Creating Social Media Buttons: Facebook

After a brief overview, we discussed different buttons for Twitter last week in the blog. This week we will look at the various buttons that can be used for Facebook.

Follow Button (formerly called Subscribe Button)

This button enables you to reach out and increase your following. It allows your members to subscribe to your Facebook page.

Go to your Facebook page and copy the URL for it. Click this LINK. Fill in the copied URL. No numbers are needed for width or height. Click the button “Get Code.” Click on iFrame tab. Copy the code that appears.

Open your website in the editor (e.g. Weebly) you are using. In Weebly, drag the icon “Embed Code” to the position you want the button. Paste the code from Facebook. After publishing, you will see a “Follow” button.

Like Button

This gives your Facebook page a “thumbs up.” Members endorse your content and share it with their Facebook connections. This button does NOT allow members to personalize messages before sending them. The Share Button does allow personalized comments. The following directs allow you to add a LIKE Button and include the SHARE Button.

You will need your Facebook URL. Paste it into this FORM.  See the example below. Click “Get Code.” Copy the code. Open your website in the editor (e.g. Weebly) you are using. In Weebly, drag the icon “Embed Code” to the position you want the button. Paste the code from Facebook. After publishing, you will see a “Like and Share” button.

Although we’ve only covered Twitter and Facebook buttons in the last two posts, there are buttons for LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. We hope to cover several more in the months to come.

Creating Social Media Buttons: Twitter

 

If you have a website, Twitter account, Facebook page, YouTube channel, or Pinterest account for your chapter or state organization, you are always looking for ways to extend your connection with your members or potential members.

At first glance, this topic seems to be short and sweet . . . and it can be with a little patience that will pay dividends for your chapter and/or state organization. Twitter and Facebook alone have many ways to incorporate different buttons. As a result, this topic will be broken into two articles. This posting will deal with Twitter. Next week we will cover Facebook.

Twitter Buttons

Twitter allows you to create a variety of buttons: Follow, Share, Mention, Hashtag or Message.

To create these buttons, go to https://publish.twitter.com/# . Scroll down and click “Twitter Buttons.” Select the button that is needed (see below), and you will be asked to customize the look, the text, account, etc.  Each button requires slightly different customization. Twitter will generate HTML code that will be embedded on your website. Twitter’s documentation and directions for customization are found HERE.

Twitter Follow Button allows members to follow you with one click, all without leaving your website.

Twitter Share Button enables site visitors to easily share content (e.g. your website, or specific pages)

Twitter Mention Button This button encourages website visitors to communicate with you via Twitter. This button can be added to “Contact Us” or “About Us.”

Take NOTE: Following and Sharing buttons are different.

Follow buttons promote your presence on the various social media by taking the member to your linked social media. These buttons can be placed anywhere on your website to create visibility to your presence in other social media. Placing in several places is recommended--including the Home page, About Us page, or even in a sidebar.

Share buttons share your site with members’ social media connections and networks. These buttons allow you to expand your reach to new audiences and perhaps bring visitors back to your website. These buttons can be added to your web page, blog articles, email signatures, QR codes (for business cards, etc.), or any other piece of content you create.

Additional “Buttons”

In addition to the buttons created by Twitter, one other idea cannot be omitted--creating what, technically, is not a button but rather an anchor text link. An example is below ( it is not an active button.)

You can create a free “button” at this URL:  https://clicktotweet.com. You will be asked to login to your Twitter account. You enter the text you want to populate the tweet, copy and paste the generated URL into your anchor text (e.g., “Tweet This” or “Click to Tweet”). As a best practice, include a shortened URL in the Tweet to direct members back to the original piece of content you are promoting. Also include your @name.

Are you ready to widen your chapter’s reach? If Twitter isn’t your thing, visit our blog next week when we cover “Buttons for Facebook.”

Twitter image customized by Eileen

Emails: Read with Responses

There are two approaches to writing an email. One is a casual approach that you would use for a quick note to a friend. The other is more professional. This type of email contains information for someone in authority, a committee chair, or any other professional. You expect this email to be read and, if necessary, a response.

The Subject Line: Vital and necessary!

The first thing the email recipient sees is your name and the subject line. So in an email that you want to be sure is read, it is imperative that the subject line clearly states the purpose of your email. In addition, it tells them what you want them to do with your note.

The next time you write the subject line, begin it with an action such as INFO NEEDED:   ACTION NEEDED:  REQUEST:  FOLLOW UP NEEDED:  DECISION NEEDED:  SHARE THIS:  INFO:

Examples:

SHARE THIS: State newsletter

INFO NEEDED: Chairs of Committees

REQUEST:  Status of project

This type of subject line also makes it easier to locate an email at a later time.

The Body: Brief and to the point

After a salutation, the body of your email should begin with your bottom line.  

Example:  

Dear Shannon,

Bottom Line (the very heart of your email): This newsletter link should be shared with all chapter members.

The remainder of your email should give BACKGROUND: additional instructions and other pertinent information done in an economical manner. Every word matters and useless prose doesn’t. Be crisp in your delivery.

