Michele's Most Recent Blog Posts
Society has shifted in an era of 500 million Facebook users, 50 million tweets, 450 million people on mobile internet and 68 million bloggers - whether you accept new media or not. We're bombarded by 13,000 marketing messages each day, now largely due to new media. Watch the Evolution of Online Agvocacy if you want to see more. All of this social media mania is also building a fear that humans may just stop...
Last week I wrote about how the food Blue eats is a primary concern for me. I want him to eat nutritious, well-balanced meals, made with food that is safe for him to eat. The latest food recall has really made me think about the kinds of foods he eats and how to makes sure...
Michele’s Most Recent Articles
#AgChat & #FoodChat Resources
#AgChat is a weekly moderated conversation on Twitter for people in the business of raising food, feed, fuel, fiber. Similar to conversations at the local grain elevator or coffee shop, only AgChat is virtual. Participants on Twitter share viewpoints and ideas about the issues impacting agriculture, such as mainstream media coverage, sustainability, antibiotics, agvocacy best practices, agronomy, animal welfare, farm family relationships, bioenergy and perceptions of farming. It’s fast-paced, thought-provoking and incredibly rewarding to see agriculturists discuss tough issues.
You are invited to join in every Tuesday, 8-10 p.m. Eastern Time. #FoodChat happens the third Tuesday of each month to connect those with an interest in food with the people who raise it. Follow @agchat or @foodchat and see the links below if you need more help getting started. Poke around the archives to see the conversation in action and then come be a part of the community.
The AgChat Foundation, Inc. is a volunteer driven not-for-profit to empower farmers and ranchers to connect communities through social media platforms. Founded in April 2010, the Foundation focuses on agvocacy training, strategic agvocacy campaigns, data analysis and technology scholarships. MPK is a member of the founding Board of Directors.
Ag & Social Media
Why should agriculture care about social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube? It’s really quite simple. Mass influence. Facebook reached 150 million users nearly three times faster than a cell phone. Social media is a culture changer, not a fad. If you’re not at the table, you can’t be a part of constructing the face of agriculture – nor can you counter the misinformation campaigns around food, fuel, feed or fiber.
Anti-ag activist groups are becoming increasingly active on social networks and understand the power of messaging, according to Cause Matters Corp. research. The Humane Society of the United States has had a nearly 50-fold increase in their Twitter following since January 2009. Videos on animal rights and environmentalism increase 30% monthly.
Do the math about how many opportunities you have to connect agriculture if 98.5% of those people aren’t actively engaged in farming. Food is an extremely hot issue – and it’s time for agriculture to leverage that through social media leadership to influence public opinion, rather than react to rhetoric.
Cause Matters Corp. stands ready to help you. Michele and her team has worked to build communities around food and agricultural issues, such as #AgChat and FoodChat on Twitter. Trainings ranging from one-hour webinars to a full-day workshops are available, or Michele will work with you to build a social media hub for your organization.
Don’t let the new media train intimidate you; Michele will provide common sense approaches to social media, combined with real life experiences of how farmers and ranchers have influenced significant change with these tools.
