4. Online networks allow people to
• connect with their passions
• to find others who share their passions
• to create content that expresses their
passions
16. Build Community
http://www.flickr.com/photos/usacehq
Find those with passion
Create content that feeds their passion
Connect with people
17. Increase Engagement
• Post between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m.
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/02/29/10-powerful-tips-to-increase-fan-engagement-on-facebook/
18. Increase Engagement
• Post 1 or 2 times a day
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/02/29/10-powerful-tips-to-increase-fan-engagement-on-facebook/
19. Increase Engagement
• Ask questions to spark dialogue
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/02/29/10-powerful-tips-to-increase-fan-engagement-on-facebook/
20. Increase Engagement
• Keep posts simple (status only or 1 photo)
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/02/29/10-powerful-tips-to-increase-fan-engagement-on-facebook/
21. Working Differently
Using social media and online tools for:
• personal learning & professional
development
• reaching people where they are
• filtering information & providing context
• joining existing conversations
• connecting people with resources,
answers and each other
27. Thanks!
CONNECT
• On Twitter – www.twitter.com/ndbob
• On Facebook –
http://www.facebook.com/NDSUAgComm
WebServices
• Blog –
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/roller/agcommweb
services/
Editor's Notes
Good morning everyone! I hope you are doing well. Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to speak to you about something I am passionate about.
Online social networks have and will continue to change the world. They give every connected individual the capacity to gain knowledge, connect with people that share their interests and share their own thoughts, feelings and creations on a scale never before imagined. That’s exciting! These changes offer me, you and our organization great opportunities and a few challenges as well.
The world has become more personalized, more connected and more social.Online networks allow people to connect with their passions, to find others who share their passions and to create content that expresses their passions.
The value of social media lies in the connections, in the diversity and randomness of those connections and in the deep relationships that can result from those connections.Over the past 5 years, I have used social media to build important relationships with people around the world who share my passions for social media and learning. Some of them I have met, but most of them I will never see face-to-face. But that doesn’t mean that our connection is weak. When I call, they answer.
Here is my Twitter stream. I have asked my Twitter followers, my Tweeps, to share one piece of social media advice with you or just say hi. We are bringing all those messages together by each of us using the hashtag #ndgga.The reason my Tweeps answer when I call is that they find value in their connection with me.
Here is my Twitter stream. I have asked my Twitter followers, my Tweeps, to share one piece of social media advice with you or just say hi. We are bringing all those messages together by each of us using the hashtag #ndgga.The reason my Tweeps answer when I call is that they find value in their connection with me.
The value that is exchanged across online networks has been referred to as “social capital” by author and entrepreneur Tara Hunt. She calls this social capital, Whuffie.
Tara suggests we should behave in online networks as if we have an account for our social capital, just like a bank account. When we provide value or a service to those we are connected with online, we get a deposit in our social capital account. When we ask for a favor, an idea or just people’s attention, we are making a withdrawal from our account.If your account goes too far in the red, you start to lose your connections. People are connectedwith one another because they find some value in the connection. If you are not providing valueand only making withdrawals on your account, there is no reason for people to stay connectedwith you.
ListenThere are a number of ways you can listen to online communities without necessarily beingconnected to anyone in the community.
One tool you can use is Twitter. Twitter is a platform for short messages, 140 characters orless. Twitter users follow other Twitter users and receive the posts, called “tweets,” of all theTwitter users they follow in a Twitter feed. You can search Twitter for keywords and hashtags,keywords preceded by # to indicate they are keywords, to listen to the conversation around aparticular topic.Another is Google Alerts. Google Alerts are save Internet searches that send you an emailwhenever something new is returned in that search. Setup a Google Alert search for yourcompany’s name and you will get an email anytime you are mentioned on a website, in an onlinenews story or on a blog.
PublishOne of the reasons people engage in social networks is they want to share their passions.Whether it’s tweeting a link to an article about their favorite band, listing the books they love onFacebook or pinning their favorite recipes to Pinterest, people love to share.If you want to be a part of that sharing culture, you need to have something for yourcustomers to share. Publishing pictures, videos, blog posts and other online content givesthe people passionate about your business something to share with their friends. Posting thatcontent to the tools that your customers already use, rather than just on your website, makes iteasier for your customers to share.
ParticipateToo many businesses and organizations take the same approach to social media as they haveto traditional marketing. They view it as a one-way relationship in which they push informationout to people with little consideration for the customer’s ability to push information back.Business and marketing folks often ask me, “How do we control our message on social media?”My answer is “You don’t.” That ship has sailed. You can wring your hands over it or you cantake it as an opportunity to really engage your customers.The days of top-down business communication are over. You are now just a node in theNetwork, a cog in the works. The conversation is happening around you. You can’t control it, but you need toparticipate.When you participate online, you are part of a community. Use the rules you use in real worldcommunities. Don’t talk only about yourself. Acknowledge the contributions of others. Respondrespectfully to questions and concerns. Be an adult - don’t get sucked into arguments and don’tever get personal even if you are or feel you are attacked.
PromoteWith all this talk about being a part of a community, don’t forget to promote your business.Always do it within the context of the community. Don’t sell for the sake of selling. Add valuewhenever you can.Remember, these people share your passion. They are not the nameless, faceless masses atthe other end of a newspaper or TV ad. Give them information with value and they will respondin kind.
ConnectThese are your people! Connect with them.find those who share your passioncreate content that expresses that passionconnect with your customers