Posts Tagged ‘midwest rural assembly’

What’s going on in Hoffman, MN?

August 23rd, 2010

Thanks to a comment left on a blog post by Sheri Booms Holms, from the West Central Initiative Foundation, I learned about the community development efforts of Hoffman MN. Sheri lifted up Hoffman as a community that has “harnessed their can do spirit” in the face of decades of decline.  A couple years ago, most of Hoffman’s main street stood empty.  Enter Muriel Krusemark, who returned to town after years of managing a deli elsewhere.  She accepted the part-time job as  part-time coordinator for the Hoffman Economic Development Administration (HEDA), and that’s when all the fun seems to have started. 

Since Sheri left her comment, I’ve been scouring the Internet for information about what’s going on in Hoffman.  For a small town of 672, there’s a lot out there.  Perhaps the most informative sources are two short YouTube videos that capture Muriel’s presentation at this year’s Symposium on Small Towns at the University of Minnesota – Morris.  I’ve embedded both videos below.  (Note: unfortunately, the first part of Muriel’s presentation is missing.) 

(source:  “Muriel’s Hoffman presentation at the Symposium on Small Towns – part 2,” hoffeditor, YouTube, June 10, 2010)

 

(source: “Muriel’s Hoffman presentation at the Symposium on Small Towns – Part 2,” hoffeditor, YouTube, June 10, 2010)

 

In addition to the videos above and the links at the end of this post, I’ve also been talking to people about Hoffman, including Muriel, who I met at the Midwest Rural Assembly.  I’d like to lift out a bit of what I see happening in Hoffman.

 

8  ”bright spots” from Hoffman, MN

1) Asking “what can I do to help?” When Muriel first accepted her part-time job as economic development coordinator, she went around to businesses and asked “What can we do to make your business better?” In one situation, the business owner replied that he needed more space. Although she couldn’t finance a new building, Muriel helped connect him with a resource provider who verified that an expansion made financial sense. As a result, he moved into a larger space. Today his business is thriving.

2) Supporting entrepreneurs. Retail is tough in any small town. To address this issue, Hoffman created what might be termed a “business incubator.” Called The Galleria, the community purchased two vacant buildings on Main Street, and created attractive retail space from which multiple retail businesses could sell their products. Not only is the space affordable, but it addresses the issue of staffing; products from businesses are always for sale, even if the business owner is not always present. The Galleria is now privately owned and does not offer any formal businesses assistance training. But from the people I talked to, it sounds like Muriel is filling that void with advice she’s picked up over the years. Currently, there are twenty-two businesses operating out of this space.

3) Listening to the public. With assistance from a college intern, Muriel created a survey, asking the residents what issues needed to be addressed. High on the lists were increased healthcare offerings and a hardware store.

4) Improving health care.  When the community survey shows residents wanted more health care services in Hoffman, Muriel helped secure a grant to develop the Healthcare Mall. It replaced two more empty buildings on Main Street and has helped bring four medical professionals to Hoffman.  Now the elderly don’t have to drive elsewhere to receive medical care.

5) Building local economy.  Both the Galleria and the Healthcare Mall were public projects that help keep dollars in the community.  But an equally impressive effort has been the establishment of the Hoffman Farmer’s Market.  The market resulted from a rumor that went around town two year ago.  Since everyone was so excited about the rumor, Muriel decided she’d better create the market.  Listening to Muriel talk, I think it’s become more than a farmers market; it’s become a third place where residents come together to build relationships.

6) Creating amenities that attract people.  Hoffman is not located in a region noted for its outdoor amenities.  But in order to make the community more attractive to young families, they have taken steps to improve their recreational facilities.  For instance, they created an ice skating rink so that kids had something to do in the winter.  But when they noticed it was going unused, the community didn’t give up and call the project a waste.  Instead they discovered that children weren’t using it because they didn’t have skates. They addressed the issue by seeking a donation that helped purchase skates for children in need. 

7) Improving the housing stock.  It’s often easy to think that developing new housing should be a private sector project.  In Hoffman, the city took responsibility and helped create a new housing development, selling the lots for one dollar.  Even though the new houses that fill the development today are mostly from people within the community, I’m sure the development played a significant role in attracting the fourteen new families that have moved to Hoffman in recent months by opening up some of the older (and more affordable) housing stock.

