ANR Communication Services 

Can you remember back to Kindergarden when you were taught to share toys? Well, today we are having a similar lesson only this one is about sharing the web. A recent popular trend is to share news articles, web pages, blog posts, and most anything interesting you can find on the web with friends, family, or co-workers. There are a few sites that specialize in this type of sharing. A new feature we've added to the Blogs is to easily share pages with these social networking websites. Dave developed this feature for Sitebuilder 3.0 and he adapted it to make it easy to use for the Blogs.

Using this feature is quite simple, it does require an account with  each social networking application you would like to use. Sharing a page with one of these applications simply involves going to the page you would like to share. Clicking "Share" and selecting the Application you would like to share the page through. Click on one (or all the applications) each one will prompt you to login if you are not already logged in. There may be some other options before the page is shared. But the hardest part is already done.

You may not want to use an application. That is ok, you can e-mail the link directly to a friend or co-worker. Click the "email" link and enter your recipients e-mail address and your done. Of course you can enter a personalized message if you like.

We hope you like the new features and use them to your hearts content!

This presentation has crossed through my Inbox several times - so it's high time I passed it along.

Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project has authored this presentation illustrating dramatic changes in the way people use enhancements now widely available such as broadband and wireless as well as developing technologies such as cloud computing.

She breaks down Internet users into users motivated by mobility and those who are not.

The smaller percentage (39%) is drawn deeper into Internet use by their mobile connections.  Mobility allows more frequent connections – and these users are more interested in online self-expression and networking.

The greater percentage (61%) is tied to stationary media.  Technology is peripheral, may have reached a plateau in their lives, and they are not being drawn more deeply into Internet use.

Within those two broad categories – are the 9 Tribes

Each “tribe” is explained - demographic make-up, motivators, and some fun facts about each.  More importantly, tips on how to reach each of these segments are outlined.  If you understand your client’s use of technology – this can be useful information in making your Web communications more effective with your target audience.

It’s a quick read – and worth a look.

We get a lot of questions about social media here at the Web Action Team headquarters, and not all of it comes from Bryon. The conversation usually revolves around someone in the division wondering if they should be on Facebook/Twitter/Blog/Delicious and other social networking sites. Most of the time, the answer depends on how much content the inquisitor produces and who the intended audience is.

Even though we may not always encourage users to jump on every new bandwagon, we are responsible for knowing what is out there, how it works and whether or not it would be appropriate to suggest. Cruising blogs and media reviews of new social media applications often requires trudging through tedious rants of excited users who proselytize the life-changing benefits of the applications.

That's what makes this little parody from The New Yorker so perfect. It pretty much nails the bombardment of buzzwords that ensues when social media devotees start discussing their cult(s).

Excerpt:

To start: Do you blog? If not, get in touch with Kris and Christopher from our online department, although at this point I think only Christopher is left. I’ll be out of the office from tomorrow until Monday, but when I get back I’ll ask him if he spoke to you. We use CopyBuoy via Hoster Broaster, because it streams really easily into a Plaxo/LinkedIn yak-fest meld. When you register, click “Endless,” and under “Contacts” just list everyone you’ve ever met. It would be great if you could post at least six hundred words every day until further notice.

If you already have a blog, make sure you spray-feed your URL in niblets open-face to the skein. We like Reddit bites (they’re better than Delicious), because they max out the wiki snarls of RSS feeds, which means less jamming at the Google scaffold. Then just Digg your uploads in a viral spiral to your social networks via an FB/MS interlink torrent. You may have gotten the blast e-mail from Jason Zepp, your acquiring editor, saying that people who do this sort of thing will go to Hell, but just ignore it.

Full Article

The ANR I knew when I left on vacation at the beginning of September is radically different from the new ANR that is being shaped upon my return.

Our clients and stakeholders have many questions about our future - communicating clearly in times of change is critical.

The most important thing you can do is simple - keep communicating.

Don't shut down.

Now, more than ever, it's important to keep your Web sites current.

• Is your website up-to-date with changes in office hours, closure dates, and personnel changes?
• Use the talking points about the restructuring as a base for content about our new direction and what it might mean to your clients and stakeholders.
• If you're uncertain about the future - it's OK to say so.  Stay positive, but be honest.
• Is there an important meeting, such as a Board of Supervisors meeting, scheduled at which financial decisions about your UCCE office will be made?  List that meeting on your website. Avoid a direct call-to-action, but let people know that decisions will be made that affect the services they receive.

Our future is still in flux - so keep updating information as it is known.  Honesty and clear communication is key.

On a related note:

Many of you know that Thursday, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the creation of the new National Institute of Food and Agriculture.  In Secretary Vilsack's prepared remarks he outlined the priorities for this new institute. 

"I want USDA science to focus most of its resources on accomplishing a few, bold outcomes with great power to improve human health and protect our environment:

• USDA science will support our ability to keep American agriculture competitive while ending world hunger. At a time when disruptive climate change threatens production of some of the world's staple foods, some of the biggest gains we can make in ending world hunger will involve development of stress-resistant crops.
• USDA science will support our ability to improve nutrition and end child obesity. At USDA we want to take the nutrition and food choice insights we have gained from our science to test out some new approaches to school lunches, breakfast and our other nutrition assistance and education programs.
• USDA science will support our efforts to radically improve food safety for all Americans. Each year in the U.S. alone, food-borne pathogens like E. coli kill 5,000 people and sicken 75 million more; the cost to the economy from these infections exceeds $35 billion.
• USDA science will secure America's energy future. President Obama has set ambitious but achievable goals for securing America's energy future from new domestic sources, including 60 billion gallons a year from biofuels by 2030. We plan to focus specifically on rapidly improving the amount and quality of plant-based feedstocks that will be the source of biofuels.
• USDA science will make us better stewards of America's environment and natural resources. We believe that research in this priority area will identify agricultural operations in the United States that, within 10 years, will be net carbon sinks."

ANR's initial strategic initiatives:

Sustainable Food Systems (SFS)
Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases (EIPD)
Sustainable Natural Ecosystems (SNE)
Water Quality, Quantity and Security (WQQS)
Healthy Families and Communities (HFC)

Pretty darned close if you ask me . . .

Videoconferences enable users to conduct high-quality face-to-face meetings with individuals located in different geographical areas. ANR room-based videoconference systems are available at UCCE Tehama, Glenn, Stanislaus, and Tulare, the Kearney Ag Center and the DANR Building on the Davis campus. A new system is being installed at UCCE San Joaquin and should be available in the coming weeks.  These ANR videoconference sites may be connected to any IP-based videoconference system.  Please visit http://groups.ucanr.org/vc for more information, or contact James Bai at jbai@ucdavis.edu (530) 754-3915 if you have any questions.