School PR in North Texas

News Travels Fast: UIL Delay on Twitter

2009-05-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

When TEA officially delayed all UIL events through May 11, it was fascinating to watch the news spread on Twitter. Over the next day or two, I spent some spare moments gathering data to show how fast it happened.

As best I can tell, the news broke on Twitter at about 11:07AM, when KXAN Austin News tweeted "UIL is postponing all competition until May 11 due to swine flu fears" to well over 4000 followers. From that message through 3pm, tweets about the announcement had about 430,000 followers:

# of followers of UIL Delay-related Tweets

A majority of those were the 300,000 followers of @BreakingNews, who are spread all over the world. If I remove that one tweet ("Texas is postponing all high school athletic and academic competitions until May 11 because of swine flu outbreak." at 11:26 AM), there's pretty constant growth reaching over 125,000 followers by 3pm:

# of followers of UIL Delay-related Tweets, not including @BreakingNews

Mostly this is just for fun, but it does lead to questions about timeliness and source of communications: How many affected parents heard about the delay from an unofficial source before any district employee contacted them? Is that a bad thing? (Please share your thoughts in the comments!)

More about the data: I used the Twitter API to search for UIL related tweets and download the results as XML files, then I recorded the number of followers each account had. I did my best to build an accurate picture, but the numbers can't possibly be perfect: Since these follower counts were gathered later, they are definitely higher than they were when each account made its UIL tweet. Not every follower of an account will have seen the UIL tweet. Although I gathered data on over 300 tweets, I certainly missed some.

TSPRA members on Twitter

2009-04-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

This is a list of members of the Texas School Public Relations Association who are on Twitter. If you are a School PR/Education Foundation Pro who would like to be added, email me at terrymorawski@gmail.com with the following: Name, Title, School District/Organization Name, Twitter name.

Boykin, Alicia - Web Specialist, Mansfield ISD, @adboykin
Brown, Tommy - Public Information Officer, Alvarado ISD, @tommylbrown
Cantu, Jerry - Multimedia Specialist, Mansfield ISD, @davidjcantu
*Domitrovich, Brad - Director of Comm/PR, Bandera ISD, @braddomitrovich
Escovedo, Richie - Comm Spec/Webmaster, Mansfield ISD, @vedo
LaGrone, Charlotte - Dir of Comm Relations/Ed Found, Weatherford ISD, @clagrone
Morawski, Terry - Director of Communications, Mansfield ISD, @morate
Nielsen, Dave - Assistant Webmaster, Hurst-Euless Bedford ISD, @davidnielsen

Also see Texas School Districts on Twitter.

*Former TSPRA President.

OCC Week 3: Twitter

2009-04-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

This week, we will take a look at Twitter. Honestly, Twitter is a wide open opportunity for our organization. Because the tool is so simple, building strategy around Twitter is much like discussing a strategy for how to use the telephone. Our Twitter recommendation will very likely evolve as those of you who are just trying out the service become more comfortable.
Mon/Tues: (If you already have an account, skip to #2.)

1.Go to twitter.com and register for an account. I'd get a personal account, just to play around if you are new to the service. Find 10 to 20 people to follow. There are some suggestions below. You can use the basic Twitter interface or get an app.(Desktop:Twhirl,Tweetdeck,Tweetie(Mac only); iPhone: Tweetie, Twitterfon; Blackberry:Twitterberry) The experience is much easier and more fun via apps, although the basic Twitter interface at twitter.com adds features everyday.

2. Find examples of professional organizations, corporations or other organizations using Twitter. You can follow them or just make note in the comments. Note anything you like or dislike about their Twitter presence. (If you don't feel you are a good judge of this yet, that's okay.)

Quick word of warning: Once you get a little comfortable on the service, it's easy to feel like posting any thought that pops into your head is appropriate. Twitter is public and can be easily searched. So, just basically be smart. I always follow the general rule that if I hesitate in posting something, I probably should not post it at all. That said, have fun!

Wed:

Thurs/Fri:

A few lists of people you might want to pay attention to:

TSPRA Friends on Twitter
Texas School Districts on Twitter

Media Outlets on Twitter
Media People on Twitter

Nuts and Bolts of Twitter Pres, Common Craft Vid other and Possibly Helpful Stuff:

The Nuts and Bolts of Twitter

View more presentations from Richie Escovedo.

