Second session of the Web2LLP online training course on web strategies and maximising the social media presence of Lifelong Learning Projects. Topic: Blogging, µicroblogging and the top 3 Author: Nicholas Standage (PAU Education) Website: http://www.web2llp.eu/training/online-session-2-tools

1. This project was financed with the support of the European Commission. This publication is the sole responsibility of the
author and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
http://www.web2llp.eu
Nicholas Standage
P.A.U Education
Blogging, µicroblogging and the top 3

2. Today´s session
• Blogging?
– Why? Where? How?
• microblogging?
– Is this just a smaller version of a blog?
• Twitter
– What is it? What can I do with it? How can this apply to my
audience?
• Facebook
– What is it? How can I use it?
• LinkedIn
– How does it work? Arent the first two enough?
• Further references

3. Blogs – Opinion!
A blog is merely a tool
that lets you do
anything from change
the world to share
your shopping list.
A blog is a post focused
on a specific theme that
can generate a
sequence of comments

4. 2 types of Blogs
Dedicated blog pages
Blogs within a portal

5. Some of the nets most popular blogs
Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.es/
Business Insider - http://www.businessinsider.com/
Engadget - http://www.engadget.com/
Lifehacker - http://lifehacker.com/
Autoblog - http://www.autoblog.com/
.
.
.
.
Why are these
blogs so
popular?

6. What makes a blog effective?
The topic
The way that the topic is presented
The user interface
The people who are blogging
The dissemination of the topic among other channels?
• Clarity,
• Simplicity
• Professionalism
 Openness?
 Time
consuming?
 Expert
knowledge?
 Does it look
nice?
Does it matter?
Vs.

7. What makes a blog effective?
Frequency
Date /Time of
Posting
SEO
Call for Action
Hourly?
Daily?
Weekly?
Monthly?
When is your target
audience most active?
Appearance in search results
(tags, descriptions, labels)
Give practical advice to your
audience

8. How do i begin?
If you have a site implementing the blog module on your Content
Management System : Drupal, Joomla, etc…
Creating your own domain
Using some of those great free blogging platforms currently
available
Very easy to use,
flexible to customize
THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE
(Who, Why, What do they need? )

9. I created a blog section on
my site now what?
• Identify your key actors – Who will be posting on your site?
Collective blogs
www.africanclimate.net
• Selected stakeholders blogging

10. Creating a blog – next steps
• Identify your key actors – Who will be posting on your site?
Open Community blogs
www.epractice.eu
• Open to everyone

11. • Inform your audience about your new feature
 Newsletters, mailing campaigns, Social Media
• Use it – Get involved!
 A good beginning is half the battle
Creating a blog – next steps

12. µicroblogging?
What is it?
A shorter more precise version of a blog..BUT!
Why it's important not to confuse the value of
technology with value of teaching
http://chronicle.com/article/Dont-Confuse-
Technology-With/133551/ … #elearning• Short in Content
• Short in Size
• Can contain links
• Can contain images
SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS

13. Twitter
What is it?
A µicroblogging service that enables its users to send and
read text-based messages of up to 140 characters known as
"tweets”
Twitter uses #Hashtags to classify the tweets to mark
keyword or topics
Follow the people that interest you
People interested by you become your Followers
Create and subscribe to Lists of people that
interest you

14. Twitter
A tweet is precise, short in size and duration and is open to everyone
What makes a tweet
powerful?
• The person who tweets i.e. Celebrities
• The content of the tweet – Something that is of interest
to a large group
• The way that it is written
Study shows: Need for more #ICT skilled workforce in
#Europe LINK do you agree?

15. Twitter
The Whitney Houston Story
Death anounced by a Man to his 14
followers
27 Minutes later after it was confirmed by
the Associated Press it was retweeted 10
000 times

16. Twitter
Beginning to tweet
Create an account
Customize it with the look and feel of your project
Define or search for a #Hashtag
Follow the people that interest you
Tweet and re-tweet daily – Let the people know what you are doing
Create a list with the users that interest you

17. Twitter
A Success Story on Twitter
@elearningeuropa
More than 2300 followers
3rd largest traffic source on
the website
A learning and research tool

18. FACEBOOK
The Worlds most popular
social networking service
• See what others are up to
• Tell a story… based on
facts and time of
occurrence
• Chat and send Private
messages
• Search for people, places,
topics
• Measure your interaction
with your target audience
Profiles
Pages
Groups

19. FACEBOOK
PROFILES
Your customizable personal
page
Your Friends
Your Interests
Music, Movies, and much more
Your photos
Your events
The first step!