8) Being transparent.  “Transparency” is a big word in the world of social media marketing.  Because word travels fast with social media, businesses have to be more open and honest with their customers than ever before.  (Just ask BP what happens when you don’t.)  I was very impressed to find many video clips of HEDA’s meeting being shared on Youtube.  Muriel tells me that most residents don’t access the videos online, but posting them as a part of the public record helps instill confidence and reduce false rumors. 

There’s a lot of good stuff going on in Hoffman.  What impresses me most is that there appears to be an understanding that there’s no quick fix to their problems.  The future will be tied to consistently developing lots of little projects that make sense in their community.  And with Muriel leading the charge, I’m sure Hoffman will have a bright future.

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Why rural communities need artists

August 20th, 2010

If I were in charge of giving out awards at the Midwest Rural Assembly, I’d give Becky McCray the “Best Tweet” award.  While listening to Deb Marquart speak about the role of artists in communities, Becky tweeted:

“Grow more artists, not just corn and athletes. Artists are the ones who reimagine a place, help create the future. Deb Marquart #mra10“

And if I were able to give out a “Most Insightful” award, I’d give it to Deb Marquart.  I’ve been thinking about the role of the arts as an economic development strategy lately, but Marquart tuned me onto another potential impact artists can make.  We need artists to help us solve the significant problems facing rural communities.

Marquart described artists as problem solvers, with a gift for looking at the world differently than the rest of us.  We need artists to bring those problem solving skills and perspective to the table as we deal with the economic and social challenges confronting our rural communities.  It’s key to helping us reimagine our futures. 

There was a lot of wisdom in Marquart’s words, so I attempted to recapture some of it in a short interview following her presentation.  You can watch that video below.

 

(Source:  “Deb Marquart on Why Rural Communities need Artists,” Youtube, Rural Learning Center, Aug. 16, 2010)

I think Marquart is right in her assessment of artists, especially if it includes a wide definition of the term.  Sadly, our communities don’t include artists enough in our community work.  Even worse, we make little effort to cultivate their development in our schools and communities. 

Later in the day, I participated in a discussion about the importance of teaching entrepreneurship to young people.  It was at that moment that I began to think about potential connections between artists and entrepreneurs.

Similar to the way Marquart views artists, I’ve always looked at entrepreneurs as problem solvers; they see an economic problem and attempt to find a business solution.  It’s got me thinking there’s a connection between teaching art and teaching entrepreneurship.  Perhaps programs and classes that cultivate artists could help grow more entrepreneurs, and vice-versa. 

Whether it’s artists, entrepreneurs, or someone else, we need to harness the energy and skills of people who bring a different perspective to the table and are good at overcoming obstacles.  Our reimagined future depends on it.

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Why’s this place boring?

August 19th, 2010

Deb Marquart immediately captured my attention on Monday at the Midwest Rural Assembly.  During her keynote presentation “Reimaging Place,” she explained to the audience that she left her hometown of Napoleon in rural North Dakota as a teenager because it was boring.  As she wrote a book about it as an adult, however, she discovered it was anything but boring.

The statement raised an interesting idea:  Do young people need to write a book in order to appreciate their hometowns? 

Although that question is a bit out there, it might not be as farfetched as one might think.  I’ve actually witnessed first-hand how young people can develop a connection to their community through writing activities. 

 

The Value of Place Based Education

Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mary Stangohr, a talented English teacher at Howard H.S. (SD) embedded place based education in her classroom.  In one of her units of study, Mary had her students read Broken Heartland by Osha Grey Davison, a book detailing the impact of industrial agriculture on rural communities. 

Whether they agreed with the author’s assessment or not, the book connected with most students because they could see similar trends in agriculture happening around them.  In some cases, it connected on an emotional level as some students saw how these changes impacted their parent’s farms, businesses, and places of employment.  It even opened the door for young people to talk to adults about issues that seldom get discussed.

But Mary didn’t end the project with reading the book.  She brought in a community historian who shared engaging stories about growing up in the community.  She took students on field trips to places like to Vilas, SD where students were able to visually experience what life was like in a town back in the 1920-30 before its population shrunk from 400-500 to 19 people today.  And then as a capstone, she required students to write a paper or produce a multimedia project that shared what they had learned.  

I’m not sure if student’s scores on the grammar section of mandatory testing increased as a result of the project.  But I’m positive that the activity encouraged them to dig in and connect more deeply to the subject, and that certainly made them better writers.

