ePublish Media » Marketing and Communications

#FollowFriday Recommendations for Web Publishers

Rick Allen — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:16:08 +0000

#FollowFriday on Twitter is a great way to recognize and recommend people that you feel add value to your Twitter stream. However, I’m often more interested in why people follow those they recommend. For this reason, I’m explaining my recommendations. (For an introduction to #FollowFriday, see Mashable’s How #FollowFriday Works.)

Below are three people I follow on Twitter because I appreciate their contribution to the field of web publishing and I benefit from their tweets.

Kristina Halvorson

http://www.twitter.com/halvorson
Influence: Web Content Strategy

Who she is: Kristina Halvorson is the founder and president of Brain Traffic (@BrainTraffic), an agency specializing in content strategy and delivery. Brain Traffic describes quality content as "Useful. Useable. Contextual. Consistent." which illustrates their view on content strategy. Halvorson is a positive contributor to the "dialogue" on content strategy, asking good questions and promoting best practices.

Why I follow her: Being obsessed with content strategy myself I really appreciate Halvorson’s passion for the craft. I have a lot of respect for her perspectives on the need and role of content strategy in web publishing. I pre-ordered her book, Content Strategy for the Web, and really look forward to reading it.

Brian Hoff

http://www.twitter.com/behoff
Influence: Graphic Design

Who he is: Brian Hoff is a self-employed graphic designer and founder of The Design Cubicle, a blog focusing on "design, creativity and learning." Like all good users of social media, he opens the door to conversation through his blog and is very active on Twitter.

Why I follow him: Hoff provides a continuous stream of useful design-related resources and topics, but what distinguishes him for me is his endeavor to use web publishing for teaching and learning. His business is not quite a year old, but that’s actually an added benefit for his followers who are able to watch him develop his business and expertise. A good sample of Hoff’s approach is his blog post: The creative process for the Design Cubicle’s logo.

Erika Napoletano

http://www.twitter.com/RedheadWriting
Influence: Style & Voice

Who she is: Erika Napoletano is owner of RedheadWriting, a blog with "a candid view on writing, SEO and social media." The operative word there is "candid." Napoletano has a brazen assurance which permeates her writing on Twitter and her blog. Basically, she tells it like she sees it. Did I mention she’s candid?

Why I follow her: Napoletano’s writing style and voice. It’s a challenge to balance a social media presence professionally and personally. Most people are afraid of being too honest in their writing through fear of offending someone or being judged critically. While writers should be mindful of their audience, the tendency to censor opinions to accommodate the status quo can dilute the impact of their writing. It is refreshing to read unexpurgated views–it motivates me to write more transparent and honest. Napoletano is also a really good writer.

All three of these #FollowFriday recommendations are case examples of why I use Twitter. Maybe I would have discovered Halvorson’s book or Hoff’s and Napoletano’s blogs on my own, but their perspectives wouldn’t be as meaningful to me as they are when I follow them–follow their discoveries, challenges, accomplishments, and yes, weekend vacations and hiking trips. Twitter is social media, after all.

Should site visitors always get what they want?

Rick Allen — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:36:38 +0000

I recently helped a school publish an online orientation guide that included a listing of recommended books for this fall’s incoming class. The reading list was not a mandatory one, but rather a collection of favorite books offered up by faculty and staff. I thought the list was a good idea and added value to the guide. In creating the page I linked the book titles to Amazon.com. Offering this service seemed like a no-brainer, since Amazon.com is the first place I go when I want to learn more about a book. However, the links raised a red flag for administrators who did not want to appear to endorse Amazon.com as a preferred bookseller in place of the school bookstore or library. This was a valid concern made by people I respect—organizations should be mindful of who they appear to endorse—but I still tried to convince them to keep the links.

This is not an uncommon occurrence with higher education or business brand management. It’s a challenge to balance the message you want to convey with the needs of your visitors–it’s a matter of image versus service. Both are vital. My rationale for keeping the links did not discount the importance of brand management, it aimed to keep a balance. I felt by advising students to borrow the recommended books from the school library in the page introduction (with no mention of Amazon.com) it made the intentions clear while providing easy access to additional information. The school bookstore didn’t carry the titles because they were so specialize, so I couldn’t include them.

