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Endless meetings are just not cutting it for me these days. I need to be able to do continuous work with the various committees, task groups and projects that are on my plate at any given moment. Waiting to see everyone face-to-face just doesn’t seem very efficient in this digital age.

Once again I decided to go on the hunt to see what is available with features that include mobility, full service, easy to work with and FREE 🙂

Somewhere around 2008/09 I signed up for Wiggio, a web based tool, and decided to have my students use it in a group communication course. It is still around, it still works well, allows for posting messages, trading files, assigning tasks and more. It is also free; but no mobile app. If your group doesn’t care about mobility this may still be the best around.

Basecamp  is another digital teamwork site that helps you keep track of tasks, files, and conversation. There is an older, basic, free version with limited functions that is fine for small projects. Again, you might be quite happy if working on the web suits your group. There is a mobile app but the bad news: it doesn’t work for the free version.

You may have come across the (literal) bulletin board idea such as Spaaze or Padlet. Here is one that has more capacity, is easy to work with, and is more professional looking when you want to send it out as a static note – Board Thing. This is still web based but all you need to do is share the URL with your team.

OK – those are some great resources but still not mobile. I decided to go simple and find something that was specific to team instant messaging that gave me a mobile notification whenever there was a new message. It took me a while but I found Hall. Perfect if messaging with the ability to tweet will do it for you. Now just get your team to sign up and sign in and you are set to go – very simple.

Thanks to my colleague David Thomson for mentioning Slack . Team messaging with mobile notification (check), file sharing (check), create hashtags for conversation threads (check). Main problem so far – team members not always engaged with their mobile devices (can’t really blame them for that) and cannot always tell when they are actually connected (not good if you are a control freak :)). Stay tuned as we get used to using this free app.

As I continued my search I came upon Intellinote. I’m still working on checking this one out. So far – it is free, it is mobile, it has file sharing, messaging, work spaces and all that good stuff. There are also a whack of tutorials on how to use the features. With my little bit of exploration it was not quite as intuitive as to how it worked but I did get the hang of it without too much frustration – back to what we used to say when I was working for a computer retailer in the 80s – RTFM, read the manual.

If you use any of these or end up trying some of them out, I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment.

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Dr. Marcella LaFever (University of New Mexico, 2005) is an Associate Professor in the Communications Department at the University of the Fraser Valley. She specializes in intercultural communication and brings that expertise to various subjects such as communication for workplace, instruction, social media, team and public speaking contexts.

At a recent meeting of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC Fraser Valley chapter) local freelance writer, Heidi Turner shared her top tips on business promotion for professional writers. Here are her top ten:

1. Create an optimised website. Heidi recommends including all search terms that you think your clients will use in the Search Engine Optimisation area. This will make sure that you target your writing market. A website is also a convenient spot to keep your portfolio, samples and client testimonials.
2. Write a Business Plan. It may sound painful but Heidi says that this will show you areas where you need to improve and give you an idea of what you can realistically achieve as a freelancer. For example, what to charge for hourly rates. Heidi recommends charging GST so that your clients know that you intend to make at least $30 000 from your professional writing.
3. Update your CV at least every six months. Heidi is happy when she doesn’t have to drop everything to write a CV for an urgent job proposal.
4. Develop an elevator pitch. Heidi says that this will help you anywhere where you might meet clients. You need to be able to briefly say: What you do. Who you do it for. How you do it.
5. Make a decision for how you use social media and stick to it. If you use social media for business then focus it for business. If you use it for personal communication, keep it for that. Heidi says that mixing the two could get you into trouble – or just not help your business.
6. Write a blog that targets your client base. Heidi says that putting your writing talents towards other people’s platforms rarely works. For example, people will remember an article from the Huffington Post but they won’t remember who wrote it. She recommends writing for yourself. It will take longer to establish your name but it will be your name that readers remember.
7. Cultivate repeat clients. Heidi loves repeat clients. They know what she can do and they appreciate her talents. She suggests finding out how you can add value to what you are already doing for clients. But she also recommends maintaining your professional boundaries and what you are willing to do for clients
8. Take courses in writing. Heidi recommends taking writing courses. They are a great way to meet knew clients and keep your skills up to date.
9. Run your own courses on writing. Heidi says that running your own writing courses in your area of expertise will help you gain exposure – and provide a place to sell your own books if you have them.
10. Get involved in the industry that you are writing for. Heidi says that this is a must for freelance writers. But she also warns professional writers about doing too much volunteer work. She advises freelances to get something in return for any professional writing you do, such as a testimonial from an industry leader.

