1. Sifting the Tea Leaves: Outreach Using the Read/Write Web
CASE/NAIS
Philadelphia, 2007

2. Before We Get Started
This presentation available at:
Links to resources at the end of the presentation

3. What Are We Talking About?

4. A Cautionary Tale -- May 18, 2006 Ouch! However…
“... I will just say this ... the lies, distortions and mean spiritedness of some - was not worth my time or worthy of this district …”
-- May 18, 2006
Ouch!
However…

5. How open do you want to be?
The Comment Quandary
How open do you want to be?
1. Balance between participation (that spurs buy in) and control over content (guarantees clean content, but takes the “Write” out of read/write web)
2. A shift can occur based on the location on the post – for example, no comments could be allowed on the school web site page, but there can be an internal site with required membership where comments are allowed – different levels of control can be exercised in different contexts

6. Managing Your Buzz

7. Getting the Message Out
The Mother Ship
You  Them
Them  You
You = Them

8. The Mother Ship Your online presence Central area for information
Your content
Your domain
Your look/feel
Starting point
And, ideally, the ending point

9. Delivering Content What gadgets are people using?
A web page (aka old school)
iTunes (podcasts and videocasts)
RSS feeds
RSS to
to text message
How often do you check ?
Do you check on a Blackberry/Phone/Mobile Device?
Do you use text messaging?
Do you own an iPod?
Do you listen to podcasts?
What gadgets are people using?

10. You  Them Blogs, Podcasts, Videocasts
Can be set up with limited ability to comment
All content created by school staff
Unfamiliar terrain? Get a guide.
If you are setting up a presence within MySpace/Facebook/Social Network de jour, connect with an alum/student who is already active in the community. This allows you to work with them, and not have to reinvent the wheel – it also can soften the landing – these groups run on connections

11. Them  You
Sites maintained by the school specifically for community members
These sites generally require people to give you contact information – for example:
Register for events
Alumni Directory/Job Connection
Please, not another FaceBook!

12. You = Them Community participation in the online presence
Invite Alumni/Students to create content
Broader involvement brings more content of interest, which brings more involvement
Commenting/dialogue essential at this level
No canned communities allowed

13. Enough Talking
Let’s Build It!

14. The Mother Ship Who do people want to hear from?
Who has something to say?
Newsletters/Photos/Podcasts/Video
What events are better for what medium?
Judiciously shared content
What can you give them that they can’t get anywhere else?
At fundraising events – a treasure hunt via text; auctions with winners announced via text

15. Build a Pretty Frankenstein
Phased rollout
Gadget friendly content
One page with links to all content
Use what you need, when you need it
A sloppy/poorly conceived online presence is worse than nothing at all

16. Expectations Management
Each school is different
Technology changes rapidly
Faster than we can keep up
Don’t sweat it
Flexibility is essential
You will learn more details about your community; apply that knowledge effectively

17. Implementation and Goals
No matter how good it is, someone’s gonna hate it.
Incremental gains
A more informed member is a more connected member
Can’t identify with the school if they have forgotten about it
More likely to give time/treasure/talent to a known quantity

18. Closing Thoughts
These tools have the potential to make the school a more regular presence in the lives of community members.
Fight the hype: evolutionary rather than revolutionary
Whatever. It’s different.
The best infrastructure in the world is no substitute for a living institutional mission

19. Questions/Discussion

20. Resources – Web 2.0 Info Web 2.0
The classic definition
When the lawyers get involved
Graphic on slide 2 created with tagcrowd

21. Resources – Pod and Video
Podcasting and Videocasting

22. Resources – Content Reshuffle
Content delivery
Automate creation of podcast feeds (depending on your blogging software, this may not be necessary)
Distribute content in different formats
Distribute through iTunes

23. Resources – Email to SMS
to SMS Gateway
As this changes frequently, a google search can help track developments

24. Resources -- Open Source Tools
Blogging Platforms/Community Building
Drupal
Worpress
Wordpress Multi-User
Mambo
Joomla!
Gallery (photo sharing)

25. About this presentation
This presentation is released under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial License.
Prepared by Bill Fitzgerald at OpenAcademic