Blogging for a Change

BLOGGING FOR A CHANGE@andrewcareaga

#hewebarJuly 22, 2011

Who am I and why

am I here?

OUR UNIVERSITY: YESTERDAY …

… AND TODAY

‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’

George Santayana

Remember 2006?

In 2006 there was no…

Twitter (but there was twttr) Heweb backchannel .eduGuru “Open” Facebook

Judge’s choice: MySpace

“ We see MySpace as the new MTV, with one crucial difference: the users are the stars. With a MySpace page, anyone can be a celebrity, creating an online image that’s sometimes an alter-ego to their true personality.”

Source: mashable.com/2006/12/24/top-social-networks-2006/

Hot for 2007: Bebo, Vox,Facebook, Facebox

“… [W]e think Bebo is the most ‘exciting’ social network right now. ... [W]e’re a little less optimistic about Facebook than we were at the start of the year: now that acquisition talks with Yahoo are off the cards, they may need to go it alone.”

Source: mashable.com/2006/12/24/top-social-networks-2006/

OCTOBER 9, 2006

Photo by sea turtle (www.flickr.com/photos/sea-turtle/4255450013/)

John F. Carney IIIMissouri S&T ChancellorName Change Instigator

WHY A NAME CHANGE?

Differentiation

WHY A NAME CHANGE?

Differentiation

University of Missouri-Columbia (MU)University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR)University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL)

WHY A NAME CHANGE?

Mission

Cubic

le C

art

oon

#22:

“Mis

sion S

tate

ment

Imposs

ible

” (w

ww

.Cub

icle

Cart

oon.c

om

)

WHY A NAME CHANGE?

MissionU.S. technological research universities

California Institute of Technology

Clarkson UniversityColorado School of MinesFlorida Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of TechnologyIllinois Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Michigan Technological University

New Jersey Institute of Technology

New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology

Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteSouth Dakota School of Mines & TechnologyStevens Institute of Technology

University of Alabama in HuntsvilleUniversity of Missouri-Rolla (Missouri S&T)Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WHY A NAME CHANGE?

Market share: prospective students

WHY A NAME CHANGE?

Reputation“While UMR is known in the Midwest and in specialized circles for its academic excellence, it is less well known on a national and international scale. Beyond the Midwest, prospective students often view UMR as a branch campus. …”

John F. Carney III“The Case for a Name Change”

chancellor.mst.edu/namechange/

WHY A NAME CHANGE?

Reputation

“… A more distinctive, mission-based name would more easily achieve national visibility for both our recruiting efforts and our research programs.”

John F. Carney III“The Case for a Name Change”

chancellor.mst.edu/namechange/

MAKING THE CASE

Audience Communications vehicles

Students Forums, email, campus media, personal contact with student leaders

Faculty/staff Forums, email, campus media

Alumni UMR Magazine, alumni newsletter, section events, personal contact

Corporate recruiters

Email, letters, personal contact

Rolla community Community forums, news media

Legislators Email, letters

Public Community forums, news media

The communications plan

MAKING THE CASE

“Let’s do a blog!”

Me

“Authenticity is the core value that makes blogging such a new and different way for businesses to communicate. If

authenticity is the defining feature of

blogging, then credibility is its benefit.”

Robert Scoble and Shel IsraelNaked Conversations

MAKING THE CASE

Audience Communications vehicles

Students Forums, email, campus media, personal contact with student leaders, blogging

Faculty/staff Forums, email, campus media, blogging

Alumni UMR Magazine, alumni newsletter, section events, personal contact, blogging

Corporate recruiters Email, letters, personal contact, blogging

Rolla community Community forums, news media, blogging

Legislators Email, letters, blogging

Public Community forums, news media, blogging

The communications plan, revised

WHY A BLOG?

Transparency A forum for discussion Updates in one place A place to vent Widespread access (Facebook was

still unfamiliar to all but college students)

WHY A BLOG?

To facilitatechange

‘The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems. The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people.’

John KotterSource: David Pohl, "Change or Die," Fast Company, May 2005(www.fastcompany.com/magazine/94/open_change-or-die.html).

The only person who likes change is a wet baby.

Attributed to Mark Twain

Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.

Author unknown

JANUARY 30, 2007

JANUARY 30, 2007

JANUARY 30, 2007

•Useful info•Discussion• The latest scoop

namechange.mst.edu/2007/01/welcome_to_the_conversation.html

Inaugural post: comment love

I feel that any name recognition that we currently enjoy will be lost once the name changes to anything else. The Missouri Technological University? Does that not sound like some third rate school in the state?