The original book list included titles and authors, but no links. Without them, visitors would be forced to copy and paste a book title in order to search for more information. I’m not suggesting this added step is the end of the world. However, I draw attention to it because it’s part of the larger matter of customer service, which must not be trivialized.

One of my favorite topics from the recent eduWeb Conference was: "Answer the questions people are asking." In other words, give people what they’re looking for. This should be a primary goal of a website. And, like the Content vs. SEO debate, the solution should not be either/or. You can accomplish both with careful planning.

What do you think? Are Amazon.com (or other bookseller) links inappropriate for a school website or can a balance be made managing brand image and maximizing customer service?

Think More Like a Publisher and Less Like a Marketer (and Other Lessons From eduWeb 2009)

Rick Allen — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:53:50 +0000

Last week I attended the eduWeb Conference in Chicago. It was a great opportunity to meet other higher-ed web professionals and discuss common challenges and creative solutions. Some popular topics included social media, online marketing, user-generated content, web design best practices, content strategy, and search engine optimization. There is a great deal of information to digest and the post-conference challenge is to relate this information to my own work. To streamline my process I created three categories: Listen and Learn, Engage In Conversation, and Be Authentic, Be Real, Be Different. Not everything fit neatly into these categories, but they help define themes I find important. I also describe eduWeb in bite-size chunks for even easier digestion.

Listen and Learn

Listening to what is going on around you is important for learning and using social media and other web communication tools is no different. It is increasingly easy to communicate and share ideas, but if you’re not paying attention you’re going to miss what is being said.

Two great “listening” tools are Twitter Search and Google Alerts. With these tools you can save searches and track the keywords. For example, if you search for #eduweb on Twitter, you will find over 1500 tweets by dozens of people affiliated with the eduWeb Conference this past week. Or, if you’re a fan of design, you could search for that, or writing or photography or peanut brittle. Whatever your interest, you can see “live” what people are tweeting about on those topics. You can use Google Alerts in the same way to search websites and blogs and other news sources found online. If you set a Google Alert for your institution’s name and it’s mentioned in someone’s blog post, you’ll be informed. This is a great method for brand management and gathering feedback about your institution, and then you can choose how you want to respond.

Actions you can take at your school:

Use Twitter Search and Google Alerts to track topics relevant to your school.
Read what your students are talking about on Facebook and other social media. Understand the frequently asked questions and modify your web and print content to address them. If your FAQ’s page hasn’t been updated recently, it may not list FAQ’s anymore.
Keep your eyes open to what your students and members of your community are doing and publishing. You may be able to use or reference photos, videos or reviews.
Ask for feedback. Don’t hide from questions you don’t want to answer. People will ask questions whether you solicit them or not, and you don’t want someone misinformed answering them.
Pay attention to how people are finding your website. Use Google Analytics or other tools to track what people are searching for at your school. Track keywords on Google and also on your website’s local search. Update your web copy to cater to these searches. If people search for “dorms” but you insist on using “residence hall” you may sound more professional, but what’s the point if people can’t find your page? (See Kyle James’ related presentation slides and other SEO for higher education topics at .eduGuru.)

Engage In Conversation

Listening is only step one. You won’t appreciate the real value of social media or be able to take advantage of web communications until you start to share. Engaging in conversation promotes dialogue on topics that relate to you. The social web encourages this and people are very responsive, but you have to be involved and contribute. It’s an exchange in that you get what you put into it: “have a penny, leave a penny; need a penny, take a penny.” If people don’t contribute, there won’t be anything to take. Answer questions people are asking or refer them to people who can answer them.

Actions you can take at your school:

Communicate with your counterparts at other schools. Discuss your school’s challenges and offer solutions to others’ challenges.
Take the first step and follow your students on Twitter, answer the questions they are asking (not just the ones you think they’re asking).
Use Google Alerts to track your school name. Maybe students are asking questions that you don’t know about on their blog. Maybe someone has posted misinformation about your school. Maybe someone is giving your school praise. In any of these instances, you’ll benefit from responding. Leave a comment on someone’s blog, answering a question or directing him or her to relevant information. Call attention to a positive review of your school through your school’s communication channels.
Start a discussion on your Facebook page. Start simple, like “Orientation Fall, 2009: What do you want to know?” Once you understand what students are interested in learning about, start new discussions with refined topics.

