Leveraging Social Media: YouTube (Part 2)

As explained in the previous posting, YouTube is a great way to appeal to your members visually! Check our previous posting for the basics…. And now, enjoy Advanced Features!

• Put clickable links (annotate) in your videos. You can do this after your channel has been verified by YouTube and you have external linking turned on. How to Annotate a YouTube Video   
• Add music to your video from the YouTube library of royalty-free sounds and music.
• Use Playlists to group similar videos.
• Create a photo slideshow and set it to music.
• Upload and watch 360-degree videos -- both live and pre-recorded.
• Upload PowerPoint presentations and slides from your events for those unable to attend.
• Add cards to a video. This is several steps beyond a simple annotation and includes donations and polls.

Once you have had time to work with the basics, try out these advanced features! Are you ready to push your YouTube learning curve???

Graphic is CC0 from Pixabay

Leveraging Social Media: YouTube (Part 1)

Videos are the fastest growing social media communication tools. A terrific way to reach and educate your members is through YouTube. YouTube allows registered users (you have to have a Google - gmail account) to upload videos that are available for public viewing.

When you become a YouTube member, YouTube assigns a personal channel to you. The channel has divisions designed to display a short personal description, thumbnails of videos you've uploaded, lists of members who are your friends and subscribers, and a section where other people can comment on your channel. The good news is that you can use one Google Account for multiple channels. You can still have a personal channel and one for DKG.

WikiHow is a great source for getting you started. How to Make a YouTube Channel and How to Make a YouTube Video are both excellent and use text and graphics in their directions. In addition, YouTube provides about 30 short “courses” in YouTube Creator Academy.

Make your channel shine:

• Choose a name that will stand out and be memorable.
• Connect your channel to your social media accounts. YouTube will automatically create statuses on each account.
• On your privacy page, enter your Gmail address to receive notifications for subscriptions, channel analytics, and more.
• The description for your channel is very important. Use as many keywords as possible. This will help people find you.
• Add as many keywords and tags that apply.
• Always have a call to action to encourage engagement.  Ask for a thumbs up, or ask for comments.
• Use YouTube insight to get important stats on your channel.
• Keep videos short. Five minutes is usually long enough.
• Promote your brand with attractive graphics. The “brand” refers to the way you promote your group. The brand should remain the same and be recognizable.
• Produce good quality videos. While viewers may forgive a visual that is not great, most will turn away when the audio is poor.
• Videos should be exciting. Jazz it up a little. Sitting and talking into the camera for five minutes is boring to everyone.
• Upload testimonials to share with potential members.
• NEVER “borrow” material of any sort. Copyrights!

Get the basics set up and start small. Are you ready to get your feet wet?

Graphic is CC0 from Pixabay

Timing Your Proposals

Proposals come in all forms from marriage to policy to a simple calendar entry for an event. Every two years DKG members have the opportunity to submit proposals that amend our International Standing Rules. Every four years we do the same, but with the added bonus of amending the Constitution. The 2018 DKG International Convention in Austin falls in that four-year cycle where both governing documents can be amended.

International committees and boards are scanning the documents and proposing amendments that will enhance their effectiveness and streamline their work. In fact, the DKG Editorial Board was the first to submit proposals to amend sections chiefly centered on The DKG Bulletin: Collegial Journal.

Are you aware that state organizations, chapters, and every member of the Society has the same right to propose amendments? What’s bugging you about DKG that you’d like to see changed, simplified, or clarified? Why are you putting off sharing your thoughts? Yes, the deadline is October 1, 2017, but now is the time to contemplate what needs to be addressed. It’s definitely OK to submit your proposals well before that date.  Often when we put something off, we don’t complete the task or become frustrated trying to meet the deadline with other “unexpected” tasks cropping up at the same time.

What better time than now to contemplate those parts of the DKG governing documents that you’ve long considered hard to understand or simply find obsolete for a viable 21^st Century organization!  What better time than now when many of us find ourselves staying inside more and less active to consider proposing an amendment!

We admit that reading these documents is not as stimulating or sexy as reading a top ten fiction or non-fiction, but it’s reading that will make a difference in a Society that makes a difference in the lives of educators and children worldwide. Give it a try.  Find ways to make it a better document. What’s stopping you?

Leveraging Social Media: Pinterest

Pinterest.com is a website that lets you create and manage collections of information. Find good getting-started directions at  https://techboomers.com/p/pinterest

Everything on Pinterest has to have a visual attached to it: a photo, drawing, animation, or video.  Pinterest is all about content -- the visual kind that’s super easy for people to digest. Individual pieces of information on Pinterest are called "pins,” which are organized into custom categories that you create called “boards.”

