Media and Communications Day with Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Santa Rosa Group 2
Posted on March, 24, 2012 by Kerry Rego -I am looking forward to the third year of my work with the kids at Tomorrow’s Leaders Today for Media and Communications Day. I’ll be guiding the students from Santa Rosa Group 2 (North Group was 4/10/12 and Santa Rosa Group 1 was 4/16/12) on how to create a Social Media Strategy and marketing the program of TLT with a variety of tools available from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, QR codes, email marketing, texting and whatever else the students and I come up with. This will be the final day of their program and their final project.
One of my favorite parts of being a business owner is that I get to participate as much as I want with young people. I absolutely love to do it because I know that social media education is hard to come by and if I can have any part in helping them get to where they want to go in business or helping others, it’s my pleasure. I’m so grateful the coordinators of this program, and others, ask to me speak. Thank you.
Media and Communications Day with Tomorrow’s Leaders Today TLT Santa Rosa Group 1
Posted on March, 24, 2012 by Kerry Rego -I’m excited to be back for my third year presenting to Tomorrow’s Leaders Today for Media and Communications Day. I’ll be working with the kids from the Santa Rosa Group 1 (North Group was 4/10/12 and Santa Rosa Group 2 is 4/23/12) on how to create a Social Media Strategy and marketing the program of TLT with a variety of tools available from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, QR codes, email marketing, texting and whatever else the students and I come up with. This will be the final day of their program and their final project.
One of my favorite parts of being a business owner is that I get to participate as much as I want with young people. I absolutely love to do it because I know that social media education is hard to come by and if I can have any part in helping them get to where they want to go in business or helping others, it’s my pleasure. I’m so grateful the coordinators of this program, and others, ask to me speak. Thank you.
Media and Communications Day with Tomorrow’s Leaders Today TLT North Group
Posted on March, 24, 2012 by Kerry Rego -I’m excited to be back for my third year presenting to Tomorrow’s Leaders Today for Media and Communications Day (Santa Rosa Group 1 is 4/16/12 and Santa Rosa Group 2 is 4/23/12). I’ll be demonstrating how to create a Social Media Strategy and marketing a product with a variety of tools available from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, QR codes, email marketing, texting and whatever else the students and I come up with.
One of my favorite parts of being a business owner is that I get to participate as much as I want with young people. I absolutely love to do it because I know that social media education is hard to come by and if I can have any part in helping them get to where they want to go in business or helping others, it’s my pleasure. I’m so grateful the coordinators of this program, and others, ask to me speak. Thank you.
Social Media: What Students Need to Know
Posted on October, 18, 2011 by Kerry Rego -Additional resources available by searching my blog for “Reputation Management” or by clicking here: http://bit.ly/krcrepmng
Kids Know Everything About Social Media
Posted on August, 23, 2011 by Kerry Rego -
I frequently hear this statement, “Go find a college student/teenager/young person to do your social media. They are young. They know how to do this better than I do.” What’s your reaction to that? Does it sound right to you? If I were to swap out social media for a car, do you think it would be the same? Just because they are young and social media is new doesn’t mean they know how to use it well.
It’s your brand. Are you prepared to give complete control to a teenager?
I learned about New York City’s first digital officer, Rachel Sterne (@rachelsterne), recently. She is only the world’s second person to have such a title. The New York Times article talking about the challenges she faces highlight the new frontier that government is entering into. She is helping one of the most iconic cities in the world transform their digital face and interaction with citizens. For such an important role, I would consider her young at 28 (I’m 34 and still considered a baby by many). She is constantly asked the question why she deserves a 6 figure salary when a high schooler could do it for free. (I love her ability to graciously navigate this fairly offensive question.)
Sure, go get yourself a neighbor kid to manage your digital reputation. What could go wrong?
Just because it’s new, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Stop underestimating the power and degree of difficulty involved in social media. Make sure you do your homework, research your target audience, craft communications that will resonate, and deploy your plan. Regardless of your tool, the strategic plan is the same.
We Are Failing Our Kids
Posted on July, 13, 2011 by Kerry Rego -
I dare you to give a 16 year old a car but don’t give them any information about the rules of the road or a map. Tell ‘em to just wing it. Teach yourself, kid. How well do you think that would work out? Just think about the damage that could do. So why do we think that kids (not to mention adults) and computers will just “figure it out”?