Twitter in Plain English by Common Craft

Photo gracias: Flickr user ~aorta~

Become an RSS Super Hero in 3 Steps

2009-04-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Are you trying to monitor news, but just can't keep up? Have you realized how much information is available online but felt overwhelmed trying to keep track of it all? RSS is the secret weapon you need to become a news super hero.

RSS news feeds let you view news from many websites in one place. The potential is amazing! Anyone can monitor news from parents' blogs, other school districts, updates to specific Twitter and Wikipedia pages, and nearly any other website, all in less time than it would take to visit a handful of sites and check if they have anything new. And, it's so easy that you can get started in just 3 steps:

Step 1) Sign up for a Google Reader account. - You need an "RSS reader" (sometimes called an Aggregator) where you can choose news feeds you want to subscribe to and read their contents. Google Reader is great: it's free, it's easy, it's web-based (so you can log in from any computer), and you can use an existing Google account if you want.

Step 2) Get the web address of an RSS file. - Go to almost any site that posts news items and look for a small orange square with white radio waves in the middle. That icon is the universal symbol for RSS. Right-click on that icon, copy the link or web address. That is the web address of an "RSS file" -- a special file setup by the website that contains all the information your RSS reader needs to know about new items being posted on the site. Sometimes, instead of the icon, there might be words like "RSS" or "Subscribe to this site".

Step 3) Paste the web address into Google Reader. - Go back to your RSS reader and look for a button or link to add a subscription or feed. Paste the link you copied into the space provided.

Done! You've subscribed to an RSS feed. Keep finding and adding feeds from sites with information that's valuable to you. Remember, you don't have to read everything -- a big part of reading RSS feeds is skimming and just reading the items that are actually relevant to you (and then impressing everyone around you with your vast, cutting edge knowledge)!

OCC Week 2: Blogs

2009-04-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for your participation in Week 1's study of LinkedIn. Your thoughts and recommendations will be part of the final proposal that goes to TSPRA in June. On to Week 2...

We will take a look at blogs. More specifically, we are interested in how a blog could possibly help TSPRA. Since I am(ahem) a little late getting the first day's info out there, it will be for Monday and Tuesday.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Find an example of a blog that you like. Provide the URL for us and tell us what you like about it. (You will be awarded a few extra points if it is a blog for a professional organization, but it's not required.) If you're not sure how to tell if a site is a blog or just a garden-variety Web site, look for these tell-tale signs: users can make comments, articles (called "posts") are stamped with the date and the most up-to-date content is front and center and generally(not always) the writing is a bit more informal and less "newsy".
Want to search blogs only? Try Google Blogsearch. http://blogsearch.google.com/
Here's one I like (from PRSA San Antonio): http://prsanantonio.blogspot.com/
Here's the one for our district: http://yourmansfieldisd.blogspot.com

WEDNESDAY: Please review the section below, "Ideas," and offer your comments. Then, go find a mirror, look in it and say, "You're awesome!" That was from me. Enjoy your day.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Let's continue the great discussion on the idea of the TSPRA blog. A few details are listed below. I added one related to promotion today. Otherwise, I think we are working toward a solid recommendation.

IDEAS FOR TSPRA BLOG:
*Regular posts would feature a group of regular authors(about 10). These authors would be required to write on a regular basis. A TSPRA staffer would be responsible for administrative duties related to the blog. A TSPRA member would serve as the Editor-in-Chief for blog content.
*The TSPRA president, EC and blog team would be responsible for encouraging subject-area experts to blog on related topics, i.e. bond elections, special event planning, online initiatives, etc.
*The TSPRA blog would need to secure an appropriate domain. This is inexpensive and will aid with credibility. (The other option, which is also fine, would be to use free hosting via blogspot, wordpress or typepad.)
*The TSPRA blog should be promoted in every possible venue. As the blog will serve as a showcase for the knowledge and talent within our organization and our field as a whole, it should be strongly promoted. Some outside(and inside) TSPRA will choose to interface mainly with the blog because that is where they are comfortable, so it deserves a strong focus.

