Tech Me Out: Taking Strategic Communication from Page to Screen Wednesday, October 13 th, 2010 3:00 p.m. Eastern Meg Simpson, Moderator msimpson@ascd.org
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Presenters: Carole Hayward, Director of Newsletters and Special Publications Mike Kalyan, Production Manager
ASCD s Electronic History ASCD has offered newsletters as a member benefit since its founding nearly 70 years ago. Three years ago, ASCD evaluated several of its offerings; the end results were fewer print newsletters, the launch of a thematic e-newsletter, and an ongoing evaluative process to determine if the existing format of each publication continues to serve its readers well. The challenges include how to effectively point to companion online pieces in your print publications, efficiently delivering electronic publications, and educating members to the publishing innovations afforded by new technologies.
E-newsletters Then and Now In 10+ short years, we have progressed from text-heavy enewsletters to graphically pleasing electronic publications that incorporate multimedia and social networking, capable of generating advertising revenue. Constant evaluation is key to moving forward.
Evolution of the Publishing Industry Publishing = Print Internet boom (mid-to-late 1990s): Publishing = Print e-publishing as an add-on Web 2.0 (around 2003 2004): Social Media integration (have conversations) Where are we now?
Publishing Industry Present Day Publishing = print, web/online, digital AND social media What does this mean for Associations/Membership Organizations? Severe identity crisis YOU are a publisher Embrace that fact and use every method available to reach your audience Now it s a passive vs. active delivery
Transitioning from Print to Digital/Electronic Do you have a plan for educating your readers about the advantages of the technology and how to use it? Will existing staff have the skills needed to make this transition? Will retraining or restaffing be necessary? Do you hire someone who is a strong writer/editor and teach them to use the technology or do you hire a technology person and outsource the content development? Before making publishing format decisions, have you conducted a member survey or focus group to determine what will work best for your audience?
What does your audience want? You have to find out Polls Survey Monkey (popular, free service) Focus groups Conferences, annual meetings, training, etc. E-blasts Ask them to respond Social Networking Groups ASCD EDge, Facebook, etc.
Some Questions to Ask Are you allowed to access professional development websites from school or work? Are all of your benefits/professional development materials linked to your professional email address? Do you regularly access professional development materials from your home in the evenings/weekends? How tech-savvy would you say you are? Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Some Questions to Ask Cont d How often do you read/research online? Every day, twice a week, once a month, never Will you read your benefits/content online if no print option was available? Do you own a smartphone? Do you listen to podcasts engage in Social Media sites?
What are your options? E-newsletters/e-magazines/e-journals Publish less, but more often! E-blasts Social Media Podcasts Audio & video
Resources for creating podcasts Equipment Software & hosting PC Audacity or Podbean (free, or minimal charge) Mac GarageBand (comes with OSX) or Audacity Microphone &/or headphones How-to sites O Reilly (PC) or Apple (Mac) Promote itunes (audio/video) and YouTube (video)
Blogging Strategies Determine your posting frequency; minimum should be 3 times per week. Plan your content to fulfill the frequency requirements; develop a monthly editorial calendar. Figure out who will contribute to the blog. Invite guest bloggers as experts to round out your content.
Blogging Strategies Continued Experiment with posts to see what generates conversation. Provocative posts capture attention and tend to get promoted by others more frequently. Use the blog as forum for addressing negative comments.
Free blog hosting Examples: blogger/blogspot, wordpress, typepad Pros Free No long-term investment No risk Provides background Cons Design is limited Features are limited No unique, customized domain name Branding is limited
Paid blog hosting Examples: GoDaddy, FatCow, and others Pros Branding to your site, including URL Enhanced features Email addresses Customizable themes Complete control Cons Cost investment Albeit minimal Requires some familiarity with websites Customer Service!
Administering your blog Set permissions Contributor, Editor, Administrator Pre-schedule posts Permissions for commenting / filtering Embed Google Analytics/Search Engine Optimization Embed widgets e.g., RSS feeds, link to social media
Promote Your Content Through Facebook Sample of a guest blogger s post: http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/2010/10/know-studentsbeyond-referrals.html Sample of Facebook blurb promoting the post: ASCD Teacher turned administrator-in-training Chris Canter is blogging about his year-long assistant principal internship at Fulton County Public Schools, in Atlanta, Ga. Do you have any advice for Chris as he begins this journey?
Promote Your Content Through Twitter Sample Tweet on the post: Teacher-turned-admin intern Chris Canter asks, How Can Assistant Principals Know Students Beyond Referrals? http://bit.ly/92g0vt Sample Second Tweet on the same post: Guest blogger Chris Canter s latest post is generating lots of comments join the conversation! http://bit.ly/92g0vt
Next Steps Read publishing sites Mashable.com Publishing Executive magazine O Reilly (industry leader) SmartBrief on Social Media newsletter Join Social Networking sites LinkedIn, ASCD EDge Attend meet-ups at conferences
Questions?
Contact Information Carole Hayward, Newsletters & Special Publications chayward@ascd.org Mike Kalyan, Production Services mkalyan@ascd.org If you will be attending the Annual Conference in San Francisco, let us know and we ll be happy to arrange time for you to observe our on-site print shop for our Conference Daily newspaper.
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