Everything you pin is clickable. This means that you can link to your website, to a registration page, or even to an event and those who view your Pinterest board can click right to those links.

Pinterest can help your chapter or state organization to reach members and potential members. According to comScore, which tracks social media usage, 71% of Pinterest’s 72.5 million users are women.

Here are a few basic ideas to help you utilize Pinterest.

• Use text on your images that is simple, uses short phrases, and is easy to read.
• Use timeless titles for your pins so they don’t become dated.
• Promote your pins with at least 20 keywords. This will make them show up better in searches. You can even put keywords in your descriptions, your boards, or even your profile.
• Create 150 - 300 word descriptions of your pin.This will help convince users to click.
• Pin consistently.
• Connect your social media - You can easily tweet your pins so your Twitter followers can see them. Display your latest Pinterest activity in the feeds of your Facebook friends and followers.
• Embed inspirational quotes or quotes about our mission in your images. Go to quozio.com (free tool) to create nice looking quotes.
• In general, your images should have these characteristics:  visually compelling, tell a story, create an emotion, have clever captions, and are interesting to YOUR audience.
• Put a face on our organization by showing the human side. Introduce central figures with pins of each that are included in a board “Who We Are.”
• Remember to acknowledge your audience and respond to feedback.

Some ideas to use later:

• Feature step-by-step tutorials - Use images that actually show step-by-step tutorials. This will get high engagement and clicks. Perhaps it could show how to sign up for your convention.
• Capitalize on the image height - images with width to height ratios of 2:3 and 1.3:5 can increase clicks and engagement.
• Use Calls to Action in pin descriptions - CTAs should always be brief, clear, and to the point.
• On your website or blog, add the Pinterest Follow Button - Install the button in several prominent places on your website and blog—the header, footer, sidebar, etc. Make it easy for people to find your Pinterest page and be converted into followers. To create your button, use the widget builder page on Pinterest or create a custom button that reflects the society.
• Add a logo to your images.
• Link strategically to your YouTube channel - videos make spectacular pins.

Most of you know about Pinterest. You know its value. The next time your group meets, brainstorm how your group might use it. Are you willing to take the leap? Why or why not?

Graphic is composed of two CC0 graphics.

A Season to Celebrate Diversity!

One of the greatest successes within Delta Kappa Gamma is the organization’s diversity. This is an organization that thrives on diversity within its members in a multitude of forms. We all come from different continents, different religions, and different nationalities. We have new, experienced, and retired educators all working together to for the success of education all around the globe. We thrive on sharing our ideas, collaborating with new friends, and supporting our old friends as they embark on new adventures.

As we move into a season of celebration, find the beauty of diversity within your DKG chapter. Focus on how this diversity can help impact education globally. Encourage diversity. Embrace diversity. Celebrate Diversity. Let us all be a part of what this amazing organization embodies. We are truly a global organization of leading women educators! 

Leveraging Social Media: Facebook

Are you wondering how Facebook can be useful for your DKG chapter or state organization? This particular form of social media can be a space for linking your members and sharing important information. But remember that, unlike personal Facebook pages, a chapter or state organization page needs to be more “official” in terms of posting appropriate and correct information.

Click here to a link with directions for setting up a page for your chapter. Although based in Britain, it covers everything you need to know to get started.

Basic things you should do:

• Your posts should be valuable, useful and entertaining to members.
• Posts should be about your group.
• Tell powerful stories about awards, activities, achievements, and projects to retain interest.
• Be obsessive about replying to comments. (Be sure to set up notifications.)
• Remember content is king.
• Post smile-worthy content.
• Be inspiring.
• Be a source of information.
• Post images!
• Mix up the content types (photos, dialogue, and later video)
• Post at different times of the day.
• Post “Calls to Action”.
• Use Facebook events.
• Use compelling headlines.
• Invite members to comment.

More Advanced things to try:

• Try using Facebook Live . When you are comfortable, post these more often.
• Use Insights Posts report to guide you. This will increase engagement.
• Recycle popular posts.
• Publish linked posts with multiple images to create a carousel.
• Create videos, graphics, and posts that stand out and make people want to share.
• Videos, videos, videos…this will increase visibility and engagement.
• Experiment with Facebook ads. They are reasonably priced!

Beyond Facebook

• Embed Facebook posts on your website or blog.
• Re-post on Pinterest with a link back to your Facebook page.
• Post the URL to a specific Facebook post on Twitter or in your newsletter.
• Integrate your Facebook icon/link into your website, newsletters, emails, and printed material.

Ready to try a Facebook page? Do you already have a Facebook page? If so, how do you use it?

Facebook graphic is a CC0 from Pixabay.  https://pixabay.com/