A Great Video and Some Helpful Links About Blogging:

OCC Week 1: LinkedIn

2009-04-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

For the first week of the TSPRA OCC, we will tackle one of the greatest current online networking tools - LinkedIn. The base of LinkedIn is like an online contact manager. It's also a great place to share work experience/expertise, and to make connections with others with similar interests. TSPRA, as an organization, currently has no representation on LinkedIn. Our executive director, Judy Farmer, is a member and several other TSPRA members are using the site, but there is no formal way to connect as TSPRA members.

Assignments:

TUESDAY - Sign up for LinkedIn here. At the least, enter your current job information. Then search for and connect with three other TSPRA folks.(Hint: Judy Farmer and I are members. If you can't find a third, email me.) Then, please click on the comment link below and share your thoughts.(Remember, this is a public blog when commenting.) That's all for today, but feel free to click around within the service if you like.

WEDNESDAY - Today we will look at groups. Please join the newly created TSPRA group on LinkedIn. (I will have to approve you before you can get in there and play around, but I'll do it quick.) Feel free to invite your contacts. Also, if you'd like, add a topic of discussion in the group. Share your thoughts of the potential for this TSPRA group and how it can be used. Also, if you have any experience with other LinkedIn groups, what worked best for them or didn't work so well? Thanks again. Tomorrow we'll talk about real implementation of LinkedIn.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY - Today and tomorrow, we will discuss the real application of LinkedIn for TSPRA. Please answer the following questions in the comments. (I'll use your feedback to develop our official recommendation for LinkedIn.)
1. Who should manage the TSPRA LinkedIn group?
2. How much time do you feel will be required?
3. Where/how should TSPRA advertise its presence on LinkedIn, if at all?
4. Do you see LinkedIn more as a tool for communicating with members or for recruiting new members/promoting the organization? Both? Neither?
5. What role and/or regular interaction should the TSPRA Executive Director and Board have with the service, if any?

Lastly, thank you very much for your participation this week. We'll tackle blogs next week and go from there. - Terry

Helpful LinkedIn videos, posts, etc. -

How to Use LinkedIn by Jake Swearingen on Bnet.com

TSPRA Online Communications Committee

2009-04-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the home of the TSPRA Online Communications Committee(OCC). This blog will host the work of the committee for the next six weeks(or longer, if needed). Each week, we will explore a new tool for our organization as we work toward a recommendation for the organization.
The work of the committee officially begins Tuesday, April 14(2009), but feel free to jump ahead to the first assignment.
Please direct any questions to Terry Morawski(terrymorawski@gmail.com), the Chair of this committee.

Nomination Process Survey

2009-03-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

A TSPRA "Blue Ribbon Committee" will meet in either April or May of this year to discuss the organization's nomination process and the makeup of the executive committee. The establishment of this process is a positive development for our organization, as I have had several discussions with members related to changes they would like to see in the process. SPRINT members should have received a link to a survey related to the nomination process. If you did not, please contact me at terrymorawski@gmail.com and I'll get you the link. We'll need responses in by April 8 to be included in results.
Thanks again for your participation.
(Also, after a LOOOOONG hiatus, I am reviving the SPRINT blog. Let me know if there is anything you would like to see covered, or if you would like to guest post. Thanks.)

Work-life balance...

2008-05-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

A friend shared the below story on their blog and I couldn't help but post it for all of you. This is one of those things that we all know deep down, but often forget. Work-life balance is a common discussion among TSPRAns, as we almost all have endless job duties. Enjoy.

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee . .

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things–God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions–and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else–the small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. “Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first–the things that really matter. Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

How do you find work-life balance?

Foundation Training in Tyler, May 13.

2008-04-25T08:00:00.001-07:00

Board to Board Training Workshop in Tyler

May 13, 2008

Education Foundation Board Members and Superintendents are encouraged to attend this special training opportunity in Tyler, Texas.

Contact: Sarah Lyle, Foundation Innovation, 512.535.2046, www.foundationinnovation.com

More information available here.

Social Media Presentation - April 25.

