Presented by: Alison Eldridge, WA State GEAR UP Sean Brennan, CA State GEAR UP Daniel Bremer-Wirtig, NCCEP Presented at: 2012 NCCEP/GEAR UP Annual Conference July 22-25, 2012 Washington, DC Description: Learn which social media tools are easy to setup, manage and give you the most "bang for your buck." Tweet by tweet, GEAR UP programs are doing exceptional work sharing their stories and achievements nationwide. With so many programs and organizations competing for funding, media attention, and partnerships, it’s important for your program to stand out. A social media strategy helps you tell your story and communicate easily and effectively with families, educators, legislators, and the community. We will go over the how to’s of choosing & activating specific social media channels while creating an engaging and effective message. No previous “social media” expertise is necessary.

1. Create, Curate & Disseminate:
Telling your GEAR UP Story with
Social Media
Alison Eldridge, WA State GEAR UP
Sean Brennan, CA State GEAR UP
Daniel Bremer-Wirtig, NCCEP

2. Agenda
1. Why are we here today (and why do I need to be doing social
media)?
2. How do you tell a good story (and why is it important for GEAR
UP)?
3. The Social Media Universe (Unabridged and Unraveled)
4. Getting started with Twitter
5. The Publication Cycle
6. Using social media day-to-day
7. "Hello world“ – Your First Tweet
8. 5 Takeaways
9. Q&A

3. Intro
Why are we here today? • But because you probably trust a
We want to help: video from the Internet more
• Your program, so it can stand out than what we’ll tell you, here’s a
among the competition for short video on why you need to
funding, media attention, and be doing social media:
partnerships
• You develop a simple social media
strategy that empowers you to
communicate with
families, educators, legislators
and the community, easily and
effectively
• You choose and activate a specific
social media channel(s) and guide
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQzsQkMFgHE
you on how to create, curate and
disseminate content that engages
your audiences

4. (highlight facts about video + more)
• From video • In February 2012
– Social media is about – Facebook has grown to
people more than 845 M active
– And since e-mail is a thing users
of the past… • (see “Social Media in 60
– This is how people are seconds”)
connecting,
communicating and doing • (see “Data-in-one-
business… Minute”)
– So, as Erik Qualman said:
“We don’t have a choice on
whether we do social media,
the question is how well we
do it.”

5. Telling the GEAR UP Story:
Why and How?
Why is it important to tell the What makes a good story?
1. You need ONE hero. Yes, only one.
GEAR UP story?
2. You need ONE villain: poverty, family
1. Shines a spotlight on a history, negative environment, low
specific need/challenge performing schools, etc.
3. Your hero needs to struggle. Everybody
through a human face. loves a good fight. (i.e. “I was failing all
2. They work because they’re my courses and was on a fast track to
drop out.”)
memorable and persuasive
4. The Catalyst – GEAR UP. It helps our
3. The move people into action Hero in in her/his epic struggle against
the Villain.
4. They empower us, your
5. Connect with your audience through
team, your students, parents, universal values – perseverance, hard
teachers, community… work, community… the American
Dream.
6. Call to Action
1. This is how you can help the Hero.
2. You can be a hero, too. This is what you need
to do.

6. Telling the GEAR UP Story:
Jumpstart exercise
To kick off your story, start by answering these questions:
• Who are you? (In the GEAR UP universe) – Find The Hero.
• What are your dreams & aspirations? (Why do you do what
you do.)
• What has been in the way of your dreams and aspirations? –
Find The Villain.
• What has been your experience? – Define The Struggle
• Where are you now? What are you doing? – Explain how The
Catalyst moved you forward.
• How can you (third party) help? – Call to action for your
listener.

7. Telling the GEAR UP Story:
Where to tell it.
• You “tell” stories all the time. In fact, every time you talk
about your grant you are telling a story.
• These are not exclusive for your Members of Congress
(Although it helps us all when you share them with them!)
• Use these stories to help you locally, where your students,
parents, teachers and partners are:
– Forging partnerships
– Requesting funding from foundations
– Raising state/local awareness
– Getting sponsors
– Engaging parents
– Involving state/local leaders

8. Social Media Tools Overview
Source: http://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-small-business-social-media-cheat-sheet

9. Social Media Tools Overview

10. One Account to Rule them All - Twitter
Start with twitter to Tell Your GEAR UP Story… Three
reasons why:
1. Everybody can write 140 characters on a regular
basis, from almost anywhere (even the toilet).
2. Twitter allows you to easily cultivate a following
that can expand your reach incredibly (more on
that later)
3. Again, it’s only 140 characters. No special skills
required.

