Pet Peeves in Higher Ed

As winter drags on, I turned to my colleague Dick Jones for a lighter note. Dick is a three-decade veteran of radio, newspaper, higher ed PR and consulting. Here’s a list of his pet peeves. At the bottom there’s a place for “comments” where you need to add your pet peeve. I know folks in PR, publications, admissions and web design have them, as well as faculty. So read Dick’s and share yours.

Jones’ Rule: The more qualifiers placed upon the adjective “unique,” the less likely it is that journalists will care about the noun described. If your institution’s program is the only one in the world it’s unique. If it’s the only one west of the Mississippi it has a bit less luster. If it’s the only one based at a comprehensive university west of the Mississippi, that’s barely better than unusual. If it’s the only one west of the Mississippi, south of the Platte, north of the Rio Grande and east of the Pecos, that’s just sad.

*

Viewpoints We Hate to Hear From Department Heads: “This story will sell itself.” Then why are you talking to me about it?

*

Words We Hate To Hear From The Provost: “We want a lot of national attention for this new core curriculum.” Are you the provost at Harvard? Oh, you’re not? Then it’s going to be a slightly harder sell.

*

Words We Hate To Hear From The Vice President for Development: “If you can get a nice splash for this five-figure gift, then a much bigger gift from the same donor is on the horizon.” Are you going to share the credit if that happens?

*

Orders We Hate to Hear from The President: “Get a mention in The New York Times about our upward movement in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings.” Yes sir/ma’am. Do you prefer that above or below the fold? And should I place that news in Time and Newsweek, as well?

*

We Cringe When We Hear From the IFC Advisor: “You know, we need some stories about the good things fraternities do to balance all of this negative news.” Should we start with that festive beer-can Christmas tree in front of the Methodist Church?

*

We Cringe When We Hear From Any Campus Administrator: “Well yes, we do that, and we’ve always done that, but we sure don’t want it to get out to the general public that we do that.” Here’s an idea: if we’re doing something we’re ashamed of doing, let’s stop doing it and then we won’t have to worry about news of it leaking out.

*

Thanks, Dick. Here’s mine. We cringe when the VP calls and says academics is never highlighted. “You got great play on the men’s basketball game. I’d like to see some coverage of our biology professor’s latest paper, ‘Measuring the Mucus of Fish in Slow Moving Streams: a Litmus Test for Global Warming’”. The slow stream fish mucus writer at the New York Times was let go, but I’ll forward it to Al Gore. I’m sure he’ll be in touch.

Now, add your pet peeves. Right below. In the comment box. Do it now.

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts Part 5

Hopping around to different blogs, I see a lot of colleges are developing content management systems, as we are. I’ve met with our IT folks several times over the past few weeks. The fact that I find this leap incredibly exciting leads me to conclude that I should get a life. Seriously, the prospect of my own PR page that I control opens up a world of possibilities integrating text, photos, audio, video and interactivity. It also scares me because it will be a virtual Jabba the Hutt demanding a continual feast of Web food.

We’ll be the first department to go live. I’ll keep you posted and look forward to your ideas and comments. As I’ve said before, this is a pioneering time when there are few rules and they can be broken. As Mike Moran says, “Do It Wrong Quickly.”

*

I spent at least two hours on Kyle James’ Links of the Week he posted Feb. 22^nd on his site, There’s a wide variety of sites with lots of useful information, software and news.

*

The Association of National Advertisers’ new survey shows the trend of advertisers migrating to the Internet continues. Among the survey findings: 62 percent of advertisers feel TV advertising has become less effective in the past two years and 50 percent are experimenting with new ad types to work with DVRs and VOD programs. “Eighty-seven percent of advertisers believe branded entertainment will play a stronger role in TV advertising in the coming year.” (My italics). Even though I’m in the marketing/branding business, I really have mixed feeling about this. God knows there’s so much competition for your brain space, simple truth has become a footnote. I say this knowing that everyone of us (and our president) would thank God in seven religions to see Peter Parker wearing our university sweatshirt before he morphs into Spiderman and kicks Sandman’s grainy butt.

