I will be teaching a three hour workshop next month on “Creating a Comprehensive Social Media Framework”  at the 2010 eduWEB conference which is being held July 26-28, 2010 in Chicago.  I have worked with dozens of colleges and universities across the globe on their social media efforts. I plan on sharing these experiences and the process I follow to help higher ed institutions fully leverage the power and potential of these new communication channels and support models.

The topics I’ll be covering include:

  • Understanding institutional culture as it relates to social media. We will explore techniques to gauge the openness of senior leadership and campus culture in the areas of authenticity, transparency and control.
  • How to identify goals and objectives, and tie them back to overall institutional goals and objectives.
  • How to measure success and ROI, including a review of free tools and commercial solutions.
  • The importance of creating both policies and guidelines (they are different). As higher education begins to formally embrace social media, it is important for social media practitioners to fully understand the legal ramifications for both themselves and their institutions.
  • Implementing management, governance and participation models.  Colleges and universities vary greatly in size, scope, mission and culture. We will explore the pro’s and con’s of various options to help you identifying the approach that will work at your institution.
  • How to assess and mitigate risk, including crisis planning and triage planning
  • How to properly staff your social media efforts. We will explore the difference between A Social Strategist and Community Manager, and what staffing resources are appropriate for your school.

If you are interested in learning more about these topics, please come join me in Chicago.  The 2010eduWEB conference has a great lineup, and Chicago is a great place to be in the summer. (If you are not already attending, please note that the early bird deadline has been extended to June 28.)