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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!