10 ideas for using blogs in higher-ed PR

Our campus is really missing an opportunity with blogs in terms of PR and community building. And I don’t think we’re alone. Now as a blogger for just a few months I’m by no means an expert. But if I had to evangelize blogging to a group of campus communications folks (as I once did for podcasting) here’s what I’d say. And if you have anything to add, let me know.

1. Give a blog to every person in the University.
Faculty, students, alumni, and staff should automatically be given a blog, or at least who have an active campus ID. Harvard is leading the way here already.

Don’t just give alumni an email address. If you really want to keep them connected, give them a blog.

At this point it’s assumed that the folks who run the campus news have their own blog.

2. Harness the power of a campus blog network.
By aggregating campus blogs you provide a window into what your community is talking about. It’s also a great place for the community to connect: reading other’s posts, commenting upon them, linking to them.

The campus blog admin can display all manner of interesting data: most recent posts, comments, most popular or active, categories, and so on. They can showcase particular blogs, particularly if there are themes that the campus wishes to pursue.

The overall admin area is powerful place for messaging. Not only to announce new features or tech support, but for interesting campus news. For example, imagine announcing a big fundraising campaign. This might appeal to a blogging alum, or you can offer opt-in “Fundraising” banners to all blogs in the networks.

3. Build a media gateway via the campus homepage.
Link to campus blogs from the campus homepage. Link to podcasts and video while you’re at it. Showcase your leadership in higher-ed new media. Who knows? Maybe one of the blogs posts or an active conversation will find its way to the homepage.

At our campus new media is everywhere. But there is no easy way to locate it from a central location. There is not a single link to blogs, podcasts, or video from the homepage.

In contrast, look at MIT (podcasts and video), Harvard (multimedia), or Stanford (iTunes U). Or surely lots of more midsize to small schools. Heck, Googling “university blogs” uncovers a wealth of blogs in higher-ed.

4. Allow comments, possibly with rankings.
Comments are not only the best way to get feedback on your stories, they let other readers know what people are thinking. This in turn can spur more comments. And the conversation begins. Moderation will be necessary. But readers might also moderate by ranking comments, giving them a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” in order to drive the most popular comments to the top of the list.

The other day a co-worker pointed to an article he was reading on the Web and said, “Man, I wish this had a comments area!” This is the kind of thing people will start to expect.

5. Track blog conversations across the Web.
It’s important to pay attention to the conversations using blog search engines such as Technorati. Tracking this buzz can provide immediate insight and feedback about your blog and to stories that are important to the campus community in general.

6. Comment on blogs that discuss your campus’ issues.
By commenting on blogs it shows that your campus is listening. It also helps to bring an audience back to your campus blogs where they can add to the discussion.

This transparency and openness is key. Contribute to discussions that are taking off, especially negative ones. Blogs provide a chance to head-off bad press with public responses immediately before they take a life of their own. It’s not about controlling the conversation. Link to the bad press. Get it out in the open because it’s out anyway.

Of course most of the press will be positive. All the more reason to let ‘em know that you appreciate the good word. They might be happy to hear from you and in turn write more.

7. Use your blog to generate or enhance stories.
Use your blog as a sounding board. Have an interesting idea or don’t know enough about a topic? Might be a good reason to blog about it. See if your story generates interest. Find yourself pursuing themes in your blog as one post leads into another. Tweak the language, the title, see what hits. Blogs are not print. You can update them at will, harkening back to earlier posts.
You hope that a subject matter expert cares enough to comment. They may turn you on to other sources of research.

8. Assign blogging.
I can already hear complaints about being not having the time to blog. Well, it’s a matter of priorities. Does it make sense to make news stories more immediate, to change the paradigm from a one-way to a two-way conversation, and to supplement articles in print journalism? As a quick start, have contributors from a variety of campus publications contribute to a single blog.

9. Accept stories from bloggers.
We can no longer afford the attitude that we are the “adults”, the “official” voice of campus. Contributor stories such as Student Reports are fantastic. But imagine if they had blogs, or more students could be empowered to regularly cover a beat. Take this further and put audio/video recorders in their hands. Look at the fine work of CalTV. With a strapped staff this kind of collaborative journalism can only help.

Consider paying these journalists for their contributions or providing other incentives such as class credit.

10. Every story could also have an audio component.
When first read the excellent California Monthly alumni magazine I imagined what it would be like to listen to an article as a ½-hour podcast. In my reading mind I heard the authors voice speaking, quotes straight from the subjects, and audio images of the environments they were in. I guess it’s just like an audio magazine or the radio reinvented.

I’m happy to report that since then CalMonthly has delivered both audio and video for our campus iTunes U site. They get it. Oh, and they have a blog, too.

—————

The idea of using blogs for campus news and PR goes beyond the notion of building a “digital bridge” to our community. This is the water sloshing around underneath the bridge, voices co-mingling. It is the community. And it’s already talking. Now only if the campus would jump in to encourage it, to serve as an example. It would be powerful indeed. And it’s so easy to get started. What are we waiting for?