*

While poking around branded entertainment sites I came across Fuel Industries which nearly leaps from the screen.

For a eye-opening inside look into this industry check out Inside Branded Entertainment.

I don’t know if this is a future direction for small schools but I have colleagues at some Ivy Leagues meeting regularly with Hollywood producers to include items from their institution in movies.

BTW, it works. Years ago, Bill Cosby wore a Mansfield University sweatshirt on the Cosby show. Our bookstore had orders from across the U.S. for “that sweatshirt.”

*

Check out Footnoted from Academic Blogs and read the entry of Abel Pharmboy who blogged about his vasectomy on his science blog, Terra Sigillata. He did it, he said, to educate men on how mild it is compared to a tubal ligation of their female partner. The blog is well done and the numerous comments are even more interesting. When the Chronicle of Higher Education noted it, a batch of bloggers picked up on it, inadvertently doing just what Abel wanted: spreading the word and educating the masses. Good example of marketing 2.0 even if Abel hadn’t planned on the viral nature of his blog. Abel Pharmboy is the pseudonym of an “academic researcher and educator who holds a PhD in Pharmacology.”

*

Note: I love this wiki, a list of obsolete skills & new skills. Found it on Scobeilizer

The Passion of Bloggers

A recent flurry of emails among the BlogHighEd contributors has been fascinating. The discussion about bringing on new bloggers created a great conversation about why some people blog and what they want to see on BlogHiEd. What I liked most was the reason they blog—they’re passionate about their subject and they want to share it with others.

Anyone who’s been blogging for a few months or more knows it’s a lot of work. You spend time doing research. You try to keep up with other blogs. You write and rewrite until your copy is dynamic and tight. You throw it out there and hope you’ve contributed something of interest that people will read.

And, you hope for feedback.

When I was a reporter it was the same process. I gathered information, wrote, waited for it to be published. I grabbed the paper the next day to see if the editor changed it and why. I studied how they treated it. Was it a two or three column story? Was it on the front page of the local news, above the fold?

Finally I hoped for feedback from folks on the street.

The only thing that’s changed with blogs is that you are your own reporter, proofreader, editor, layout artist and publisher.

And you don’t get paid.

I have a lot of respect for anyone who can maintain a good blog. Most folks are doing all the above while trying to keep up with:

-work

-family

-processing all the new and morphing info appearing in little daily explosions

BlogHighEd is a great project by a couple young, very busy guys who also decided to allow “members” to vote on the next blogger to be admitted to the aggregator, an act of true democracy. The site is in its infancy and can take several directions. Personally, I like the fairly even distribution of blogs by PR, marketing, alumni and web folks.

I hope everyone involved can maintain their energy, focus and commitment.

Finally, I know readers are just as busy as everyone else. But do try to take a few moments to leave feedback on the blogs you read and make your own contribution to the conversation.

That’s what it’s all about.

(Note:  I made the spelling correction of the BlogHighEd site.  See Comments.)

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts Part 4

Looking at my previous posts, I see two weeks ago we had an ice storm. Last week it was a blizzard. Today it’s raining on six inches of snow. Go figure.

*

On the University of Illinois killings. Campus police responded in two minutes but it was already over. I hope every college is going through an extensive, exhaustive emergency plan. We began ours right after Virginia Tech. You can’t stop something like this, as our police chief and safety expert told local reporters. But a plan that’s followed – and that includes the administration, information technology, public relations and the police – shows the media that we’re living in the real world. Most importantly, it lets the parents of these horrible tragedies know that the institution did everything it could in a caring, professional manner.

*

I’m impressed with the candid discussion on Andrew Careaga ‘s Higher Ed site This honest talk (combined with seething passions beneath controlled civility) is refreshing and thought-provoking. It brings up good questions about the role of bloggers, exploitation, attracting readers and, yes, communication. I’d love to see more discussion along these lines. I still marvel at the pioneering age we’re in where rules, protocol and procedure are continually being defined and refined.

