# Presentation: 154719

## Spreading the Word:

- Online Tools and Techniques for
- Communicating Current Events
- Sara Mitchell & Emilie Drobnes
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Greenbelt, MD

## Extra!  Extra!  Read all about it!

## eNewsletters

- _Email newsletters_  - email your latest news and updates to your audience.
- _Mailing lists_ -
- email distribution and discussion of news and information.

## eNewsletters

- Resources needed:
- Email and list management tools
- Concise, well-edited content
- Connections between eNewsletter and materials
- Subscribers (existing or registration)

## eNewsletters

- _Pros_:
- Easy and inexpensive to implement and maintain
- Information directly into audience mailboxes
- Builds a relationship between audience and sender
- Generates current interest in websites and materials
- _Cons_:
- Often viewed as thinly-veiled “spam” and unread
- Difficult to track readership and impact of mailings
- Subscribers can be difficult to find and retain

## Blogging

- A *weblog* or online journal offers informal and approachable communication.
- Link to newsworthy materials or share a new perspective on a topic.

## Blogging

- Content can be hosted on your site with blogging software or using a commercial blog service
- Entries are not expected to be lengthy or polished
- Creates a “voice” for the content
- Opens possibility of reader feedback to entries

## Blogging

- _Pros_:
- Inexpensive to implement and maintain
- Informal and personable; a “voice” for your content
- Comments and forums allow reader involvement
- _Cons_:
- Often perceived as a less reliable source of info
- Successful blogs require very frequent posting
- Unmoderated reader comments can be inappropriate

## Podcasting

- Engage your audience with audio and video files for playback anywhere, anytime.
- Create a *podcast* or *vodcast* to provide an experience beyond words alone.

## Podcasting

## Podcasting

- Record audio file
- Convert to mp3
- Post the mp3 online
- Syndicate the link

- Important considerations include...
- 	        •  STYLE	   •  STRUCTURE
- 	        •  CONTENT	   •  QUALITY

## Podcasting

- _Pros_:
- Multimedia content can be personable and engaging
- Format is highly portable (home, work, car, etc.)
- Popular, with many channels of distribution
- _Cons_:
- Takes time and resources to create quality podcast
- Caters to tech-savvy audience; accessibility issues
- Success from repeated podcasting, not one-time use

## Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

- A powerful and easy way to publicize all of your online methods of  communication.
- Tell your audience that you just updated your blog, podcast, or news site.

## Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

- Single format used to syndicate different types of HTML or media content (sites, blogs, podcasts, etc.)
- Uses simple XML code in your site to create a *news feed*
- Readers use *news aggregators* to pick up the headlines from your news feed
- Headlines link to online content or media files

## Communication Choices

- AUDIENCE (who?)
- CONTENT (what?)
- RESOURCES (how?)

- ?

- blog

## What would you do?

-   Family science night
-   Communicating workshops and new materials
-   Pre-launch information and events
- 	eNewsletter?
- 		News feed?
- 			Podcast?
- 				Blog?