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Social Media & Training
 What is Social Media?: Social media is a way to distribute
information and facts online – and have conversations with
people who are interested in or commenting on agriculture.
Social media can be in the form of blogs, message boards,
social networks, or podcasts.
When should Farmers use Social Media?: Right away! We have a
story to tell and many people want to listen. They want to
know what you are doing to provide them a safe and abundant
food supply while nurturing the environment.
Who needs to get involved with Social Media?: Everyone
promoting agriculture. Social media is a way to support
causes (animal agriculture advocacy, ethanol production,
etc) and advocate for your cause. So many bloggers and
Tweeters out on
the Web are threatening our businesses and livelihood and
this is a way for farmers and supporters to fight back.
According to a report from Forrester Research issued October
13, 2009, almost everyone under 35 uses social networks, but
the growth of these networks over the last year has come
from older adults. Use of social networking by people age 35
to 54 grew 60 percent in the last year.
What is the benefit of using Social Media?: Not everyone is
taking time to read papers or sit and watch TV. Most of us
are on the go, whether in the tractor, on the road or at
work, and we can get information faster through new
technology. Many people access social media from their
mobile devices.
How do I get started?: The easiest and most prolific tools
to use are Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
You can set up your accounts at the following web sites:
With any of these, think about if you want to share as an
individual or as a representative of your farming
enterprise. That will help you decide what you will name
your account. But you may want to do both. In Facebook, for
instance, you can create a page for your personal use, and
then create a fan page for your farm.
If you need help with any of this, please feel free to
contact Jennifer Elwell at
jennifer@kycorn.org.
What kinds of things should I share?: Here are just a few
ideas:
-
Have someone take photos while you are planting, harvesting,
scouting, etc. Post them to Facebook with an explanation of
why you are doing what you are doing. If you no-till,
explain why. Explain what different types of equipment are
and what they are used for.
- Create a short video tour of your
farm and post it on You Tube.
- Tweet about what you are doing
in your daily operation. Tweets are limited to 140
characters, so make it short and sweet.
- If you hear or read
something misleading about farming, share the facts using
all of your social media tools. We have a page dedicated to
Corn Facts which may help.
More Resources:
NCGA
Social Media Webinar Series - Tune into a webinar each
month in 2011 about utilizing social media for the greatest
impact. Sponsored by Pioneer - A Dupont Company.
Read an overview of
Ag & Social Media from Michele Payn-Knoper @Cause Matters
Interested in how KyCGA is using social media? Click on the
icons at the top of the page or see our
list of sites. |