BTW, I agree with everyone’s points. As I said in my comments on Andrew’s site, I started my career as a newspaper reporter. While his assessment may sound hard to someone who has never experienced the high of looming deadlines and eventual bylines,Andrew nailed it. Check it out and contribute to the discussion. You can also find the blog, as I did, on BlogHighEd

 

*

For fellow bloggers or anyone thinking of blogging, Chris Garrett has an excellent, concise post on how to grow your blog.

*

Okay, so how long have Jaycut and New Video Pro been around?

*

I’m beaten. I’ve taken the sex out of Lonely Girl. I tried an experiment and entitled my July 3^rd entry Lonely Girl 15: Sex, Mystery and Web 2.0 just to see what it would do. It’s an accurate title and I did get hits, lots of them. But many of them are coming through searches for subjects I don’t even dare mention. Anyway, I want readers who share my interest in higher ed marketing. I don’t care how popular I am (that’s a lie; I care a lot); seriously, I want readers who care about this business. So I changed the title to Lonely Girl 15: S**, Mystery and Web 2.0. Is that going to solve the sex deviant problem? If not, I may have to boot her off my blog, lonely or not.

*

Deanna at higheredmarketing issued a challenge to rewrite our mission statement in plain English. With everything going on this week, I haven’t gotten to it but I’m going to try.

*

I interviewed English prof Dr. Ed Washington on the importance of Black History Month for a two-part podcast. I think we were both surprised when the 57-year-old Shakespeare expert began interweaving his personal history with our national history. It turned out to be one of my best podcasts (because of him, not me). There were a few twists that I never saw coming. For music beds I used music by black artists up through the decades. If you have time, check it out and let me know what you think. *

Footnote: I see the higheredmarketing blog is the number 2 referrer on BlogHiEd right below highered.prblogs Thanks to all of you for following my thoughts, experiments and discoveries each week. Oh, and watch out, Andrew Careaga, I’m coming after ya!

Lightnote: John Cleese’s Letter to America

Update:  According to Urban Legends, Cleese didn’t write it.  But it’s still hilarious.

 

 

 

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts: Part 3

A “lake effect” blizzard just passed through complete with thunder. I keep thinking, “We’re one day closer to spring. . . .” Right now I’m working on three blogs and a podcast. I interviewed Ed Washington, a black English professor about the importance of Black History Month. The conversation led to the 57-year-old prof’s personal experiences growing up in the 50’s and ‘60s. It’s a moving account that encapsulates the culture’s struggle for human rights.

*

BlogHighEd, the aggregator site created by Matt Herzeberger and Brad J. Ward is amazing. The day after they went live my hits soared. So, again, thanks for including me, and keep up your great energy!

*

People should really think hard about the name of their business or site. I was searching for paperback titles of William Ard, on whom I’m creating a modest site. I came across a title on Ebay . The dealer’s site was named “dusty crap.” I went no further.

*

Re: The Old College Try’s post about high school students not reading college recruiting magazines. I was doing a focus group with a group of the brightest seniors in a good school. I asked them about a very respected and aggressive publication. None had heard of it. The guidance counselor said, “We have a whole pile of them in the office!” He ran out and brought copies back. They nodded and returned to the discussion. I had a heart-to-heart talk with the magazine rep, and he said most students use the magazine to go to the publication’s website. Of course, once they go to the site they don’t need the magazine anymore.

Conclusion? I only advertise in magazines that have high-traffic Web sites.

*

Brad J. Ward is documenting his Facebook project at Butler. Since Mansfield University is developing a new Content Management System, I’m really interested in following his progress.

*

Checking out other blogs is time-consuming but rewarding as you can see by a couple of the above sites and by Matt Herberger’s post on using WordPress. I didn’t even know about template tags. . . .

*

Read Mark Greenfield’s post on on “Seven Inviolable, Irrefutable Things You Can Do On The Internet. He sums it from the Book The Revolution Will Not Be Televised . . . .

*

Chris Brogan has a really good post on creating and Social Media and Social Networking Starting Points.