As bonus tips, Heidi recommends that freelancers check out Vancouver Writing Jobs to keep up with what employers are looking for. And read books on freelance writing including, Everything You Wanted to Know About Freelance Writing, The Well-Fed Writer, and The Business Side of Creativity.

Good luck!

1. When did you graduate, and what did you study at UFV?

I graduated in December 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology and a minor in Communications. Along the way I also completed a Liberal Arts Diploma and certificates in Business Administration and Professional Communications Essentials.

2. What is your current role, and what are the main forms of communication required of you?

I am the Communications Coordinator for the Chilliwack Division of Family Practice. This is a local non-profit organization representing family physicians in Chilliwack, Agassiz-Harrison and Hope.

I’m primarily responsible for website content management, publishing our monthly e-newsletter, managing our social media platforms and for specific events. We advertise through new and traditional media, such as newspapers and radio.

3. Why did you decide to complete a minor in Communications?

I took my first Communications classes to complete the Professional Communications Essentials Certificate. It seemed like a useful addition to my portfolio because it offered me tangible workplace skills that I could use in the “real world”.

Within the first few weeks of those Communications classes, I realized that I was learning skills that were not only highly practical but were also transferable to a variety of workplaces.

4. Can you describe a highlight from the courses you took in CMNS?

Perhaps the most daunting and the most rewarding course I took was CMNS 235, Oral Communications. Public speaking may be the one of the most common fears around, but it’s also one of the most essential skills in the workplace.

That one course not only made me a better speaker (at least I hope it did) but it helped me recognize the value of pushing boundaries and stepping out of my comfort zone for the sake of my personal as well as professional growth. It became the starting point for me to take courses that I knew were going to particularly challenge me.

That experience helped me tackle learning design for print and online medi,a and I also collaborated with a UFV section to produce communication plans for a project they were working on.

5. With the wisdom of hindsight and experience, what communication-related advice would you offer current UFV students as they prepare for graduation and/or employment?

Diversify your skill set. Whether you’re majoring in Sciences, Business or Arts, learning how to communicate gives you the ability to highlight your strengths. Related to that—networking is key. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason.

Networking is often made out to be a set of abstract and elusive skills, but it’s really not. Talk to your professors, attend job fairs and ask friends and family. I was lucky enough to get my first break from a professor’s recommendation. My experience provides a case in point example of the power of others vouching for your abilities.

6. Is there an aspect of communication you would like to see added or covered in greater depth at UFV?

I would love to see more of the technical courses being offered, especially in video production and website management.

I also think integrating work experience through practicum courses more fully into the Communications program would be valuable. It’s a way for students to obtain work experience that fresh graduates need to make themselves attractive candidates for employment.

7. What is the one communications-related skill you feel is most valuable to you in the workplace?

Strategic planning is essential—along with everyday communication. We need to step back and ask “How does this particular communication activity fit into what our overall goals and objectives are?”

It’s easy to get mired in the minute details so it’s a question of striking the balance between getting through the daily checklist but also evaluating what we’re doing and how this contributes to the bigger picture. The evaluative work then feeds back into fine-tuning the strategic communications plans.

 

Many thanks, Asma, for taking the time to respond to our questions. We’re happy to see that you have found success, and that your career path has kept you with us in the Fraser Valley.

 

 

 

Guest blog by: Jordain Perreault Joyce

You wouldn’t be able to build a box without a bucket of nails and a hammer. Even with that, it would be a pretty boring box and probably look the same as everyone else’. Now, if you had a drill, saw, lathe and a woodworking shop you would be able to create a very elaborate box and it would stand out from the others. People would pay attention.

This works for social meddia too. You can stick to the basics and know that you will get the job done OR you can get the right tools to create images that make your posts pop.

As demonstrated in the simple graph shown here from a study done by Buffer, tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those with none.

There are plenty of great free audio visual tools online, too many to count! I have created a list for you of my three favorite free online tools.

 

PicMonkey:

PicMonkey is a great photo editing tool that is simple and easy to use. It has an elegant interface and it’s fun to use! PicMonkey allows you to upload your own photos, implement custom filters, and add custom text and custom editing.

 

 

 

Social Image Resizer Tool:

Social Image Resizer Tool is a basic tool that crops your photos to conform to social media picture dimensions. Its minimalistic design makes it one of my preferred tools from this list. You can upload a picture and select your crop size and re-save it on your computer. Social Image resizer tool also displays image dimensions.

