Good morning,Welcome to the University of Scouting’s Social Media 101 class

Hi, My name is John Blue and I work at Truffle Media Networks, an agriculture media company focused on agriculture animal health issues. I am also a parent of two scouts, one in Troop 56 and the other in Pack 830.

Short activity, about 30 seconds Ask about this; pause

Before we start, I want to share a perspective: It took 191 years to get from first Americanpaper to a newspaper with a peak circulation of 63 million people.

In contrast to newspaper, It took 15 years to go from the first internet newspaper to get to a single digital service having 63 million users. The speed of technology adoption and use will continue to be fast.

People have moved from utilizing media based on time and location to discovering and finding information in real time through multiple channels and various sources of authority. Information media has become time free, virtual, digital, and very participatory. (next)

There are many more options for people to receive information faster.

50% of Americans say they get their main news from the web. This data is from the Pew Research Center.

Here are how people get News by age.

This chart highlights the prevalence of social media use by Americans over the age of 45 (orange, red, and dark red). This is important to know because 25% of principle farm operators are over the age of 65, and the average age of farmers is 58 years old.

for some additional perspective: Here are how adults in the United States are using some social media channels.

And for teenagers, 92% report going online daily, with 24% of teens saying they going online

“almost constantly”.

What is social media?We have had social media for a long timePolaroids, Postcards, Sheet music, Mix tapes&CDs, JokesBut the speed and scale of sharing that media was very limited.

Today, the ability to share has speed, scale, and selectivity because the channels are digital. We can reach far more people with digital media than we could a decade ago.

Why do people use social media?People love to share things. Think about the time you spend on Pinterest or Facebook reading what your friends and family are doing.

People want to be entertained. This is Neal Patrick Harris’ family at halloween, posted on Instagram.

People want their news on channels that fit their time.

Some people want to help.

And others just want attention. This Paris Hilton and Perez Hilton.

And, yes, people want to make money using social media. Taylor Swift is using her social media to generate demand and pre-orders for her next album ‘reputation’. Social media is a core element in the album’s PR, advertising, & marketing campaigns.

Many business want to use social media to help with branding advertising, direct advertising, and public relations.

What are laws, policies, and privacy issues to keep in mind when using social media? : I want to cover this first because social media use within Scouting has laws, regulations, policies, and guidance that must be observed.

There are several organizations, regulations, and laws that concern minors and the Internet.

This one, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, thru the Federal Trade Commission, applies to any organization that collects information on minors.

And this one, Children's Internet Protection Act , thru the Federal Communication Commission, applies to organizations that seek federal funding under the E-rate program for affordable broadband.

The Boy Scouts of America have rules: Two deep leadership, the Scout Oath, and the Scout Law. For example, communication with a Scout on line must include another adult on that communication to have two deep leadership.

To keep things simple, all Troop focused social media should only be on the public side of social media.

Review the BSA guidelines on social media http://www.scouting.org/Home/Marketing/Resources/SocialMedia.aspx

As with all other Scout actions and activities, on the Internet, follow the Scout Oath and Law.

Lastly, many social network sites have minimum age requirements, on top of any other laws and regulations. Review privacy policies and terms/conditions of services your kids or Scouts are using.

Note that all social media services have their own approach to what age is required for use.

I’m only going to focus on Facebook and Twitter from here out.

The main reason for this time and focus: there are many other social media channels; their approach & use are all similar but each have their own unique culture; covering any more than two would require more time.

Also, one person has the ability to only concentrate on two or three social channels for effective use.

Getting started with Twitter: Twitter signup requires an email.

Same with Facebook: it also needs an email.

What is Twitter about?

Twitter has the model of people following you and you following others (but you/they don’t have to follow back). When you post something (a tweet) then your followers will have the ability to see that tweet in their news feed.

And anyone you follow, their posts (also tweets) will show up in your news feed.

Twitter accounts do not have to be real people.

Here is my news feed containing things posted by those accounts I follow. Note that most tweets are public and can be seen by anyone.