I get really worked up when I think about the state of technology in our schools. How can we expect that our children will be prepared to face the hi-tech world outside of their school walls? When they graduate from high school, will the be adept at the tools they will find in the workplace? Are they able to speak the language, navigate data, and keep themselves safe? Will they even be able to find jobs? No No No No No and No. They have no opportunities in which to be prepared. If the teachers don’t know, then how can they arm our future breadwinners with the skills they’ll need to survive in this increasingly digital world? The more I think about it, the more upset I get.
I wish I could go door to door and teach the teachers. Get them up to speed on what’s available (see Social Media in the Classroom), work them through their fears so that they can figure out ways that they can use these amazing tools in their classrooms. Essays in blogs, language learning via video conference, literary discussions in collaborative digital classrooms, higher math assistance available on streaming video, mobile applications that allow you to “adopt a creek” and report statistical data regarding the biosphere, architectural designs tested via augmented reality and 3D rendering software. All available. All begging to be played with. All limited only by our imaginations.
We need to teach them them how to research, develop, communicate, program, build, compute, be productive and stay safe. These skills are only going to become more necessary. There simply has to be a way to gear up and get these people they skills they need. Our financial livelihoods and economy depends on it. You wouldn’t dream of handing a kid keys to a vehicle and not training him how to use it. Carnage will follow.
Not So Simple Tools – Youth Summit Resources
Posted on March, 07, 2011 by Kerry Rego -
The 7 C’s of Social Media by Dose of Digital
- Communication (public relations)
- Cause support (philanthropy)
- Contests (game metric)
- Collaboration (thought leadership)
- Connecting others (networking)
- Customer service (listening)
- Community building (loyalty)
Reputation Management Tools
- Go on the offensive by having your own web presence.
- Buy your own domain name at GoDaddy. Domains average about $11 per year. If you buy more than one year, it gets cheaper (buying in bulk savings).
- Start writing your own blog (it’s free!) using Blogger or WordPress. There are others. Just start writing, posting, and putting your words out there.
- Set up Google Alerts to be aware of your name (or Twitter handle or blog URL etc.) when it appears on the web.
Examples of What Can Be Done With *Simple* Tools
- Pen & Paper. William Shakespeare did alright with these tools.
- Screwdriver. Build a house, a car, a robot, a spacestation. Just a screwdriver? I think not.
- Web Presence. A little website by the name of WikiLeaks was able to make web presence go from inconsequential to shaking the walls of governments around the globe.
- Blog. Mark Zuckerberg wrote a blog while he wrote the code for the original version of Facebook. It’s now considered historical record.
- Facebook. A great way to connect with friends, family, customers, and supporters of your cause or organization. Some dismiss it as silly and a waste of time but what if it aids in a revolution?
- Twitter. Yet another tool that people accuse of being a waste of time. I see it as a way to learn, connect, grown, stay informed, and be at the cusp of everchanging news. The new term to know? Citizen Journalism.
- Kinect. On the surface it’s a game. But technologists and designers are barely wrapping their brains around what this new application can do for us.
- YouTube. This is the video search engine owned by Google. The power of video simply can’t be denied. Capture what is happening, post, and expose it to the world (literally). Video can change everything. (See Aimee Mullin’s video on TED.com)
What do you see that needs to be changed? What kind of a difference can you make in your community. What *simple* tool can you take advantage of? Just think of the possibilities.
Your Child is All Over the Internet!
Posted on January, 12, 2011 by Kerry Rego -
AVG, an internet security company, did a study and it turns out that 92% of US children have a digital footprint….before they are two years old.
About once a week I say out loud that I am grateful I had my daughter before Facebook went mainstream. I was using Myspace when she was a baby but that environment wasn’t really about family. I just know that I would’ve uploaded a ridiculous amount of pictures and been an “over sharer” (that’s NOT a veiled dig at anyone I know!). The reason I joined Facebook originally was to keep up to date with a girlfriend that moved to rural Canada. I had to wait for it to leave the university system so I could join to see pictures and videos she posted. I feel like I watched her son grow up via social networking. Due to our distance, there’s no other way we could’ve shared that much. [Article about Lance Armstrong's unborn child's Twitter account.]
My husband is on the opposite side of the social spectrum from me and has a higher level of privacy requirements than do I. Every time I post a picture or make a comment about my really really personal life, I think to myself, “What would Dan do?” (and I think of the WWJD bracelets 
). Bottom line is I have a little girl and a family to consider. It’s not always about me. Sometimes it’s about prudence and safety. I don’t want to lose sight of the reason I use Facebook and other tools, to connect more deeply and regularly with my family and friends.
We are all looking to find a balance. Just remember…you are the guardian of your child’s reputation and name until they can screw it up for themselves.