… As an alumni [sic], if this name change is pushed through despite all of the protests, I promise that I will be first in line in sending my children to another university that does not believe in arbitrarily changing its name versus actually attempting to perform real recruiting at high schools around the nation.

First of 28 comments on the inaugural post

More comment love

We have spent years trying to shed the “tech school” image to broaden our course offerings and become more like a “real” university. Changing the name to a tech name moves us backwards in this regard.

Maybe we could just go with Missouri University of science and engineering. Then technically we coulde be abbr. with MOUSE! then we could sing the mickey mouse song with pride.

More comment love

Don’t change the name. Improve the branding. “Rolla” is known where it counts. “Missouri School of Mines” is the only option if it must be changed.

If you change the name to anything - go back to Missouri School of Mines.

Not book-jacket blurb material

“… one of the worst ideas since eliminating the schools and the deans.” – Feb. 3, 2007

“Pitiful.” – March 23, 2007

“I’m against any name change for any reason.” – March 23, 2007

On the positive side…

“I like the name change idea. It seems appropriate and could have some real long term international benefits. “ – Feb. 24, 2007

“I also favor a name change, getting away from being a ‘branch.’” - Feb, 27, 2011

“It would make me happy to have an alma mater with a name that sounds like a real school rather than an extension campus, so I am in favor of a name change.” – March 23, 2011

The first 33 days

13 posts – 102 comments*

* Excluding spam

20

2

1861

Favor change

Return to MSM

Oppose change

Neutral/off-topic

Off-topic topics

Questioning the methodology behind our definition of a technological research university

Questioning the methodology of the alumni survey

Questioning the way we reported the survey results

Recommending we invest more heavily in marketing, recruitment and/or public relations activities

Clarifications or rebuttals (including 16 by me)

Milestones – Phase 1

Survey results – Feb. 21, 2007 25 comments

Media advisory on press conference to announce proposed new name – March 22, 2007 37 comments

‘Missouri S&T’ proposed as new name – March 23, 2007 44 comments

Name change approved – April 6, 2007 29 comments

Milestones – Phase 2

New directions for this blog – April 9, 2007 12 comments

Brand identity team formed – April 13, 2007 5 comments

Logo design concepts - July 24, 2007 10 comments

The logo unveiled – Sept. 17, 2007 27 comments

Milestones – Phase 2

Alumni association name change – Oct. 27, 2007 2 comments

‘Hello’ campaign announced – Oct. 31, 2007 0 comments

S&T website goes live – Dec. 29, 2007 4 comments

It’s official: We are Missouri S&T – Jan. 1, 2008 0 comments

From Jan. 30-Dec. 31

90 posts 512 comments 5.69 comments/post 5.3 comments/post (minus my

35)

First 6 months

Overall

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Ratio of negative-to-neutral/positive comments, Name Change Conversa-

tions,Jan. 30-Dec. 31, 2007

Surv

ey

Med

ia a

dv

Name

prop

osed

Name

appr

oved

New d

irect

ions

Bran

d ID

Logo

con

cept

s

Logo

unv

eile

d

Alum

ni A

ssn

"Hel

lo"

Web

site

It's offi

cial

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

No. of CommentsWhat’s our name?

What willwe look like?

Identity matters

Photo: Tron identity disc, by davecobb, www.flickr.com/photos/davecobb/5272269501/

Blogging and change management

Urgency is important So is constant, consistent

communication Communicate for understanding

and buy-in When you screw up, ‘fess up and fix

it – fast

Blogging and change management

Empower (give voice) to your community

Produce short-term wins – and show or talk about them

Don’t let up Use other forms of communication Realize that acceptance takes time

h/t: John Kotter, Harvard change management guru

Produce short-term wins

One more history lesson…

‘Hell, I saved the school!’

George E. LaddDirector of MSM

1897-1907

‘Ladd always took great pride in transforming an institution that “was stalled” in what he called “the bog of country academyism” into … a school of mining and metallurgy that had “reached the highest standards of excellence of any school of its character in the United States.”’

Larry Gragg, Curators’ Professor & Chair of History, Missouri S&T

‘Hell, I Saved The School!’: George E. Ladd and the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, 1897-1907

‘That Missouri, or for that matter any state, can benefit from having a dedicated Technology School would seem obvious. … Even though I am a graduate of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, I must concede that Missouri University of Science and Technology is a more appropriate description of what the school is and should be all about in this day and age.’

Richard W. Ladd, 1951 MSM graduate and grandson of George E. Ladd

Letter to Missouri S&T Chancellor John F. Carney IIIJune 23, 2011

‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.’

Charles Darwin

Andrew Careaga@andrewcareaga about.me/andrewcareaga

This presentation will be available online at slideshare.net/andrewcareaga

Thanks!