Sessions about Writing

State U. plays their arch rival this Saturday in football. No tickets? No problem. You watch it on TV – or maybe not. Video is the next best thing to being there, and in 2007 you don’t have to wait until you get home to watch. Online video sites, smaller and better cameras and portable viewers can give most anyone what they need to not only be a viewer, but also a producer, broadcaster or even “podcaster.” Do you have a story to tell? A message to send? Then fire up that video camera, get some software and prepare to share it with the world. This session will offer tips on how to make a quality video presentation above and beyond those funny things you see on YouTube. Experts from the University of Tennessee and Kansas State University will offer advice on production and editing techniques, the art and style of video photography, and script writing – including the “full circle” effect of storytelling. We will focus on where video is going in the future, and discuss web video, iPod usage and satellite technology. We also offer the perspective of an ACE member “bamboozled” into video, and how the experience is going.

The CLEC Information Office serves as a communication resource for the Center’s interdisciplinary faculty, the Environmental Horticulture department faculty, and the Master Gardener and Florida Yards & Neighborhoods programs. Information Office staff coordinate media and public relations, internal communications, and strategic communication planning for these departments and programs. The staff also serve as writing resources for faculty, publishing their research and extension work in popular publications and Web sites. The CLEC Information Office was established to coordinate communication efforts between the UF and Florida’s Green Industry. The coordinated communication will allow all parties to reach the intended audience of Florida residents. The Green Industry in Florida generated $15 billion in sales in 2005 and UF is making a concentrated effort to become a visible part of this industry. In 2006, the Florida legislature established CLEC. The Center has faculty throughout the state and housed in multiple departments including environmental horticulture, soil and water science, plant pathology, entomology, and agricultural communication.

What’s in it for you? How does eXtension fit in your daily life? What is the code? Can you enter restricted space? Learn what we’re doing, how you can get your news releases on eXtension. The up-till-now secret process will be revealed.

While you're in the Rockies, get a mountaintop perspective on your life and career with these simple, fun activities that allow you to tap into your creative dreams. Playing with images and words can give you some serious inspiration. And you'll take home a resource list of selected ideas from creativity, business, inspirational and writing gurus.

A panel of communications professionals—both faculty and staff—from several different universities will discuss ways of getting buy-in from, providing professional development opportunities for, and serving as a resource for faculty in communications efforts. The discussion will include research results that indicate faculty communications training needs, practical strategies, pitfalls, strategies, experiences, ideas, and other related topics.

Perhaps you've been asked to raise the level of visibility for 4-H programs in your state, to tailor 4-H news to support University recruitment, or to increase enrollment in 4-H programs with previously non-traditional 4-H audiences. With sharing ideas the goal, this upbeat panel of 4-H writers will offer an overview of successful strategies and ideas from their shop and also allow time for brainstorming about how such ideas might help attendees market 4-H youth development programs to diverse audiences in a changing environment.

Everyone has a horror story to tell about copyright infringement or plagiarism. It's clear that Extension agents and subject specialists are confused about when and how they should properly attribute information to its sources, and when they need permission to reuse certain materials. Several issues contribute to this confusion: The prevalence of electronic communications and the ease with which material can be forwarded, copied, pasted, and discovered; a heightened awareness of plagiarism in the public sphere and its consequences; and crackdowns on copyright infringement by individuals and companies as well as the federal government. So how, as communications specialists, can we help our clients navigate this bewildering information landscape? We intend to examine the subject from this perspective, with examples and answers to real questions. And be prepared to share your own horror stories and any happy endings during the discussion.

The kind of writing we do—writing for the public about public institutions—has a relatively recent history and has been largely ignored as either journalism or literature. Yet there is a strong literary quality to the best of our writing. And the stories we tell are essential to gaining support for these public institutions. Story-tellers provide the building blocks for all communications. This panel of ACE writers represents several types of storytelling, including feature writing, scriptwriting, and web writing. We will discuss how to create a story from a message; how to deliver a message through a story; and how to create the most effective vehicle to carry the story. We will dissect examples across media to show how “content” is created and crafted into stories with power. And we will share examples of good stories, compiled and distributed to those attending the session.

Growing up in the United States means growing up in a world shaped by an invisible force often called "white privilege." For example, if you are white, you can walk into any drugstore in the country and expect to find hair care products you can use. If you are a white male, you can discuss potential presidential candidates without hearing people wonder whether the country is "ready" for a white man to be president. Learn what "white privilege" is and how it can affect the messages we send to "diverse" audiences.

Extension news comes into the eXtension Virtual News Room via RSS feeds and atom feeds. Which land-grant universities have news coming in by feeds? What land-grant universities have had news releases posted on the eXtension news site? eXtension metrics will answer these questions and more.