 

Canva:

Canva is a new tool(still in beta) and the process to create designs is very interesting. You are able to do a wide variety of designs using this tool. Canva allows you to choose different designs and then edit them using a variety of themes/images that Canva provides. Canva has a very unique search tool that allows you to search for specific images to put on your design. Higher quality images cost normally a dollar and you are charged for them as soon as you export your design.

Last week, the University of the Fraser Valley brought one of their honourary doctorate recipients, Dr Penny Park from the Science Media Centre of Canada, back to campus to speak about the urgent need to communicate science in Canada.

Penny called for scientists to “step up”and correct misinformation when they saw it. She spoke about instances where public misinformation in Canada had exponentially grown; citing recent examples of climate change, genetic engineering, and vaccinations.

“Scientists want to weigh things up, to take their time to think about things; but communication is speeding up,” Penny said.

“You [scientists] have an obligation to reach out to the public beyond your organisation’s boundaries. We need you,” she added.

Penny referred to an EKOS research poll from 2011 showing that Canadians trust scientists more than they trust a lot of other groups, including politicians.

“Be terrier like. If you see something that is inaccurate, do something about it.”

She also answered audience questions about the practicalities of engaging with the public. Rather than “dumbing down” research for the public, she essentially called on researchers to challenge people with their ideas rather than their language.

“Consider how your work might enter a conversation that is already happening,” she urged.

In an earlier blog post, I referred to a talk by Jim Hoggan, from Hoggan and Associates, who warned that researchers were in danger of contributing negatively to already polarised public debates. I asked Penny if researchers might be contributing more noise to already noisy issues. Her response was for scientists to use trusted channels of communication, such as the Science Media Centre of Canada or start their own blog or Twitter site where they could establish credibility with a following before an issue became a problem.

Penny also responded to questions about what “sells” science to the public. She advised scientists to consume the media where they would like to publish so that they could appreciate what that community of viewers or readers needs to know. This also serves to get to know what the editors like.  She cited what she referred to as the “NASA School of Journalism”, which has brought space to the world through images and animations

“Canadians love weather and sex,” she said. “Animal sex always makes a great story.”

UFV President, Mark Evered, asked Penny about communicating research before peer review. He was concerned that communicating too early could damage the reputation of scientists and science in general. Penny responded that it is the duty of scientists not to oversell what they’ve got.

She also called for journalists as well as public readers and viewers, to look critically at the information they are presented with.

“Critical thinking is the key,” she emphasized.

Penny ended the President’s 2014 Leadership Lecture with a call to for UFV to engage students in critical thinking around numeracy and statistics.

“Make it attractive and they’ll want to learn more,” she said.

 

Guest Blog by Lindsay Lindholm:

Media convergence theory has been created by the advancement in technology, computer networking, and the shift to from analog to digital telecommunications. Media convergence is the amalgamation of communications, technology, and digital data.

Media formats consolidated into one large corporation

Traditionally we would receive media from one source such as a television, a radio, a book, newspaper or, a magazine. Each medium was transmitted to us by companies that specialized in the media they delivered. Today we see large corporations that have many companies of specialized media formats consolidated into one large corporation.

 

 

How Does Media Convergence Relate to Social Media?

Social media has turned media into a two-way conversation between the media providers and the consumers. Consumers of media can use social media to interact with the providers, and fellow consumers. Media providers can provide new forms of content that are possible because of digital technology. For example, television producers can allow viewers to interact with a shows outcome by having viewers send comments or even vote on an outcome like contestants or plot direction. Intellectual property rights can create a clash between users participating in this new style of conversation, a protocol will develop as this culture continues to be defined by those participating.

 

 

How Do Media Convergence and Social Media Benefit Non-Profit and Social Enterprises?

Media convergence enables non-profit and social enterprises the opportunity to use several social media tools, to develop a relationship with supporters and consumers. Not-for-Profit organizations can utilize social media tools to become media providers and communicate their message; they are no longer limited to expensive advertising campaigns in traditional forms of media.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources for More Information on Media Convergence

Image permissions received from: Matt Proctor, Fred Cavazza, Brian Solis and JESS3

Online access:

• The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence by Henry Jenkins
• Converging Media Trends
• The Canadian Encyclopedia – Media Convergence
• Wikipedia – Technological convergence
• Academia network – Media Convergence
• Media, Culture & Society
• Converged Media Ethics
• Parliament of Canada – Media Ownership and Convergence in Canada

Videos:

• Henry Jenkins – What is Media Convergence?
• Henry Jenkins – Lecture at Google in Cambridge, MA.