 

It’s more than good learning

Beyond the value of helping students become better writers, the project had another impact; Mary’s students came to understand their community better, and I think in many cases, to develop a deeper emotional connection to their hometown. 

In her own way, this is what Marquart shared with her audience at the Midwest Rural Assembly.  She grew up in her rural North Dakota community without knowing much about it.  Sure, she knew the people who lived there.  She knew they worked hard to eke out a living.  But she didn’t know the personal stories that made her community rich. 

Without those stories, it’s easy for any place to appear boring.

 

Photo Credit:  National Rural Assembly – Flickr (Shawn Poyter – permission granted)

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Brain Gain: calling on all “bright spots”

August 13th, 2010

I’ll be attending the Midwest Rural Assembly next Monday.  One of the aspects of the Assembly that I appreciate most is that in addition to the policy talk, it’s a great opportunity talk with rural leaders from around the Midwest.  This year, I’m particularly interested in learning about communities that are successfully addressing the issue often referred to as “brain drain.”  

By now, most everyone has heard about “brain drain.” Miner County, SD is a classic example of the phenomena:  for decades now, young people have graduated from high school, left for college, and settled in cities where opportunities appear to be more abundant. 

The phrase captures our attention today more than ever before because rural communities appear to be losing their “best and brightest” at a time when economists are recognizing the importance of “human capital” as a driver of economic development. 

But as Ben Winchester, a research fellow for University of Minnesota Extension , has noted this is only part of the story.  Many rural communities are experiencing a “brain gain” as people age 30 to 49 begin to move back to rural communities to raise families.    (source: “Rural Migration: The Brain Gain of Newcomers,” Ben Winchester)

We need to be intentional

I find Winchester’s research significant because this trend is occurring without most people knowing it.  Just think of the results if more communities decided to be intentional and work at attracting new residents.  I’m already aware of numerous efforts of this nature. For instance:

Clinton County, Ohio appears to be doing a nice of changing their community brand as a way of attracting young people. They’ve created the Clinton County Fellows program and are challenging young people to come back and do something special in their hometown.

I’ve also been very impressed with the work of the Next Generation initiative of the Gogebic Range of Iron County, Wisconsin and Gogebic County, Michigan.  They’ve developed a four pronged approach that includes youth retention, new resident attraction and new resident retention.  

While these Midwestern projects deserve attention as “bright spots,” I’m also interested in efforts further west as well.  My friends at the Strom Center have identified some good work in the oil country of North Dakota, and I just learned of another effort emerging out of the Upper Minnesota Regional Development Commission.  I’ll dig into these bright spots in the future. 

Look me up at the MRA

As I stated earlier, I’m hoping other people attending the Midwest Rural Assembly share my interest in the subject and will look me up.  I’ve even included a profile picture in case we haven’t met. 

If we don’t meet before hand, I think there’s an opportunity Monday afternoon from 3:00 – 5:00 for us to get together as well.  If I understand the agenda correctly, the session is intended as an opportunity for people to gather around topics of interest, identify what is working well, and then talk about policies that need further attention.  I intend to stand up and identify my interest in “people attraction and retention.”  If enough people are interested, I’m sure we’ll generate some good discussion.

I’m really looking forward to the event, and I hope you are as well. 

Note: I’ll be Tweeting (@Michael_Knutson) using the #MRA10 hashtag, and hopefully blogging from the event on Reimagine Rural.

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On being a good coach

August 6th, 2010

Morgan’s article, “Do you need a coach?” from a couple days ago caused me to do a little reminiscing.  Although my thoughts initially focused on how I’ve personally benefited from some non-athletic coaching, my mind quickly turned to how our community development work in Miner County has benefited from coaches over the years.

Although there are many people who have provided valuable insights, I think two individuals stand out:  Dr. Daryl Hobbs of the University of Missouri and Dr. Tom Kilian, a Miner County native and true renaissance man.

Both men brought years of wisdom to our effort.  That’s important because all communities, rural and urban, need an injection of new ideas.  But as I shared in a comment on Morgan’s original post, wisdom wasn’t their greatest gift.

As I reflect, I think their greatest impact was their ability to help us discover our own path.  Too often community development experts come into rural communities with the answers and try to fix problems.  That seldom works.

If you want to learn more about what makes these two men special, check out what they have to say in this video that we shared with people at the 2009 Midwest Rural Assembly.

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Talent attraction: If its right for Sioux Falls, is it right for small towns?