“most” meaning you can have private Twitter accounts where only invited people see your tweets. But that is not the norm.

Twitter is a place to share news, tips, ideas, and random musings in a short (280 character) format. (cont)

This is the Twitter page for NASA. Twitter has functions and info to better understand what is happening: number of tweets by NASA, followers of NASA, Who NASA is following, What NASA has liked, and lists of Twitter accounts NASA has created. You can see if the account is verified and see people you follow who also follow NASA.

Scrolling down, you can see all the pictures (like an album) the NASA has plus trends happening on twitter in various geographic regions.

The short format tweets (again 280 characters or less) are posted with additional bits of info: For example, this NASA tweet shows number of likes, retweets, plus there are controls for various things with a tweet or to an account.

In that short format, Tweets can be 280 characters long to include hashtags, mentions of other accounts, and images.Update: media attachments, @names in replies, and several other content items do not count against the 280 character counts.

What is Facebook about

Facebook has the model of people friending you and you accepting their connection. When you post something then your followers might have the ability to see it in their news feed. And anything they post might show up in your news feed. I say “Might” because Facebook does not guarantee you will see everything your friends post, by design.

(explain who this is) Personal profiles on Facebook are about real people. The profiles have info on the number of friends they have, bio info, and maybe their interests. Some of the info displayed can be private or public, depending on your settings, all within in your control.

Personal Facebook profiles show people you have in common with others, and other info one might want to share. Facebook personal pages need to be real people; Facebook does check occasionally.

Facebook also allows pages to be created for causes, business, groups, issues, etc. They can also be about people, places, and things. They are owned and administered by at least one Facebook profile.

Pages have functions and info for each page: number of likes, if the page is verified, see people you follow who also follow the page viewed. The center column is the newsfeed or “wall”. Additional personal information is on the right showing my friends’ activities. The page is personalized to the looks of the page owner, in this example, NASA.

Facebook pages also may show additional info sections on the side, like photos and videos posted by the page’s owner, again NASA in this example.

Posts on the Facebook pages or personal profiles have information about the number of people who like and comment on a post. Posts on Facebook are longer than those on Twitter, up to about 60,000 characters.

To use social media for Scout related activity requires some planning; nothing elaborate but something that outlines the who, what, when, where, why, how, and how much model. This approach will help cover the various engagement approaches you might want to do.

Learn the culture of social media; Evaluate your unit’s goals; Create Your Social Media Strategy

Here are some additional considerations (read thru these; comment if needed)

Learn the terminology of the channels you want to use.

Communication with adults involved with a Scout organization can use any system that fits the need of the organization. To help, have a plan to define what digital tools are for, who manages it, why the tools exist, and how to use them.

Again, you need a plan. And be prepared to adjust it regularly throughout the year.

These next slides share the specific example of Troop 56 use of Facebook integrated with their website and email communication.

The website, Facebook, and email are the primary digital communications tools for the Troop. The website is the home base of info. Registration pages, FYI, and celebrations are posted on the website.

The Troop 56 website has a Facebook widget on its webapge to highlight there is a Facebook page.

Facebook is the only social site used by Troop 56 today. It is mainly a quick post channel. For example, while at an event, posts via smartphone can be made quickly. Also, any announcements listed on the website are repeated on Facebook.

Email is the main communication channel for all Scouts and their families. Email is used for reminders, updates, and changes. Email is not so much used for social sharing as it tends to be too cluttering.

If you can, please share one of your items you listed in the chat area.Look at those things you take for granted about agriculture and media. What do they say about your approach to media and what one thing can you tackle to change the assumption?

Questions? And if you still wonder what social media is, this “Social Media Explained via Donuts” can help.

Contact Truffle via Phone: (877) 558-7833, Twitter: @TruffleMedia, Facebook: TruffleMedia.com/Facebook, and web: TruffleMedia.com.

Thanks again for attending theUniversity of Scouting’s Social Media 101 class

Close on Truffle team.

Thanks again for your time. !