Is an Effective Extension Tool? Why You Need to Be Blogging… · Is Blogging an Effective...
Transcript of Is an Effective Extension Tool? Why You Need to Be Blogging… · Is Blogging an Effective...
Is Blogging an Effective Extension Tool?
David DollUCCE Merced County
4/25/2012
Why You Need to Be Blogging…
1. Low cost of maintenance2. Easy to update but needs to be done frequently.3. Ability to respond quickly to current events4. Provides interaction between reader and author5. Provides searchable, linkable, archived online
content6. Very visible form of outreach7. Supplements, does not replace traditional
methods of extension
Is Blogging an Effective Extension Tool?
Benefits of the Blog structure:
Is Blogging an Effective Extension Tool?
Ability to establish webpages within blog to help organize content.
Benefits of the Blog structure:
Is Blogging an Effective Extension Tool?
Ability to establish webpages within blog to help organize content.
Embed content into blog including movies, audio, and powerpoint
Ability to interact on subject by comments
Ability to market blog through other social network sites
Quantification of visitors is done easily,
Benefits of the Blog structure:
Is Blogging an Effective Extension Tool?
Ability to establish webpages within blog to help organize content.
Embed content into blog including movies, audio, and powerpoint
Ability to interact on subject by comments
Benefits of the Blog structure:
Is Blogging an Effective Extension Tool?
Ability to establish webpages within blog to help organize content.
Embed content into blog including movies, audio, and powerpoint
Ability to interact on subject by comments
Ability to market blog through other social network sites
Blog Marketing:
• Feed Aggregators (15)• Email Subscribers (90)• Social Network Followers (Facebook, G+, etc) (35)• Twitter (162)• E‐Newsletters from Other Organizations
– Merced County Farm Bureau
• Links from Participating Programs– AgFax, Sustainable Cotton Project, Magazines
The Almond Doctor:
Benefits of the Blog structure:
Is Blogging an Effective Extension Tool?
Ability to establish webpages within blog to help organize content.
Embed content into blog including movies, audio, and powerpoint
Ability to interact on subject by comments
Ability to market blog through other social network sites
Quantification of visitors is done easily
Is Blogging an Effective Extension Tool?Benefits of the Blog structure:Ability to establish webpages within blog to help organize content.
Embed content into blog including movies, audio, and powerpoint
Ability to interact on subject by comments
Ability to market blog through other social network sites
Quantification of visitors is done easily
No need to “Fly Solo”… Easy to have multiple authors!
No Need to Fly Solo:UC Davis Weed Science Blog: http://ucanr.org/blogs/UCDWeedScience/
• First Entry – October 24th, 2010; 90,000 total hits• Utilizes resource group of Weed Science with contributions from:
Initiated by Brad Hanson, Specialist
Lars Anderson Pamela Geisel Doug Munier Lynn Sosnoski
Oleg Daugovish Guy Kyser Steve Orloff Wendy West
Joe DiTomaso Chris McDonald Gale Perez Cheryl Wilen
Steve Fennimore Rebecca Miller‐Cripps
John Roncoroni Rob Wilson
• Came online in June 2009• Update regularly – usually weekly• Articles, Updates, Presentations, Movies
The Almond Doctor:
Goal: 10,000 page views a month
Time Period Entries Total Pg Views Pg Views/Month
June – Dec 2009 44 5370 767
Jan – Dec 2010 81 43,671 3,639
Jan – Dec 2011 61 103,523 8,627
Jan – YTD 2012 15 41,605 10,401
The Almond Doctor: Drilling Down the Numbers
Year to Date Statistics for the Almond Doctor:• 13,000 hits with 41,000 page views• Within CA – 7,316 hits from 4050 unique viewers
Clientele Group Estimated NumberGrowers 6000Processors 100PCAs and Consultants 500Other Associated Clientele 400% of Views by Outside Industry 50%
4050 – 2025=2025/7000=% of Industry Viewing Blog 28.9%
Want to Start a Blog?
• Start with a Committed Group of People• Cast a Large Net – Multi‐Crop, Multi‐Topic, Clientele Relevant Information
• URL – Has to be short enough to be remembered 12 hours later!
• Publicize at every event• Update, Update, Update ‐‐ or lose creditability• Be timely, Be Concise
http://www.agcom101.com
Want to Start a Blog?
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
• “I don’t have time to do that…”• “All that information is going overseas…”• “Doesn’t replace traditional methods…”• “Doesn’t have real impact…”• “Doesn’t have applicability to my program…”• “Don’t understand how to do this…”
Any Questions?