*

Bob Johnson’s blog on Internet Marketing is always interesting. Check out this one on the Pew Internet Survey on “Defining ‘reality’ in 2020.”

Or go directly to the Pew site.

*

I’ve been in higher ed for more than 30 years and have a lot of Baby Boomer colleagues around the country. I’m thinking of doing an occasional blog on “What’s the Most Important Thing You’ve Learned?” I would take a specific topic such as “interpersonal communications,” or “introducing new ideas,” or even “surviving in higher education,” and asking one or two of these veterans for their thoughts/advice.

Let me know if you think it’s worth pursuing.

*

Gotta go fire up the snow blower. . . .

Dick Jones on the Role of Newspapers

I asked my friend/colleague Dick Jones to do another guest blog. I value his decades of  experience in radio, newspaper, higher ed and consulting.

The question: What is the role of newspapers today in relation to higher education marketing?  How has that role changed over the past 25 years and what will it be five years from now? 

Dick’s response:

I have a contrarian view about newspapers.  I think they are vitally important now and in the future, although their role has changed from a quarter century ago and will change in the next five years.

 Twenty-five years ago, obviously, a greater percentage of people—even young people—got their news from reading newspapers.  Between 1970 and 2000, the number of daily newspapers in the country dropped from about 1,750 to 1,500.  First television and now the Internet have supplanted newspapers as the primary sources of where Americans say they get their news. 

 Fewer and fewer people are picking up an actual newspaper from their front porch in the morning.  A great many people, however, are still getting news from newspapers whether they know it or not.   Some examples:

 ·         Many of the TV stories you see on the news each night originated because the assignment editor read about them first in the newspaper.  Newspapers remain agenda setters for TV and radio news.  This is true at the national level too. 

·         The story you read on the TV station website may be a newspaper story.  Many TV stations have official partnership arrangements with newspapers to share news.

·         While newspaper circulation declines, online hits to the newspaper website increase.  Between March and August 2007 The New York Times averaged 13,857,000 unique visitors to its website daily.  The average visitor stayed 20 minutes and looked at 27 pages of content (Neilsen/Net Ratings).  They may not be getting their fingers dirty but I call those people newspaper readers.

·         When you read a wire story on Yahoo or Google, it may have originated with a newspaper.  The AP often takes newspaper stories and re-writes them.

The problem that newspapers have is finding a way to get the Internet to turn a profit for them.  If they cannot, newspapers will founder financially.  If that happens the republic is in peril.  There are simply no other organizations in our democratic society equipped for or interested in covering the news like newspapers do now.  And our society needs more news coverage, not less.  Blogs are not a substitute.  There is very little original reporting in blogs.  Most of it is opinion, speculation, prognostication, agenda-pushing, and recycling of news that first appeared in newspapers.     

 I think that newspapers in the future will be more accurately described as news gathering organizations.  The newsprint edition will shrink and someday may disappear entirely (though not in the next five years).  They will add video newscasts to their websites.  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has just done so.  But if newspapers cannot find ways to generate ad revenue, they will be in serious trouble.  Monster.Com and CareerBuilder.Com and other Internet-based firms are taking serious chunks of the classified ad business.

But Americans are ingenious at finding ways to make money.  There has to be some way to make money from covering the news.   Since newspaper companies have the biggest stake in this, I’m betting that they will.    If they don’t, they will go the way of the railroads.  It was often said that The Pennsylvania Railroad thought it was in the railroad business but it was really in the transportation business.  Newspapers are not in the newspaper business, they are in the news business and need to find a way to make the news business pay. 

BlogHighEd Aggregates “Best of the Best”

I mentioned last week the beta version of BlogHighEd

Obviously, from the link, it’s live.

Brad J. Ward and Matt Herzberger created the site. In their words, “BlogHighEd is a Higher Ed blogger network. We aggregate the best of the best in higher ed from all areas: webmasters, marketers, counselors, vendors, consultants, and more.”

Kyle James, who has to be the most nimble guy in the business, has already posted an interview with Brad and Matt on how the new site came to be.

