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Communicating the Value of a College Education

January 13, 2012 By 4 Comments
Conversation

The following are the notes from my presentation as part of a panel on “Communicating in the New Normal” at the College Board 2012 Colloquium held in Newport Beach, CA January 7-9.  I was part of very august company: moderator Phillip Ballinger, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Director of Undergraduate Admissions at University of Washington at University of Washington, Marie Groark, Executive Director of the Get Schooled Foundation, and Millree Williams, Executive Director for Public Affairs Strategy at the University of Maryland. The New Normal: The Changing Communications Landscape The need to explore new models was the emerging theme of the Colloquium.   I’d like to take us up to 20,000 feet for a minute and talk about the new model of communications and the media landscape that is the new normal. How many of you use Facebook personally? Compare this 30% to this number: 96% of your target audience, people aged 18 to 35, is on social networks.  The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Emerging Technologies, Psychology, Social Media & Networks Tagged With: , ,

Should Teachers and Students Be Facebook Friends?

June 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Prohibiting teachers from Facebook is like putting your head in the sand

Ask most students if they are Facebook friends with their teachers and they will tell you, “it depends on the teacher.”  That alone should tell us that a blanket policy prohibiting teachers from interacting on social networks with students is the functional equivalent of burying your head in the sand. As social networks become a normal means of connection, it’s time to step back and examine the underlying purposes that the social networking tools facilitate.   Facebook currently has everyone’s attention but it’s not because the relationships on it are unique relative to other types of social media.  It’s because it is so in-your-face.  Facebook, much to Mark Zuckerberg’s delight I’m sure, has become synonymous with social media, like Kleenex is for tissues.  In the past week alone, I’ve been asked if Facebook means we have to give up our privacy, be friends with people we don’t want to be friends with, and whether or not it’s okay to connect with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Psychology, Social Media & Networks Tagged With: , ,

Six Weiner Lessons for Using Social Media

June 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Anthony Weiner and the Twitter Faux Pas

Politicians may have personalities predisposed to risk-taking behaviors.  The same is often true with CEOs and Rock Stars.  These kinds of occupations attract competitiveness, narcissism, and the need for power along with talent, tenacity, resilience, and the willingness to take risks.  A bigger problem however is when success turns into Celebrity Syndrome, especially in the age of social media.  The only cure is a serious reality check. In Celebrity Syndrome, the people who achieve success or notoriety lose the ability to see themselves as 'regular' folks, subject to the same social norms and laws of gravity as the rest of us. The problem with getting cured is that reality checks at the top are hard to come by. When you have status and power, your world is full of fans, sycophants, power-seekers, and people on your payroll who reflect back the image that you want to see.  It's pretty hard to get real information--even if you actually wanted it-which most … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture & Society, Social Media & Networks Tagged With: , , ,

5 Steps to a Successful Social Media or Transmedia Marketing or Advocacy Campaign

March 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

At the center of every successful social media and transmedia marketing or advocacy campaign is a story that reflects universal values and aspirations. A story is the most effective way to engage audiences because it connects with all three levels of the brain, the primitive and intuitive, the emotional, and the executive center. Stories package information into chunks, ideal for communicating with a brain that processes information the same way for memory and retrieval. Stories capture the essence of a brand or advocacy campaign because they transcend differences and build bridges that create social capital through reciprocity and a sense of community. Story allows us to participate at many levels because it is a fully sensory dialogue. For brands and people, story creates and promotes culture. An effective transmedia campaign is not about what media platforms, special effects, or tools you use. It’s about a coherent and meaningful story that unfolds across the media. Here … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Social Media & Networks, Transmedia Tagged With: , ,
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