2008-04-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

The notes, links, etc., from Richie Escovedo and Mansfield ISD's presentation on Social Media for School PR on April 25, 2008, is available on Richie's blog here .

If you weren't able to make it or if you were, there is a wealth of great information there.

Did the presentation make you think? Do you take exception, or want to cheer on anything that was said? Feel free to click Comment below and fire away. If you have a long-form comment, email it to me and I'll post it here as a new blog entry. Join the conversation.

April 25 SPRINT Meeting.

2008-04-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 25 in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. The meeting will be held at GCISD Administration building, 3051 Ira E. Woods Ave., Grapevine, TX 76051. See Google Map below.

The luncheon will go like this - 11 to Noon: Eat/Network, Noon - 1 p.m.: A Conversation Conversation: Social Media and School PR(Presented by Mansfield ISD) Lunch will be Grapevine's famous fajitas from Esparza's.

The lunch has been generously donated by Scott Milder of Cambridge Strategic Services (smilder@cambridgestrategics.com).

If you plan on attending, please RSVP by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 here -
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227PHZUJZTD

View Larger Map

SPRINT now on Twitter.

2008-04-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

Psst...Hey, have you heard of Twitter. Chances are, if you have a high schooler living in your house, at least they have. Twitter is a free social utility that is all based on a simple interface asking users to answer the question, "What are you doing?"

SPRINT now has a Twitter account. If you already have a Twitter account or are just curious, you can follow our account here. www.twitter.com/sprintx

We'll post info here about meetings, TSPRA updates, job postings and just good articles, blog posts, best practices, etc., that interest us.

Is your Web site frustrating users?

2008-04-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

A recent article by UX Matters gave a very relevant example of web communication as part of the entire user experience:
While working with a company call center receiving about 300,000 calls/year, the article’s author found that about 55% of callers were asking one of three questions:
• Where can I purchase product X
• I have a broken product X; where can I get it repaired?
• I have product X; how can I get a new copy of the product X manual?
Of course, all of this information was available on the company website. As a temporary solution, a message was added to the on-hold music to remind callers about the information on the website.
The result? The callers became more irate – it turns out that many callers had tried looking on the website and hadn’t found the information. In the end, the design of the website was adjusted to feature the information that visitors were most likely to need, resulting in 25% fewer calls to the call center.
The story emphasizes two great lessons:
First, online information must be easy to find or it might as well not be there. It’s not enough just to post information online.
Second, we should be very aware of all communications with stakeholders, whether they come through our department or not.
What are you doing to make online information easy to find, and where are you finding guidance on what information stakeholders are actually looking for on your district's website?
(Posted by Guest Blogger - Dave Nielsen, Asst.Webmaster, HEB ISD)

Mark Cuban's Locker Room Blog Policy.

2008-03-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Mark Cuban, who is known for being on the forefront of social media, shocked some this week by imposing a new blogging policy in his locker room. It's worth a read. He takes some shots at newspaper blogs, and marks a pretty solid defense for his policy. This does bring up some interesting issues for our group. For example...
1. Do we offer the same interviews, press releases, etc., to blog owners?
2. Related to Cuban's locker room situation, what is our policy if an army of bloggers want to be present at a news conference? Do blog writers from established media institutions get preference?(Cuban says no.)
Cuban's Blog: http://tiny.cc/iGAin
Wikinomics Blog: http://tiny.cc/nZgjO

Welcome.

2008-03-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the School PR in North Texas blog. Whew, that was a mouthful, but SPRINT was already taken on Blogger.
For those of you new to blogs, just think of this like a Web site - but a little less formal. The whole point of this is interaction and conversation, so YOUR thoughts and insights are important.
WHY? The point of this blog is to share items that are important to us as School PR practitioners in this area.
WHO'S INVITED? Anyone can access the link to this blog, but it is set up so that it will not be found by most search engines. This is intended as a community discussion for our school PR group, but if others want to peek in on what we're doing - who am I to stop them?
A WORD OF WARNING. I intend for any of our group who would like to guest blog freely on here about any topic that is on their mind, but anyone blogging or commenting on this site should do so as if the text will be read by the general public.
All that said, enjoy!