Author: sirnic16

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Out of the Box (COM0015 – Blog Post #4)

A few years ago I read a blog about a farmer named Andrew Campbell who decide to post a different picture each day for a year about life on a farm.  This application of social media to promote agriculture was intriguing to me so I decided to do it as well.  I have discovered that it is harder than I thought it would be to come up with 365 agricultural facts.  However it is a great method to increase people’s knowledge of agriculture and has increased the number of people following me.

When using social media to promote an organization I have discovered that followers or new donors not only want to hear or see the major things happening with the organization but they also want to know about the little things.  Facebook and other forms of social media are a great way of keeping people up to date. Many people were reached by a post from the Pregnancy Resource Center that featured a photo from a Moms’ luncheon that showed strollers in a long line down the hallway.

I was a fair ambassador for two years.  Many of us posted about our experiences on social media. An unexpected result from this was that many of us connected online and formed a group on Facebook to support each other.

Most applications for use of social media are planned and well thought out but occasionally a simple post results in a social media connection that wasn’t planned.

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Professional Networking now and in the future (COM0015 – Blog Post #3)

My present strategy for developing my professional network is to increase awareness of my services to those in the agricultural field.  Farmers would benefit from making others aware of their products and services.  I can help farmers develop a website or use other social media to promote their products and services.  Farmers can also learn to use social media to promote agriculture and “life on the farm” to educate city dwellers about a way of life many know little about.

I plan to meet people in the agricultural field in person and online by attending conferences, workshops and meetings where farmers and those working in the agricultural field are in attendance.

Group photo from the Leadership camp

                   Group photo from the Leadership camp

For instance this weekend I attended a Junior Farmers leadership camp where I was able to meet with those working on their family’s farm or a farming operation.  I am involved in 4-H which also gives me the opportunity to meet many people involved in the agricultural sector. If I am traveling I will contact local farmers to set up tours of their farms if I have time.  I will continue to expand my network by meeting farmers and others in the agricultural field through agricultural events. I will meet farmers online by seeking out agricultural groups online through Facebook, I can also find people individually through twitter and Instagram. I can post agricultural themed posts to attract followers. This is how I plan to grow my network over the next six months.

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Tools & Sources (COM0015 – Blog Post #1)

Tools

HootSuite.com

As I am just starting my career in social media I don’t have much experience with tools, one tool I do use is HootSuite. By using HootSuite it allows me to manage my many different social media accounts in one place. Not only can I monitor my accounts, But I am also able to mass post or to schedule a post for a later date. This has come in handy with a goal I set last year.

 

Starting Jan 1st, 2016 I have been posting an agriculture fact every day using the hashtag and will continue posting for the rest of the year.

 

Sources

I like to get my news from a source that I trust. Every morning I get an email with what happened in the last 24hrs and get breaking news by notification as it happens.

 

When it comes to getting updates of my interests I like to use Twitter. Over time I have shaped my Twitter feed to fit my interests. Twitter is also a good source to find out information and follow along with live events.

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Personal Reflection (COM0014 – Blog Post #7)

Why is storytelling important to creating great digital content?

A good story makes the content easier to read and the reader is more likely to keep reading. Storytelling make the facts come alive. Well-told stories can help people to learn about topics they do not know much about. People are curious about life. Storytelling can answer questions about the topic in a interesting way. By telling a story you connect with your audience.

 

imagesHow will your content be guided by story?

I will use the inverted pyramid. When reading a story most readers are only going to scan the story. If I put the information I want them to know first the I am getting out the information I feel is most important. An interesting fact may encourage them to keep reading. The important information can be followed by more details.

 

What kind of stories do you want to tell?

I want to tell stories from the farm. I want to use stories that tell what happens in agriculture in order to educate people who have never been to a farm or know a farmer.  Stories about where their food comes from that will educate people. Stories can contain facts I wish to share or real accounts of what life on the farm is like.

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Do people really know your story? (COM0014 – Blog Post #6)

Do people really know your story?

If you have read some of my posts on my personal blog, you would have read that I am part of the 10% percent of the population that is left handed, or you might have read that I was homeschooled, but more to  the the point you might have read that I have dyslexia. Being dyslexic has its challenges. As a dyslexic   I have trouble with spelling and grammar. Those with dyslexia can have difficulties with spelling, reading, rhyming and discerning left from right to name a few.  A person with dyslexia often cannot recall important details of what has been said or read.

But dyslexia also has its benefits. Dyslexics have a strong ability to see concepts with the “big picture” and in perspective, excel in areas not dependent on reading, and they tend to be more curious, creative, and intuitive than the  average person. They can also be capable of seeing things differently than others.

As I build my business I need to compensate for my weaknesses. I can do this by using tools like the dictionary or spell check or having someone proofread my material. I can make notes when I am talking to a customer so I can remember needed info. I can give myself extra time to get my articles correct. I  also need to take advantage of the strengths of my disability. Being curious, creative and Intuitive are an asset in my career. Also being able to see the whole picture and think outside the box will help me excel in my job.

Some people see dyslexia as a disability.  I have learned to see it as a challenge that can be overcome.  I am going to close with a quote by Albert Einstein that I think is fitting.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” 

Dyslexia may slow me down but it won’t stop me.

 

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What is a Personal Brand? (COM0014 – Blog Post #5)

What is a Personal Brand?

 

If you have ever Googled yourself the results you see are your brand. While you can’t control the results,  you can manage your social media presence. Like a company or a product, your personal brand needs to be clear and consistent. I like to be consistent and use the same username and profile picture for every social network I am a part of.

Personal branding is another way of saying what you are known for or what people seek you out for.  My friends often call me “their farmer friend” or “media guru”. and might use traits such as determined, and hard worker to describe me.