Aside from being happy to be chosen to be among their initial collection of higher ed bloggers, I’m glad to see this venture which creates a community of like-minded folks. Their list includes many of the blogs that I had on my rss feed, as well as some that are new to me. If you’re like me, your rss feed list has gotten a little out of hand. This site narrows the field to bloggers sharing the same interest in higher ed.

It also forms a community of people I feel I know. It creates a “friend” feeling as opposed to just an “acquaintance” feeling.

If you haven’t already, please check it out and give them feedback.

Congratulations guys. You made it look easy but I know there was a ton of work behind it. I know it will be successful.

Oh, and consider this my feedback!

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts Part 2

We had an ice storm Friday. Mansfield University was closed. Everything was closed except stores. We live in a retail society. Let’s see, after 9-11, the President told us to stay calm and go shopping. Okay, there’s some ice out there but Wal-Mart is open and selling for less.

Matt Herzberger asked in his post if he should do two blogs, separating his personal life from his professional. No. I’m like others who replied to him. I like the combination. I like hearing that in addition to working your butt off to keep up with marketing or webbing, that you’re getting a puppy or your four-year-old made you a Valentine’s Day card with your lipstick. If we’re all about conversations, let’s be humans.

Brad Ward is beta testing his and Matt’s new site and it’s a winner. When it’s live I’ll share the news.

I posted earlier about the Flip camcorder. Our usual approach is to buy things on line where we can get them cheaper. This time I went to our downtown Radio Shack because local folks have the franchise. The owner had never heard of the Flip. I showed them to him online. I ordered three and had to wait a week. I paid full price. When they came in I ordered two more. Both the husband and wife who run Radio Shack thanked me several times for keeping it local. The extra $75 I paid for the five Flips was worth a hundred times the investment for their good feelings (and you know what good feelings are worth locally or nationally).

A couple things happened here. They feel good about the university. And because I happened to introduce them to something that’s going to be hot, they have a new product they can push. Of course, I told them I would direct people to them as well.

FJ Gaylor recently wrote a post about hearing ads for colleges on NPR, wondering if this really hit our target audience. Our university has been an underwriter on two area NPR stations for 10 years—WSKG in Binghamton, NY and WVIA in Scranton, PA. Our faculty listens to them all the time and it’s a continual morale booster. Anecdotally, a high school principal came up to a counselor at a college fair and thanked us for supporting our local NPR station. He added that he recommended our university to many of his students.

One day I’ll do a separate post about NPR and the halo effect.

 

Director Tom’s posts are poetry. I think it comes from living what he loves.

For a year I’ve been trying to get into Facebook and just can’t get excited enough to do it on a regular basis. Anyone else have the same Facebook Resistance Syndrome?

 

Last week I wrote a post about staying with one subject. On Sundays I break my rules.

The dogs are ready to play ball. I have to scrape ice off the driveway, then clean the bathroom.

Blogging Basics

A lot of PR folks have been blogging or have students who blog, but there are still many new folks getting into it.

Here are some really basic things I’ve learned this past year about creating what I hope are good blogs.

1. Stick to one subject.

2. Keep it as short as you can and still maintain substance.

3. Write in quick, active sentences

4. Make sure your research is accurate.

5. Credit sources, bloggers.

6. Provide links where appropriate.

7. Read what you’ve written. Read it again.

8. If you can, let it sit for a day or two and proof it again.

9. When you post it, go to “view post” and read it again. Most of the time, because your post is in a new environment, you’ll find typos or some sentence you’re not happy with.

10. Test all your links and make sure they’re really linking.

11. Before you start a blog, make sure you really, really want to do it. As a blogger, you have a responsibility to provide concise, accurate information and informed opinions that contribute to the conversation. (At least, that’s my opinion.)

Note: I see from collegewebeditor’s blog that it’s public that Brad Ward  and Matt Herzberger are working on a project to aggregate the best higher ed feeds at HighEdBlog. I was honored that they asked to include the higher ed marketing blog. I’ll keep you posted on their progress.