July 12th, 2010

Yesterday, Randall Beck, publisher of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, wrote an editorial calling on Sioux Falls, SD to recognize that its future will be tied to its ability to attract young people. (source – Randall Beck, “Sioux Falls must attract talent,” Argus Leader, July 11, 2010.)  

Although he doesn’t describe it in-depth, the foundation upon which he builds his argument is solid: future economic development will be fueled by the knowledge of the people living in the community and the ability of these individuals to transfer that knowledge into economic activity. If a community does not have enough talent, it had better go out and get it.  That effort is the centerpiece of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s new five-year blueprint for South Dakota’s largest city.

Good stuff.  I like it.

The market is no longer “rural”

What caught my attention, however, was Beck’s acknowledgement that Sioux Falls will need to find its next generation of talent in cities such as Minneapolis and Omaha in the future.  Historically Sioux Falls’ growth has been fueled by talent from rural communities across South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.  Beck cites Hollowing out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What it Means for America, a book dear to my heart, to note that those rural communities have nothing more to give.

Sadly, Beck may be right.

 

A great vision for Sioux Falls, but…

I appreciate Beck’s vision for the future of Sioux Falls.  He’s providing leadership in an area where leadership is needed.  But what about those rural communities to which Sioux Falls has been historically connected?  It feels like Sioux Falls is saying, rural communities have no future, so let’s move on.  

But that’s not the message from Hollowing out the Middle.

 

Let’s get back to Hollowing out the Middle

For those who haven’t read Hollowing out the Middle I’d recommend reading the book.  If time is short, take a look at this summary article written by its authors titled “Rural Brain Drain,” which appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education in September 2009.

The book and article offer great analysis of the issue of why young people leave rural communities.  Although painful to consider, I appreciate the authors’ assessment that part of the problem rests on resource allocation:

“What surprised us most was that adults in the community were playing a pivotal part in the town’s decline by pushing the best and brightest young people to leave, and by underinvesting in those who chose to stay, even though it was the latter that were the towns’ best chance for a future.” (source:  Patrick J. Carr & Maria J. Kefalas, “Rural Brain Drain,” Chronicle of Higher Education,  Sept. 21, 2009.

Although there’s much to be learned from Hollowing out the Middle, the authors only skim the surface of the brain drain phenomena.  The book’s greater value is that it attempts to build a deeper conversation about that issue.

Sadly, we’ve not heard enough of that dialogue in our part of South Dakota.  At times, we’ve attempted to initiate some conversation on ReImagine Rural.  But admittedly, we’ve failed to invest enough energy to generate the type of focus and attention the subject deserves.  (see articles on the subject here.)

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I’m interested in seeing attendees at the Midwest Rural Assembly pick up the conversation where Hollowing out the Middle leaves off.  I’ve had a few conversations with people about how that might be facilitated, but nothing has been planned as of yet.  Stay tuned if you are interested.

Whether the conversation happens at the Midwest Rural Assembly or at other venues, it must include a discussion about whether or not talent attraction strategies, which are typically reserved for urban populations, are effective in small, rural communities.  Clearly Sioux Falls believes it’s not too small, but what about the more typical small, rural communities that proliferate throughout the Midwest?

Personally, I feel it’s an option for many, but we’ve got some learning to do before we’ll get good at it.  And there’s no time like the present to get started. 

Photo Credit:  bowena – Flickr  (BTW – S.F. has done a nice job of reinventing its downtown, including efforts to redevelop the State Theater)

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Thinking about the Midwest Rural Assembly

June 30th, 2010

“Anyone who is passionate about the rural Midwest should plan on attending the Midwest Rural Assembly.”  I made that statement last year in a post about the Assembly, and I want to repeat it again this year. If you are one of those persons, I hope I will see you in South Sioux City, Nebraska on August 16 & 17. 

What is the Midwest Rural Assembly?

The Midwest Rural Assembly is an effort to gather people who are care about the rural Midwest and hold a conversation about its future.  In many ways it provides an opportunity to regionalize and localize the efforts of the National Rural Assembly by “providing an opportunity for rural leaders and their allies to unite in a common cause, advocating for common-sense policies that improve the outlook and results for rural places, people, cultures, and economies.” After all, rural means different things to people in different parts of the country. 

Even within the Midwest, people have different ideas about what “rural” means and what needs to be done to build a vibrant future for our region.  One of the things I like about the event is that the agenda is shaped by the people who show up and are willing to do the work.  That’s a lot like how things get done in our rural communities.

