From the fall 2011 issue of Tennessee Land, Life and Science — Nov. 1, 2011
Social Media? We’re on It
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — UT Extension, AgResearch, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) and College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) are now using social media to engage online users. These sites are not designed to replace existing websites, but to work as an interactive extra that provides information and gathers feedback. Here’s a brief description of the social media tools being used.
Facebook
The four units each have their own official Facebook pages. For UT Extension, its Facebook page is a platform to share information about the latest programs and initiatives happening at the county, district and state levels. Also, Extension county offices are maintaining a presence. To find them, go to Facebook and search for “UT Extension” and the Tennessee county’s name. Tennessee’s 4-H Youth Development Program is also on Facebook.
On CASNR’s Facebook page, students, faculty and anyone else who is interested can get the latest on happenings around the college and keep up with those important deadlines.
At CVM’s site, you can follow the posts of clients relaying stories about their animals as well as keep up with important college and UT Veterinary Medical Center news.
AgResearch has multiple presences on Facebook, too, including Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center, UT Gardens in Jackson, Milan No-Till Field Day and West Tennessee Agricultural Museum.
Twitter
UT Extension, 4-H and CVM are also on Twitter. There, you can follow the latest news and information about the three units. Unlike Facebook, Twitter limits its updates to 140 characters. Think of it as a headline service of news. Links are provided to in-depth articles and videos.
YouTube
UTIA has had a channel on YouTube for more than four years. The content has attracted nearly 350,000 viewers from around the world and 155 subscribers. The videos on the site are news stories produced by UTIA Marketing & Communications. YouTube started out as an experiment to distribute video online and has become our most successful social media site to date. Viewers can watch high definition videos either online, on their smart phones, tablets or streaming video devices to a television.
One of the biggest benefits to having a social media presence is that it allows information to be delivered quickly and to gather feedback from users. They can access the information 24/7 online, or through their smart phones or tablet devices.
UTIA Units' Social Media Sites
Facebook
UT Extension Official
Tennessee 4-H
CASNR
College of Veterinary Medicine (Must log in to Facebook to view page.)
Twitter
UT Extension
Tennessee 4-H
UT College of Veterinary Medicine
YouTube
UT Institute of Agriculture Channel
UT College of Veterinary Medicine
UTIA Departments' Social Media Sites
Agricultural and Resource Economics
Agricultural and Resource Economics - Facebook
Agricultural and Resource Economics - Twitter
Natural Resource & Environmental Economics (NREE) Major - Facebook
Center for Tobacco Grower Research
Crop Marketing Comments for Tennessee Market Highlights - Chuck Danehower on Twitter
Animal Science
You can find a dashboard of Animal Science’s social media here.
Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science - Facebook
Forestry Wildlife and Fisheries
National Bob White Conservation Initiative - Facebook
NRCS National Easement Assessment Project (NEAP) - Facebook (Must log in to Facebook to view page.)
Plant Sciences
Plant Sciences on YouTube
Organic Sustainable Crop Production Unit - Facebook
UT Turf Grass - Facebook
UT Center for Athletic Field Safety - Facebook
Other
Center for Renewable Carbon - Facebook (Must log in to Facebook to view page.)
Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center - Facebook
UT Gardens, Jackson - Facebook
UT Gardens, Knoville - Facebook
West Tennessee Agricultural Museum - Facebook
Milan No-till Field Day - Facebook (Must log in to Facebook to view page.)
Homefront to Heartland - Facebook
Tennessee Farmland Legacy Project - Facebook
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For more information, contact Doug Edlund, UTIA Marketing and Communications, at 865-974-7363 or dedlund@utk.edu.