Be Authentic, Be Real, Be Different

Think like a publisher and less like a marketer. Prospective students can easily spot a marketing sales pitch. Brian Niles from TargetX gave this example of a generic school review: “We’re such a friendly place! Even the teachers know my name and say hi to me!” You need to define your school with authenticity and illustrate how your school is unique. Credibility is most important. When a student asks if you think they would be a good fit for your school, don’t say “absolutely” without knowing their background.

Actions you can take at your school:

Make web content a priority, not an added feature. Take the time to develop original web content, including authentic stories, photos, videos and presentations.
Tell stories about the students and faculty at your school. What are they doing? How are they involved in the community? What is their impact? What have they learned?
Get people involved in the “story telling” with social media. Raise awareness about your student and faculty accomplishments and encourage people to share the news. Add a “Share This” link to your website news stories to encourage people to share by email, Facebook, Twitter, and other communication channels.
Hire student bloggers. Prospective students are more likely to trust and respond positively to current students than an admissions sales pitch. Establish guidelines for your student bloggers, including appropriate topics and language, but allow them to speak their minds.
Don’t use Facebook, Twitter and other social media just to post school alerts and events. Get involved in the conversations to help tell the story of your school. Every Tweet doesn’t need to stand on its own; think of it as an ongoing story about your school and the community.
Take advantage of your school’s uniqueness with search engine optimization (SEO). Don’t use the same keywords that every other school is using; highlight the keywords that differentiate your school.

The eduWeb Conference in Bite-size Chunks

Think more like a publisher (not a marketer).
- Nikki Chun, University of Miami; Adrienne Bartlett, TargetX
Answer the questions people are asking.
Influence the conversation, don’t control it (because you can’t).
Stories, not stats. People, not programs.
- Michael Sexton, Lewis & Clark College
You’ll realize the value of Twitter when you start using it to learn and share.
- Robin Bradford Smail, Penn State
You need a sense of urgency in your organization for change to happen.
- Brian Niles, TargetX
Credibility is more important than “quality”.
- Tom Williams, InnoGage
Social media won’t fix the yellow background on your website
Technology is not complete.
- Dimitri Glazkov, Google

More From the eduWeb Conference

eduWeb 2009 on Delicious – Links referenced by presenters and attendees

eduWeb 2009 on Flickr – Photos taken by attendees

eduWeb 2009 on SlideShare – Presentation slides

eduWeb 2009 on Twitter – Twitter Conference backchannel

eduWeb 2009 on YouTube – Videos of presenters and attendees

Share to Learn

Rick Allen — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:27:06 +0000

People naturally like to share what they know. It’s validating to show expertise in a subject and get positive feedback. Still, I continue to meet people who conceal what they know, particularly in the work place. They are either worried about exposing what they don’t know or consider it job security to protect what they do, so others will continue to need them. While this may be true, it also ensures that they will continue to do those same tasks, indefinitely. The benefit to sharing what you know at work is that this allows others to help with the work so you can learn something new. When you stop sharing, you stop learning.

I consider myself a lifelong learner with an insatiable appetite for knowledge. I’m motivated to share and teach others what I know so I can continue to learn and grow myself. I don’t want to do be static and I consider this attitude a value to my employer and clients. Every time I learn something new I am able to make a fresh contribution. I subscribe to the mantra: “there is always a better way.” It’s simple. If you collaborate with others, you increase your options. Problems are solved and people learn.

I marvel at the success of social media (including blogs) to engage people in discussion. It’s a contagious sensation igniting people’s natural inclination to share. It also causes the publishing elite to scramble for a new definition of publishing. When I was working on my masters in publishing, I was drawn into many spirited debates on the role and effectiveness of electronic publishing. Although everyone agreed on where publishing was going, there were disagreements about how it would affect the quality of the industry. Then and now, I like to take the role of devil’s advocate to keep the conversation going. And, it’s a great conversation.

Today I am relaunching the ePublish Media business site as a blog to contribute to the web publishing community and help educate and promote best practices. This is also my new learning sandbox—for testing theories, experimenting, and allowing others to watch me work. My hope is that this will encourage people to engage in dialogue with me on topics of writing and electronic publishing, web design, marketing and communications, and technology. I look forward to learning from you.