20. FACEBOOK
PAGES – What are they?
Pages are for businesses, organizations
and brands to share their stories and
connect with people..
Pages can only be created and managed
by official representatives
Anyone can like a page and receive news
feeds from it
People who like your Page and their
friends will get updates in their news
feeds

21. FACEBOOK
PAGES – How do i create one?
1. Create your profile
2. Home -> Create a Page
3. Add Picture, Description
4. Advertise it!

22. FACEBOOK
GROUPS – What are they?
Have things you only want to share with a
small group of people?
• Add friends, and start sharing.
• Post updates
• Poll the group
• Chat with everyone at once
Groups can be closed or Open
Anyone can create a group!

23. FACEBOOK
GROUPS – Creating one!
1. Create your profile
2. Home -> Create a Group
3. Add Picture, Description
4. Invite your friends to Join!
Confused between a Page and Group?

24. FACEBOOK
Choosing between a Page and a Group
Key points to consider beforehand
• Who´s is your audience?
• You are the official representative of your
project
• Make sure you are aware of the differences
between the two
• Consider having both

25. FACEBOOK
What are the key differences?
Pages
• Official
• Open to everyone
• Better for larger audiences
• Advertising capabilities
• Do you need visitor
statistics?
Groups
• Can be Open or
Closed
• Do you need to live
chat?
• Better for smaller
audiences

26. FACEBOOK
Advertising on Facebook
Facebook Ads
• Promote Content on your Page
• Promote your page and increase its fan base
 Target only the audience that you want (location,
gender, age)
 Set the budget that you want
 Measure the impact of your advertising

27. FACEBOOK
A Facebook Success Story
15000 Fans
551 talking about it
Used for:
• Sharing the latest updates of the project
• Expand the reach of their project
• Inspire teachers
• Building a community
Not being afraid to openly communicate!
https://www.facebook.com/aulascreativas

28. LinkedIn
Getting the most out of your
professional network
Create a Page for your Project

29. LinkedIn
Creating thematic discussion Groups
Groups provide a place for
professionals to:
• Share content
• Find answers
• Make contacts
• Establish themselves as
industry experts.
Groups can be Open or with Restricted Access

30. LinkedIn
GROUPS – Creating one!
1. Create a Profile
2. Join other groups – see how they work
3. Groups -> Create Group
4. Add Description, Images, Name, type..
5. Share your Group and Invite
professionals to Join
6. Start a Discussion

31. LinkedIn
PAGES – Creating one!
GROUPS Vs. PAGES
Companies -> Add Company
Personalize it!
Connect it with your other Social Media Profiles
Pages offer public information about the Organisation on LinkedIn
Discuss -> GROUPS
Create Polls - > GROUPS
Participation analytics - > GROUPS
Announce updates - > PAGES
Advertise your page on LinkedIn

32. LinkedIn
A LinkedIn Success Story
More than 13 discussions and 50 new members a
week - The Warwick Business School • News
• Events
• Practical Advice
• Jobs

33. Demographics
Which tools is your target audience using?
• How are they using it
• Language
• Frequency and level of usage
What kind of expertise do you have in-house?

34. Choosing your tool(S)
• Most popular network
• More personal look and
feel
• Very customizable
• Can be used for
advertising
• Offers both Open and
restricted communication
• Professional look
• Good for
Networking
• Can be used for
advertising
• Offers both Open
and restricted
communication
• Short, precise
• Can focus on type of
audience or topic
• Shorter duration of
content

35. To Sum up
Blogs
µicroblogs
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
YOU YOUR AUDIENCE

36. A good Educator is a good
Learner!
Measure Listen to your audience
EngageSearch
Apply what you learn
Make it attractive

37. Future References
• www.facebook.com
• http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/ab
2adefa-c022-4791-abbd-
7c5701a00517.aspx
• http://www.webconfs.com/seo-
tutorial/introduction-to-seo.php
• http://www.inc.com/allison-fass/dave-
kerpen-social-media-moves-that-
work.html?nav=pop
• http://www.noupe.com/how-tos/the-
complete-guide-to-getting-the-most-out-
of-twitter.html
• http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100201/
how-to-advertise-on-facebook.html
• http://heidicohen.com/social-media-23-
ways-to-promote-your-blog/
• www.twitter.com
• www.linkedin.com
• www.wikipedia.org
• www.elearningeuropa.info
• www.web2llp.eu
• www.dailyblogtips.com
• www.tentblogger.com
• www.ojr.org

38. Some questions..
How do I measure the impact of my social media
presence?
What kind of measuring and evaluation tools are there
available?
What defines an effective social media presence?