Even if you do have an automatically attached signature, close your email with a professional closing and your name.

If you really need a response, your closing should be "Thanks in advance," because that phrasing actually works.

 A complete example:

Give this method a try, especially the subject line idea. Let us know if it works for you. Once you get in the habit, you will see its usefulness.

Original graphic from Pixabay CC0. Customized by Eileen

Fake or Real News? Ways to help you decide.

Getting true (real) information about something in Delta Kappa Gamma is straightforward. Check with the chapter, state or International. Beyond that, it becomes a quagmire. The bottom line otherwise: don’t believe anything you read online without checking it out.

Begin with the article you are reading. Does it use excessive punctuation?!?!?! ALL CAPS? Is there a byline? Are the media outlet’s editorial standards posted anywhere? Is there a current date on the story? Look at the domain/URL.

Be very suspicious of a URL that ends with .com.co - abcnews.com is legitimate, but abcnews.com.co is not. Read the “About Us” section. Is the language straightforward or overblown? If there are any quotes at all, determine if the sources are reputable. Check the comments section. If people are questioning the article’s validity, it probably is fake. Finally, if there is an image with the article, do a reverse search by right-clicking the image and choosing to search Google for it. The image may not be associated with the material in the article at all.

Have you ever gotten a wild, unusual or far-fetched story via email from a friend? A recent example shows a “wall” with the text reading. “This is the gigantic WALL that Mexico built on the Guatemalan border.. Hummmmm. Imagine that? I guess it is OK for Mexico to build a wall to keep Guatemalans out..” The photo actually shows a portion of the Israeli West Bank. In addition, there is no wall between Mexico and Guatemala. You could have checked this information at snopes.com. Snopes– Snopes has been the definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation for a long time.  Snopes is also usually the first to report the facts.  Truth or Fiction– Very similar to Snopes, this site tends to focus more on political rumors and hoaxes.

Political news stories are scrutinized on several sites.

Politifact– PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida.  Politifact is simply the best source for political fact checking.  It won the .Pulitzer Prize.

Fact Check– FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.  Annenberg is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. The Center monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.  Fact Check is similar to Politifact in its coverage, and it provides excellent details.  The only drawback is that the site lacks the simplicity of Politifact.

Open Secrets– Open Secrets is a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit, run by the Center for Responsive Politics, which is the nation’s premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy.  Open Secrets is by far the best source for discovering how much and where candidates get their money.  They also track lobbying groups and whom they are funding.

Lesson Plans to Fight Fake News

Classroom teachers are finding that they, too, must address this problem. A blog by Vicki Davis, aka Cool Cat Teacher, has three free lesson plans available. Explanation available HERE. PDF files available HERE.

Media bias and outright false information are everywhere. It is up to you to determine if "new" is real or fake. Take a few minutes to do this on the stories that are most important to you.

What is Effective Communication?

Effective communication is an important life skill that enables us to better understand and connect with the people around us. It allows us to build respect and trust, resolve differences and foster environments where problem-solving, caring, affection and creative ideas can thrive. Lack of effective communication inadvertently leads to conflict and frustration.

Some ideas to communicate effectively:

• Eye contact - Don’t stare your audience down, but maintaining eye contact tells them you are listening.

• Talking with your hands - Use your hands to emphasize your key points.

• Avoid extraneous sounds - If you constantly hear “um” or “you know” it is distracting from the important points.

• Pause momentarily before responding - You are probably thinking of a response before the other person has even completed their thoughts. Instead, pause, think, and really understand what was just said. Then formulate your response to convey your thoughts.

• Don’t rush - Like the idea above, slow down and pay attention. Just that little bit of time could end up making a huge difference.

• Be trustworthy and honest - If you are honest and trustworthy, you don’t have to worry that you may say something wrong. These traits are really important when it comes to communication.

• Adapt your ideas to others - When you get an idea, you form a mental picture. There will be times that you will not be able to convey that picture to others. So you will have to find a different way to share your idea so that it is understood. This means you have to know your audience.

• Stay in the moment - You must not get distracted. You must pay attention to your audience.  You have to be there when you are speaking and listening. Try restating the idea as you understand it before inserting your idea.

• Be patient and open-minded - Understand that you may not be communicating as effectively as you’d like. Be patient with both yourself and your audience. Keep an open mind. Communication is always possible. Look for new ways to share and understand.

• Pay attention to nonverbal cues - This is important. It is important to listen, but you also must see. Be conscious of your non-verbal cues and watch for those of your audience. Those cues may actually say more than the words being spoken. During email communication, these nonverbal cues cannot be seen. That is one big reason emails can communicate the wrong information.

• Don’t assume everyone understands - Follow up. Did you really understand the conversation? Did your audience truly understand?

• Hone your skills - Ask for feedback from your audience. Ask for suggestions to make yourself better a better communicator.

Have you made an effort to communicate more effectively? Which idea above are you willing to try?

How Can You Use QR Codes?

QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) first designed for the automotive industry in Japan. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that contains information (Wikipedia). A QR code can pull up a web page, text, or geographic coordinates; give details about a product; or even help you find Pokemon. Snapchat redesigned its icon as a QR code and provides a Snapcode or Snaptag as a way to follow people.

Why would I want to use a QR code?

In the classroom, it can eliminate the frustration of a long web address and can take students directly to a designated site. QR codes save time and are easy to make. Want more uses? THIS site will give you 40!

On any level of DKG, there are many uses. After a  presentation, provide a QR code that leads to additional materials. Put a QR code in your newsletter to link to your website.  A QR code on your business card can take interested members to your website, LinkedIn or Facebook page. Allow them to click a QR code to enroll in an event such as your convention.

How do you scan a code?

You can scan a QR code with an app on your smartphone. The DKG app has a built-in QR code reader. Find it under “More”. Using an app and your smart phone’s camera, it is easy to scan a code. Apps are available for iPhone and Android. uQR.me evaluated 11 apps. Many of these are free. In the list, Kaspersky’s QR Scanner is notable because it also protects you from dangerous links.

Can I make a QR Code?

Although there are apps to generate QR codes, the online versions are better. A recent blog by a developer and Social Media Manager evaluated 7 of the best free online QR code generators.

Did you get a QR scanning app and scan the code above? Wasn’t it easy? Now it is time for you to make your own code! I made the QR code above at the following website: https://www.qrcode-monkey.com

Marketing? Yes, Marketing!

 Publicity is the familiar term. Yes, we want publicity for DKG--that is, we want to give out information that lets others know who we are and what we do. But beyond garnering publicity, we must also market our organization,  promoting its products or services. Actually, marketing comes in two flavors, internal and external. Internal marketing is directed to current members, while external marketing is directed to the key women educators who are not yet members and to the educational community as a whole.

Internal marketing helps members understand and realize the benefits of membership. It is not just updating a website, writing a blog post, and sending newsletters. It isn’t just communicating, either. It’s also about listening to what members want and need and delivering that to them. We must never forget current members. They sustain the Society and are the public face of our organization.

Most members are proud of what they do and love DKG--which creates an opportunity for great external marketing--letting others know about our organization and its remarkable role in impacting education worldwide.  Some, however, get anxious when they think they must have an “official” explanation or memorize something, such as a mission statement. Instead, encourage members to focus on and share why they love our organization -- they already know that by heart!

Every member should be able to answer these questions:

• What does Delta Kappa Gamma do?
• What makes DKG special?
• Who does DKG help? (key women educators and education worldwide.)
• How does DKG do that? (promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. Millions of dollars in scholarships and grants are invested in study and projects proposed by members.)

Ask members to tell stories about how our organization has changed their lives or the wonderful projects that have helped teachers and the community. Create videos of their stories. With every electronic correspondence, include website and Facebook addresses. Create engaging presentations and post them on Slideshare. Create visuals for chapter or state organization websites, newsletters, social media posts and more. Leverage Canva to help create those visuals. (See our blog on Visuals). Make sure members know about these resources and can share with potential members and with others who would be interested in what our Society accomplishes.

With the help of all these tools, you can create a myriad of content, showcasing member knowledge and expertise, doing event recaps, highlighting donations to education, and sharing members’ impact.

You are doing a lot of this now. Why not capitalize on it?

Graphic is from Pixabay and rated CC0

Social Media are Becoming More Visual

Text is still very important, but a lot of text can get overwhelming quickly. The Internet is becoming very visual. Humans process visuals much more quickly than text, so visuals can do some heavy lifting as you work on your website, newsletter or social media platforms. Working with visuals can be fun. Some ways to construct your visuals are below. 

Canva

Canva is the top choice to design visuals. Canva is available online and also as an app for iPad. The best part is that it is free and easy to use. It is a workhorse, offering a variety of content types. From pre-sized social media images and header templates to marketing materials, documents, presentations, invitations, ebooks, resumes and ads, you’ll find almost everything you need. Great tutorials are available for all levels.

Photography

When you think about visuals, photography is the first thing that comes to mind. Sites like Pixabay provide free, high quality images. Three examples from Pixabay are shown below and also in our header.

Quote Graphics

Occasionally, a newsletter, website or Facebook page needs a quote to add emphasis. Three online free services make this easy. Quozio, behappy.me and Recite are easy to use and produce eye-catching results. 

In addition, there are a number of excellent apps available to make your quote graphics: WordSwag, InstaQuote, PicLab, and Paint Paper Studio.

Infographics

Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. Venngage and Pictochart are two online infographic creators.
 

Screen Shots

If a member has a question about doing something, why not take a screenshot to answer via social media or website? Screen shots can explain, exemplify, or demonstrate something. Screen shots are easy on both the Mac and Windows and cost nothing. Below are three screenshots. Two are from web pages and one from an email program on a computer. Notice the annotations. 

Are you ready to add visuals to your social media, website or newsletter? You will enjoy working with them, and your members will enjoy seeing them. Try one approach. Then try another. Let us know how you did. What was your favorite?