develop a basic knowledge of what social media is, the various tools of social media and more. The blog will also feature conference details and sessions and networking opportunities. Here's what you can look forward to on this blog over the next several months:

• Official conference information and announcements
  
• Official Achievement Awards announcements and information
• Videos and postings about social media
  
• Postings about school PR case studies and school PR in the news
• Other information and resources to prepare you for the conference and to help you in your job as a school PR professional

Have questions about the conference or the blog? Email Shane Haggerty, V.P. of Professional Development for NSPRA/Ohio, at shaggerty@ohp.k12.oh.us or visit the NSPRA/Ohio website.

2009 NSPRA/Ohio Annual Conference March 12-13

NSPRA/Ohio’s 2009 Annual Conference & Achievement Awards Luncheon:
Social Media Boot Camp
Save the dates now: March 12-13, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio

School public relations professionals and educational leaders must keep current with changing practices and strategies. We need parent involvement and we need public engagement. To do this, we need clear communication to get the message heard and strengthen the connections between schools and the community.
During this day and half workshop you will connect with others and learn innovative ways
to deliver key messages about your schools. With skill-building sessions rich in resources
and ideas, the NSPRA/Ohio Conference, "Social Media Bootcamp," will provide you with cutting-edge communication tools and deal with issues such as using blogs, the benefits of podcasting, determining which social medium is right for your district, how the media is using social media, best practices for communications and marketing in challenging economic times, and more.
EXTEND YOUR LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BY PLANNING TO COME FOR BOTH DAYS!
Thursday, March 12
Social Media Workshop 1:30-5:00 p.m.
Attend this practical and motivating half-day workshop and walk away with a strategy for how to incorporate blogging in your district’s communications plan.
FOCUS: Social media overview, blogs and blogging, myths and fears of social media, strategies for your district, RSS Feeds, and more. The workshop will be led by two social media experts from Columbus, Ohio. Angela Siefer is the chancellor at Shiny Door Consulting, a social media training and consultancy, and Nick Seguin, is web strategist at DynamIT Technologies, LLC, a a web engineering, design and development firm focused on creating usable, efficient web sites and applications. Both have been frequent presenters to businesses and organizations on the topic of social media and are well-known bloggers in Central Ohio.

Networking Social Event 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
After you learn about social media in the workshop, get social and network during our evening event! Join us for food and drinks!

Friday, March 13
Breakout Learning Sessions Starting at 9:00 a.m.
Take your learning one step further on Friday with our morning Breakout Learning Sessions! You will have six different sessions to choose from and will be able to attend two of them and walk away with practical information and strategies on topics like the media using social media, podcasting in schools, social media strategies, best practices and challenges and more.
Annual Achievement Awards Luncheon 12:30 p.m.
Enter your school district’s best PR, multimedia and marketing practices in our 2009 awards contest and join us as we honor the winners during our luncheon. Winners will be announced in categories ranging from PR plans and photography to e-newsletters, websites and more! Visit www.nspraohio.org for complete information on the Achievement Awards, categories, requirements, and to download entry forms.
Full conference registration information is available on the NSPRA/Ohio website. Download the form and send in your registration.
IF YOUR REGISTRATION IS POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 4, YOU WILL BE
ENTERED INTO OUR PRIZE DRAWING TO WIN ONE OF THE LATEST MULTIMEDIA TOOLS ON THE MARKET TO USE IN YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT’S MARKETING, PR AND SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS!
The 2009 NSPRA/Ohio Annual Conference & Achievement Awards Luncheon will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel at 2700 Corporate Exchange Dr. in Columbus, OH 43231. You can receive a special conference room rate of $125 when you reference NSPRA/Ohio. Rooms must be reserved by January 25, 2009. Call 614.890.8600 to make your reservation.