What’s happening this year?

Organizers of the event are finalizing this year’s speakers and sessions, but the program is being positioned around the four guiding principles of the National Rural Assembly:  (1) Investments in our People; (2) Health of our People; (3) Stewardship of Natural Resources;  and (4) Quality in Education. 

Last year I met some great people from whom I continue to draw inspiration and ideas (i.e. – Neil Linscheid, who I wrote about in my last post).  Unfortunately, I was too wrapped up in a presentation and some other activities last year to fully engage myself in the conversations.  Hopefully that changes this year.

What I’m interested in

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the role education plays in the future of our rural communities.  Specifically, I’m interested in the ideas put forth in Hollowing out the Middle.  I’d very much like to hear what others have to say about the concept that educators and community members overinvest in those most likely to leave our rural communities at the expense of those who are committed to staying. 

As soon as the agenda is shared, I’m going to look for places where that conversation is most likely to emerge.  If this year’s event is like last year’s, many good conversations will take place in the hallways between sessions.  If this is a topic of interest to you, I hope you will seek me out.   And if you know of places where that conversation is already taking place online, I hope you will share them with me.  It would be great to have interesting food for thought before the Assembly meets in August. 

 

Details of the 2010 Midwest Rural Assembly

Website:  www.MidwestRuralAssembly.org
Date:  August 16 & 17, 2010
Location: Marina Inn and Conference Center (Phone: 1-800-798-7980)
Social Media:  Be sure to follow the Midwest Rural Assembly on Facebook and Twitter as well.

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Youth: Renewing the Countryside

August 18th, 2009

My roots as a high school teacher draw me towards seeing young people as a big part of the answer for the future for rural communities.  All too often, however, we celebrate young people who succeed in urban areas, while neglecting those who thrive in our own rural communities.  That’s why books such as Youth: Renewing the Countryside are so important. 

Produced in a partnership between Renewing the Countryside and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), the book highlights stories of entrepreneurial young people (under age 35) from all fifty states who are doing something special in their rural communities. 

Jan Joannides of Renewing the Countryside offers a more complete description of the book in the video below.

I picked up a copy of the book at the Midwest Rural Assembly, and quickly fell in love with it.  It’s the type of book that could inspire other young people to see a future for themselves in rural places.

That thought caused me to reflect on work in Howard High School (SD) in the mid-1990s.  Recognizing that young people know more about life in urban areas than in their own communities, we attempted to embed the study of place in our classes.  For instance, one exceptional teacher, Mary Stangohr, used the book Broken Heartland to help students understand how the changing face of agriculture was affecting their lives.  Powerful learning.

After reading Youth:  Renewing the Countryside, I’d recommend it to any innovative high school educator, seeking to inspire their students.  Just reading and discussing it in the classroom would be awesome.  But I could see teachers using it to inspire their students to produce a book of their own with stories from their community or region.  After all, as Jan highlights in the video, Youth was produced by young people.

But barriers, perceived and real, will make this unlikely.  The biggest barrier may very well be cost: where does a teacher find the money to buy books like this in times of ever tightening school budgets?

If you are a high school teacher and would like to engage your students in this type of project, I’d recommend that you make your desires known and then work to make it a reality.  My guess is that if you let enough people know about your desire to inspire young people, someone or some organization will eventually hear and agree with you that this is an important project.  It won’t be easy.  But being a part of the solution for your community will be well worth it.

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5 Things I learned at the Midwest Rural Assembly

August 17th, 2009

Attending a conference such as the Midwest Rural Assembly is always a great experience.  You get to meet new people, learn what other organizations are doing, and become inspired.  And then one returns to the daily grind of work, where the learning and inspiration are often placed on the backburner.

In an attempt to not lose that inspiration and learning, I’ve written down five things I learned at the assembly. 

First, I was reminded of how important it is to welcome and invite people – especially young people — into a community.  Even though it shouldn’t have been funny, I broke out laughing when Neil Linscheid of Marshall, MN described how he responds to “the stare” that follows visitors whenever they enter small town cafes.   We know that in most situations “the stare” is not meant to be rude, but rural residents need to remember that the stare makes visitors and new residents feel out-of-place and unwelcomed.  (I wrote more about that issue here.  And as for Neil’s response; he stares right back — see the above picture. )

Second, social media can be an important marketing strategy for rural communities. I have to come clean in admitting that I entered the conference with strong convictions on the subject.  But it was refreshing to hear from Kelly Fuller of Plains Justice who told a story of how she chose Vermillion, SD as the home for her non-profit work in part because she connected with people of similar interests and values in Vermillion who she found through a blog.  Through these connections, she and other staff members felt they had received a more authentic view of the community than if they had relied solely on community-based websites for their decision making.

