Social media, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and blogging, have transitioned from being ignored to being studied, glamorized and utilized by the masses! The reality is clear: increasing your public outreach can be achieved through the Internet and social networking.
The Gus R. Douglass Land-Grant Institute (GRDI) at WV State University has jumped into the social media arena. In comparison we are actually a late entrant into the exciting new social media world, having launched our videos and blog in late 2007 and early 2008. But, in actuality, there is never a perfect time to become involved in social media. An organization or person must stop waiting and just jump in! If GRDI didn’t join the conversation, we would be sitting back and letting our public and other universities do the talking for us. We didn’t want to get left out of the conversation. The Douglass Institute is using its resources to make impacts in the social media world and spreading our outreach to many more publics than ever before. (http://blog.hubspot.com/blog, Brogan)
GRDI is participating in several avenues of social media from the home base of our website, www.grdi.wvstateu.edu. From here users can “join the conversation” by participating in Douglass Institute blogs (by clicking on the “Blogs” link in the top menu), listening to one of many Extension Matters podcasts (by clicking the podcast link on the lower right side of the homepage), or viewing a past episode of Extension Matters the television show (scroll through episodes and click on the desired video from the link in the lower right of the homepage).
Not only can visitors actively post to the GRDI blog, but they can also join in FREE live chat sessions from the website’s homepage. During these regularly scheduled “live chats,” a variety of subjects are discussed from research projects being accomplished by WVSU’s Agricultural and Environmental Research Station to simple tips on how to start your own business from WVSU Extension Service. Visitors to the Douglass Institute website continue to actively participate and engage research and extension specialists in these live conversations.
Why is the Douglass Institute involved in social media? Social media involvement and networking opportunities on websites offer the Douglass Institute a straightforward approach to share information about our programs and accomplishments while building a bond with communities of people who have interests and needs that we can meet.
Another advantage for GRDI is that Internet search engine programs that roam the Web are keen on social media and networking websites and typically go after links on these sites. This means if the Douglass Institute has our website connected through social networking along with the sharing and bookmarking of our site’s users and other supporting websites, our search engine optimization ranking is better, and the GRDI website site will be indexed quickly and prominently highlighted through Internet searches. (http://www.pulasthi.info, Pulasthi)
Like it or not, social media websites have become an integral part of the Internet because social marketing is easy to do, and just about everyone or every organization is doing it. It is too large of an untapped audience for GRDI not to become involved by shaping opinions and sharing our programs. Visit the Douglass Institute website today and “join the conversation” at www.grdi.wvstateu.edu.
Sources:
http://fundfindr.tv/239.html, Bret Conkin.
www.chrisbrogan.com, The Social Media 100, Chris Brogan.
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog, Chris Brogan contributor.
http://www.pulasthi.info, Cool Technology Blog, Pulasthi.
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