11. Let’s get your hands dirty!
3. Search for GEAR UP sites to follow:
Setup a Twitter account •
•
California GEAR UP @CAGEARUP
NCCEP @edpartnerships
• Washington State GEAR UP @gearupWA
1. Visit http://twitter.com • CMU GEAR UP @GEARUPCMU
• SD GEARUPSD GEARUP @SDGEARUP
2. Sign up •
•
Colorado GEAR UP @ColoradoGEARUP
GEAR UP Iowa @GEARUP_Iowa
• GEARUP Kentucky @GEARUPToday
- Name • UofW Rise Up/GEARUP @UWGEARUP
• WEHS GearUp @WEHSGearUP
- e-mail •
•
Oklahoma GEAR UP @OklahomaGEARUP
WV GEAR UP @WVGEARUP
• U of M GEAR UP @UMGEARUP
- Password (Shhh!!! • APV GEAR UP @apvgearup
• GEAR UP & SOAR @GEARUPandSOAR
It’s secret) •
•
Maine State GEAR UP @GearUpME
GEARUPNorthCarolina @GEARUPNC
•
- Twitter handle •
Oregon GEAR UP @OregonGEARUP
FSU GEAR UP @FSUGEARUP
• FSU GEAR UP @GEARUP4COLLEGE
Internet: • St. John's GEARUP @STJGEARUP
• St John's GEAR UP @STJ_GEARUP
• Username: axxter • Ypsi GEAR UP @YpsiGEARUP
• SD GEARUP @SDGEARUPTweet
• Password: 6154 • U of M Drbrn GEAR UP @UMD_GearUp

12. Own your own Twitter
The Musts The Desirables (for later)
• Picture or logo • Personalized design
• Name – Who are you? • Connect to Facebook
• Website • Other Apps
• Short descriptive bio.
• Go mobile

13. Before you Tweet…
Let’s determine our And then…
audience: 1. Listen to the folks you
• Students? follow.
• Parents? 2. Learn the lingo.
• School personnel? 3. Learn the etiquette.
• Policy-makers? 4. Participate in
• Partners & community conversations.
members? 5. Start Tweeting!
• General public?

15. The Publication Cycle
Create - Curate - Disseminate
60-30-10 Rule: • Social Media Strategy
• 60% retweets & pointers – Who – Target Audience
– What – Type of content
• 30% conversations &
– When – How often
responses
• Have a “content plan”
• 10% announcements & – Check your calendar for
events important dates & events
A tweet a day, keeps the • Use a tool to help you
doctor away. manage it
• Tip of the day / Photo of • Connect social & traditional
the day media & other info
channels

16. The Publication Cycle
Create - Curate - Disseminate
content curation
ˈ r-ˈāshən also ˈ r-ˈāshən
kyu̇ - kyu̇ -
content sources
process of sorting through the vast amounts of content
• RSS feeds (Google, etc.)
on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and
organized way around a specific theme. • Google Alerts
= • Reddit
•
•
sifting, sorting, arranging & publishing
cherry picking best content – important and
• www.educationnews.org/
relevant to share
• www.huffingtonpost.com
 /education/
• collecting links
• information pack rat • Twitter #hashtags
(via http://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/)

17. The Publication Cycle
Create - Curate - Disseminate
#Hashtags
Definition: The “#” symbol, called a hashtag, is
used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It
was created organically by Twitter users as a way
to categorize messages.

18. The Publication Cycle
Create - Curate - Disseminate
Using hashtags
• use # symbol before a relevant keyword or
phrase (no spaces) to categorize Tweets and help
them show more easily in Twitter Search.
• Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message
shows all other Tweets marked with that
keyword.
• Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet – at
the beginning, middle, or end.
• Hashtagged words that become very popular are
often Trending Topics.

19. The Publication Cycle
Create - Curate - Disseminate
Using hashtags to categorize Tweets Using hashtags correctly
• Use # symbol before a relevant
keyword or phrase (no spaces) to • Tweeting with a hashtag on a
categorize Tweets and help them public account, allows anyone
show more easily in Twitter doing a search for that hashtag
Search.
• Clicking on a hashtagged word in to find that Tweet.
any message shows all other • Don't #spam #with #hashtags.
Tweets marked with that
keyword. Don't over-tag a single Tweet.
• Hashtags can occur anywhere in (Best practices recommend
the Tweet – at the using no more than 2 hashtags
beginning, middle, or end. per Tweet.)
• Hashtagged words that become
very popular are often Trending • Use hashtags only on Tweets
Topics. relevant to the topic.

20. The Publication Cycle
Create - Curate - Disseminate
Things to check before you click send (and what to do if
you screw up)
• Google (think) before you tweet.
• Spell check.
• Check “legitness” of #hashtags.
• Check links (specially when retweeting).
Too soon?
1. Go to your profile and hit delete – ASAP
2. Repost corrected version
3. Issue a correction if you discovered it too late.

21. Social Media – Day-to-Day
(Organic) (Planned)
• Capitol Hill Visits • Newsletters
– Thank you to Members of • Press releases
Congress • Important community
– Picture of dates/events)
students/meeting • Tweet schedule-calendar
participants • Use lists
• Summer program activities • Distribute content
• College campus visit • Be deliberate (keywords #)
• Tweet on #trends • Stick to a routine
• Be gracious • Sync Facebook and Twitter
• Retweet Mentions
• Ask questions

22. “Hello world”
Your first Tweet!

23. Takeaways
1. GEAR UP Story Takeaway
Stories empower us, your team, your students, parents, teachers, community…
and move people into action.
2. Twitter Takeaway
Stick to your Social Media Strategy. Set a schedule and follow through.
3. Creation Take Away
Include links and content tailored to your audience, elicit a response.
4. Curation Take Away
ALWAYS use the #GEARUP OR #GEARUPworks #hashtags
5. Dissemination Take Away
Review and edit your tweets because it is FOREVER (also not effective you have
errors)

24. Q&A