Third, there are a lot of organizations doing great work for Rural America.  Approximately 170 individuals attended the conference representing thirteen states and one Canadian province.  The list of everyone doing great work is too long to name everyone, but I’d invite readers to check out a few of the following notable non-South Dakota organizations doing good work:  Renewing the Countryside, the Heartland Center, and Northern Great Plains, Inc.

Forth, Twitter should be incorporated into more conference activities.  I was very impressed when Marcie McLaughlin of Rural Policy Research Institute requested that that the audience use Twitter to ask questions of the “The Future of Rural America:  Next Generation” panelists.  I’m sure it felt like a barrier to conference stalwarts who feel more comfortable standing up and asking questions.  But I think it opened up a new audience for question asking.  Let’s face it, some people will never feel comfortable standing up in front of a crowd, and tools like Twitter can help these people be a part of the process. 

Fifth, I was impressed to see people willing to take the work of the assembly home with them.  During the waning moments of the assembly, attendees broke into the five areas of emphasis identified by the National Rural Assembly.  I joined the Investing in our Communities group, and watched the group share their thoughts about issues that need further attention.  We probably needed a little more time to fully explore the topics, but we left with areas of emphasis, issues, and an action plan identified.  Even more impressive is that the group has already produced draft minutes (thanks Kirsten Gorham and Yolanda Cotteral), and is looking to continue the dialog.

That presents us with a challenge.  How does the dialogue continue?  How do we engage others who could not attend? 

If you have thoughts on this subject I would encourage you to post them here.

           

Photo Credits: All photos by Shawn Poynter of the Center for Rural Strategies.

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But what tools do I use?

August 14th, 2009

During our “Building a e-network using social media” presentation at the Midwest Rural Assembly, one of the participants asked a great question.  It went something like this, “I like the idea of all this social media stuff, but how do you know what tools to use?” It was such a great question that I’d like to expand on our answers and share it with others.

Lindsey and I responded with several short answers:

First, start by identifying your goals, and then make sure your goals match to the appropriate technology.

Second, figure out what tools your intended audience is already using. No sense in using a tool that doesn’t connect with them.

Third, invest some time in learning the strengths and weaknesses of each type of social media tool.

I then recommended Marketing in the Groundswell, as a good resource for learning about the strengths and weaknesses of social media tools.  For instance, from the book I learned that:

Viral Videos are a great tool when you have an awareness problem. (Tip:  Creating videos is pretty easy today.  Creating quality videos that can go viral is much, much more difficult.)

Social networks (like Facebook) work well when trying to create word of mouth campaigns.

Blogs are the best tools for dealing with complex issues.

Community building tools (like Ning) should be used when you are focused on listening to each other rather than listening to you.   (p. 80-81)

Leaving the session, however, I felt our answers were incomplete. So I hopped online and researched the subject further.  Here’s what I found.

Initially, I liked the classifications used on slide 8 of this presentation titled “How to Market your Event using Social Media.”  It identified the following 4 categories.  

Community Builders:  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Content Creators: Blogs, Video, Twitter

Distribution Channels: Webinars,  Twitter

Linking: Digg, Stumbleupon, Reddit, Twitter

Although I think they over-emphasized the value of Twitter by placing it in all four categories, I like the categories because they point out the usefulness of each tool.  Community Builders help create communities; Content Creators enable individuals to develop content; Distribution channels help share content; and Linking tools make it easier to pass along web links. 

The further I dug into the subject, however, the more it became apparent that there is no real agreement on the classifications of the tools.   One expert says Facebook is only good for networking with friends, while another says that it best at creating communities.   I sort of knew that these disagreements existed before I started my search.  But my desire to find an easy answer caused me to forget it. 

So, what does this mean for rural leaders seeking to use social media tools?  My response is to go back to the answers Lindsey and I provided during our session, and then dig in. There really are no easy answers. 

Each individual seeking to use social media needs to take the advice of the experts, and adapt it to the specifics of their situation.  This means there will probably be some trial and error.  But in the end, it will make your efforts more successful. 

 

Other resources to consider:

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