Keywords: Media Convergence, Convergence Culture, Digital Media Convergence

Hashtags: #mediaconvergence #digitalconvergence #convergencetheory

@LdLindholm [Twitter]

Guest Post by:  Rowena Nichols

Have you ever felt like the person on the other end of the phone, not understanding the technology of today? I know I sure have. Maybe you feel more like the little guy trying to tell Grandma how to get connected to the internet. If so you’re probably younger than me!

If you’re from Generation Y (aka Gen Y) technology probably comes second nature to you. Social Media even easier right? Which is why, in the article “Bringing Social Media to Small Business: A Role for Employees and Students in Technology Diffusion” (Bakeman, M.M. and Hanson, L.), the authors promote the idea that today’s small business owner could get ahead by hiring young, social media “savvy” employees.

Based on the “Diffusion of Innovation” theory (Rogers, E.M.), which assesses the rate that new technology or social ideas spread through society, Bakeman and Hanson suggest that for small businesses to increase their social media marketing edge, as well as being competitive with corporate companies and their big IT budgets, they should be looking to recruit recent college graduates. Social Media is part of life for these “up and comers” and tapping into this ingrained knowledge of social media platforms has proven benefits. Post-secondary programs are starting to integrate courses on the use of Social Media in business into their programs.

 

 

 

The Diffusion of Innovation theory has the following five categories of adopters:

 

Gen Y has grown up using Social Media and this kind of ingrained expertise shouldn’t be frowned upon but rather embraced and utilized. Today’s business requires a social media presence and is increasingly becoming a key to business success.

For more online sources of information on this topic here are some helpful links:

Robinson, L. (2009) A Summary of Diffusion of Innovations, Enabling Change.

Boston University School of Public Health (2013). Diffusion of Innovation theory.

Orr, G. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations by Everett Rogers (1995)

Nichols, R. (2014) Diffusion of Innovation & Small Business [videorecording]

Shivers, G. D. (2010). First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy. [videorecording]

Keyword tags: #diffusion, #socialmedia, #Analytics, #Marketing, #innovation

Comments appreciated: @rowena_nichols [Twitter]

Guest post by Eric Meerstra:

When using Social Media, the issue of copyright is very important. You don’t want to post copyrighted material and get into trouble, or have other people steal your copyrighted material that you posted. You need to know what content you are allowed to use, where you are allowed to use it, and what the social media and other users of that social media are allowed to do with your work. And before you chase down anyone using any of your work, you need to consider the ‘Fair Use’ defense.

What is copyright?

It is a legal concept that grants the creator of an original work these rights to its use.

• Reproduce
• Display in public
• Create derivatives based on original work
• Distribute, sell, and rent

Social Media Sites + Copyright

Social media sites all have you agree to their terms of service. They all include a section about how they deal with copyrighted material. They need to define this because they would be breaking the copyright law by displaying things posted to the site, without permission to display it. This only gives them permission to use it on their own site; they do not gain the copyright, only certain specific rights. From the point of view as a user of the social media, you do not get permission to use any copyrighted material you find on social media. It is still copyrighted.

Keywords to look for in Social Media terms of services are:

Non-exclusive; Transferrable; Sub-licensable; Royalty-free; Worldwide License

Follow this link to view an article about Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram terms of Service about copyright

Users + Copyright

There are 4 ways to post copyrighted material to Social Media as a user.

• Get the creator’s permission and credit him properly
• Purchase works or content so it belongs to you
• Create your own Copyrighted Content
• Use works/content without the owners permission using the Fair use law(next)

Social Media Users + Fair Use

Fair use is doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material for specific reasons without acquiring permission from the rights holders.

Specific reasons include:

Teaching / Scholarship/ Private study / Research
Criticism / Satire / Parody
Canadian Copyright Law to view the other reasons

4 Questions to find out if Fair Use applies to you

Do you understand Fair Use?
-If not, don’t try to use it.
Why are you using the content?
-Use only for reasons in Canadian Copyright Law
How much of the content are you using?
-Does it fit the “limited” criteria of fair use?
Are you willing to have your content contested?
-Fair use could lead to legal battles if people feel you are not following it properly

Links to more information:

• UFV copyright and fair use policy
• Copyright explained, what can be copyrighted
• What Can’t be copyrighted
• Protect your copyrights
• Canadian Fair Use: Fair Dealing