I am determined, creative and like to think outside the box. I am also tech savvy which helps set me apart from my competitors.

Since January 1st I have been posting a farming or agriculture fact a day on my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. My goal is to post one fact for everyday of the year. This is a creative and simple way to educate others about agriculture.

I am proud to use my social media accounts to share and promote agriculture and what happens on the farm with others. Agriculture is a way of life for me and it is important to me to share that with others.

 

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Domino’s Pizza Canada -B2C Case Study (COM0014 – Blog Post #4)

 

Domino’s Pizza Canada

I used Domino’s Pizza Canada as my B2C business for this case study, the social networks I found Domino’s Pizza on are Instagram with 861 followers, Twitter with 10k followers and Facebook with 250k likes.

I find their website to be very user friendly and they even have an app that is easy to use, by using the website and app you are able to see coupons, place an order and even track your order. On top of the website and app, Domino’s Pizza also sends out an email with weekly deals.

Improvements

Well Domino’s Pizza does use Instagram, Twitter and Facebook there is diffidently room for Improvement.

  • Instagram – Domino’s Pizza is fairly new to Instagram with their first photo being posted 39 weeks ago, as they are still new to Instagram 861 followers is a good start. They have been using Instagram to post pictures of different pizzas they offer.
  • Twitter – Domino’s Pizza has been on Twitter since April 2009 and has 10k followers which is a a much bigger audience then Instagram. when it come to complaints Domino’s Pizza seems to use the same response for everyone, they could improve this by being a little more personal when replying to a complaint.

     

    https://twitter.com/DominosCanada/status/678230685136453632

  • Facebook – The biggest audience for Domino’s Pizza is on Facebook with 250k likes, but like Twitter their responses are very scripted, there is very little interaction other then their scripted responses.

Well Domino’s Pizza could use some major Improvements to their social media, their website and app are very useful.

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Who is my Target Audience? (COM0014 – Blog Post #3)

Who is my Target Audience?

Image from http://www.startupmywebsite.com

When it comes to knowing who your target audience is, you need to first know what your goals are. I have 2 goals with different audiences.

The first goal is to educate the public with my knowledge of agriculture and help show people what happens on the farm.

The demographics of this audience would be:

  • city dwellers
  • never been to a farm
  • tech savvy
  • Little or no knowledge of agriculture

In order to reach this audience I need to use many different social media networks, such as Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, Twitter and my blog. I also need to make sure that I use terms that are easy to understand by someone that has little knowledge of agriculture.

To make it easy I use the same username for all my social media accounts.

The second goal is to be a social media consultant and help farmers who don’t have a social media account or who are looking at creating an account on different social media networks, as well as help to promote what happens on their farm.

The demographics of this audience would be:

  • Farmers
  • Not tech savvy
  • Most likely those over age 35

Reaching this audience will be a little harder as they may not use social media, using my blog or maybe even an ad would help to reach them or spreading the word of my service by word of mouth.

 

 

 

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Storytelling and Communication Styles (COM0014 – Blog Post #2)

“Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener’s imagination.”  (www.storynet.org/resources/whatisstorytelling.html)

When writing a story there is a few things you should keeping in mind.

 

Use the inverted pyramid

Most readers are only going to scan your story, by putting the information that you want them to know first they might decide to keep reading, this is where you can go more into detail.

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Proofread, proofread, proofread

Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation can go a long way.  As you can see below, one misplaced punctuation mark can change the whole sentence.

There is more then one way to tell a story

Writing

We use the most common method everyday, In fact by writing the blog post I am telling a story. When you post a picture on Instagram or a status on Facebook, you are telling a story.

reenacting

Another way to tell a story is by reenacting. Historical reenactments are my favourite form of storytelling.

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the Provincial Marine was a coastal protection service similar to a militia from 1796–1910.

As a member of the Provincial Marine re-enactment group,  I’m not just telling the story, I also get to demonstrate what it was like 200 years ago.

 

When telling a story what method of storytelling do you like to use?

 

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1 www.storynet.org/resources/whatisstorytelling.html

http://www.wrightanglemarketing.com/2014/07/29/does-bad-grammar-affect-your-bottom-line/

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What I did on my vacation (COM0014 – Blog Post #1)

va·ca·tion
noun
an extended period of recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling.

Like most people who work on a farm, time off is a rare commodity and this summer I spent most of that time as a 4-H ambassador.  As an ambassador, I had the privilege of promoting the 4-H program, by attending 4-H and community events across the province.
For more info about 4-H check out my blog post Head, Heart, Hand, Health.

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The 2015 4-H Ambassadors

One of my favorite events that I attended as an ambassador was the The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. While at the Royal, I was able to assist with the 4-H Go For The Gold competition (a trivia competition about 4-H and 4-H projects) as a scorekeeper.

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Region 3 vs region 5 in the championship game

Other events I have attended so far this year are:

  • Three fairs (Embro, Welland and Sutton)
  • Discovery days, a day of hands-on learning about the different parts of 4-H for kids ages 9-12
  • A special 100th anniversary of 4-H event at Canada’s Wonderland with a Leah Daniels concert.
  • A tour put on by the sponsors of the ambassador program GROWMARK FS and UPI Energy LP, with stops at the UPI Bulk Plant (Guelph), GROWMARK Ontario Distribution Centre (Kitchener), FS PARTNERS (Ayr), North Wellington Co-operative Services (Harriston), and a FAST STOP® remotely monitored gas bar (east of Alma)

 

Working on a farm, being a student and being active in my community, has kept me busy, but if I were to take a vacation I would love to go to the Netherlands.

Where would you go on vacation if you could go anywhere?