I came across this great article recently that got me thinking about how many of us respond when problems arise. We often immediately jump to how this problem can be solved, but forget to really take a look at what the problem actually is.  The simple process of asking why may help us analyze the problem from a variety of angles and potentially develop a better solution.  Do you have any success stories of getting to the root of a problem?  What was the outcome? Your success story may help a colleague get to the root of their problem.

Are you, like me, sometimes overwhelmed with your daily "big picture" tasks, that you lose track of the smaller things that you should be practicing every day? Don't worry, you're not alone. As a copywriter and editor, I try to set aside X amount of minutes each day to just free-write. This is not always related to work, or personal life, or anything. It's just the practice of writing (and no, emails don't count!) that gets those juices flowing.

I recently read this article, "Why You Should Write Daily" by Leo Babuta, which outlines the importance of setting aside writing time, and also gives tips on how to do it. His top five tips?

1.) Commit to writing daily.
2.) Set aside the time.
3.) Start small.
4.) Blog.
5.) Shut down distractions.

Read the full article here, and happy writing!

I've been a terrible artist my entire life. I cannot render the most basic images. Put a pencil in my hand and watch catastrophe unfold.

So I am especially excited that we are bringing Debra Frasier to the conference. You probably know Debra's book On the Day You Were Born, which has been a mainstay of baby gifts for more than 20 years.


Debra will be joining us for two sessions where she'll be teaching us the art of paper cutting--and how anyone, even me, can express themselves artistically with paper, scissors and glue. I might not ever make a beautiful papercut for my day job, but the creativity it unleashes will definitely influence all the other things I do at work.

Here are a couple other paper cut images from On the Day You Were Born:

You already know the advantages of attending the Year of the Communicator conference on June 25, 2013, but you may need some help convincing your supervisor.

Here are some tangible benefits of attending this year's UMCF conference:

1. It is affordable!
With airfare consistently on the rise, attending the conference means you won't only save on airfare, but hotel and food costs as well. Plus if you register before May 30, you receive the early bird discount.

2. Expand your professional network.
Because the conference is for communicators at the University, you expand your professional network across campuses. We rarely get a break to talk with our fellow colleagues and this is an excellent opportunity.

3. Keep up with the trends in the communications field and be inspired by inspiring people.
This year's conference has two keynote speakers that are industry leaders. Krista Neher is an expert on social media and will be addressing how higher education institutions can make social media work for us. Debra Frasier, author and illustrator, will help guide you on your path of creativity, something every communicator needs.

4. Attend together as a teambuilding activity.
Attending the conference as a team means you can talk about which sessions will provide you with the most skills and choose your tracks together. Creating a report for your supervisor about the sessions you attend also helps outline what you learned. Then you can discuss your day at the reception, surrounded by inspiring art at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery.

5. Gain topic-specific experience.
The strategies, tools, and skills that you learn can be taken back to your department and applied immediately. The conference offers you two keynote speakers and three breakout sessions geared to give you the tools that you need to be the best at what you do.

Don't delay and register today!

Say that everyone has been talking about that television show. Your friends. Your coworkers. That friendly neighbor lady. You want to know more about it. Correction: You need to know more. So, you go to your desktop computer. You go to your laptop. You go to your iPad. You go to your phone. Wherever you are you get to the Internet and get to that Google.

This looks interesting. Thanks Google.

By now, you may have heard rumblings about the "Internet of Things" and depending on the context, it can be defined in many different ways. Everyone, however, agrees that the emerging "Internet of Things" (IoT) will link everyday physical products to each other via the web. This will be (and currently) is done by embedding technology in an object in order for it to communicate with other connected devices. This will essentially create a giant digital information system. The experts at Harbor Research suggest that the Internet of Things will have a bigger impact on our daily lives than either the internet or social media combined, radically shifting the way that we think, act, and connect with each other.

"We are creating a connected world with entirely different touch points," said Glen Allmendinger, president of technology and business development consulting firm Harbor Research. "In the past, a company would sell a product, and it would disappear into a black hole. There was no way to know what anyone did with it or what other marketing opportunities existed. Today, it's possible to see how a customer uses a device and discover all sorts of opportunities."

Recent articles point to the IoT as the interaction and exchange of data between machines and objects, and now there are product definitions reflecting the same concept. Nike has been utilizing this technology for a few years now, with their Nike Fuel band that tracks and monitors your fitness levels, suggests ways to conserve energy, and connects you with a community of Fuel Band users.

There is almost no limit to the possibilities that the IoT will bring and it's no secret that marketing will be at the center of that universe. The Blake Project's Derrick Daye believes that the IoT will change branding in a monumental way. "It can deliver the brand promise at every point of customer contact and deliver a more meaningful relationship. It can help a company create a greater brand alignment across devices, screens and experiences."

Needless to say, the Internet of Things is here to stay. I'm anxious to see how the University of Minnesota will start integrating this technology into the different experiences that they offer. What will this mean in terms of recruitment, retention or giving? Marketing and branding? Only time will tell.

I have been sitting in on the conference committee this year, which has been great fun. We did a huge brain dump of all of our session and keynote presenter ideas, and one of the committee members turned me on to Kevin Quealy, a Minnesota native who does infographics for the NY Times. I'm obsessed with his work.

His animations and static graphics bring information to life. This graphic on Olympic long jumpers uses everyday comparisons that most of us can relate to, such as the length of the free-throw line on a basketball court.

At a glance, we can see how people spend their time--and click on 18 different variations of the data.

And this is cool: Who goes to State Dinners, from what industries, and how many times?

One thing you don't see here? Lengthy copy with various font sizes, masquerading as "infographic." (Google "view our infographic" for more like these.)

How do you share information without text?

You may have heard of Blaise Pascal famously ending a correspondence to a friend with "I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had time to make it shorter." Many writers identify with this because they understand how much time and effort is needed to convey complex meaning in few words. I'm no designer, but I'd imagine they face similar challenges when conveying meaning with minimal visual elements. At least that's what I thought of when I saw this series of minimalist posters for fairy tales. Scroll slowly and see if you can guess the tale with just he image.

Welcoming spring with this innovative egg box design by a University of West Hungary student.

The redesigned carton is made of cardboard and a rubber band. It's flexible and environmentally friendly.

Think it will make it to the supermarket?

Remember that awards entries are due by noon on Thursday, March 21. We know that you are doing great work, and we want to recognize you for it!

We particularly would like to see more entries for use of the Driven to Discover campaign theme, "Discovery illuminates everyone". Read about the categories and judging criteria.

Won't your boss be pleased when you tell her that you've won an award? By the way, you can invite her (or him) to the awards ceremony at our fabulous member appreciation party on May 29 at the Weisman Art Museum. 

Don't forget, entering is free. Learn more and enter.

--Ann Nordby, co-chair, awards committee

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

I greatly enjoyed all of the clever grammar oriented memes and messages over social media yesterday, but this really tickled my fancy.  Enjoy!  The Oxford Comma: Is a Comma Grammar

As a native Minnesotan, I was irked beyond reason when The Weather Channel started naming winter storms. The practice came to my attention when the so-called Winter Storm Caesar was approaching Minnesota in December.

What the what?!! Remember the Halloween Blizzard of '91? The Armistice Day Blizzard of '40-something? (OK, we weren't there, but we've heard of it, over and over.) The thing is, Minnesotans know that winter storms must EARN their names, not be assigned them in some marketing scheme by East Coast weather elites.

Which leads me to this blog post's real topic, the idea that social media can save lives. Well, that's what The Weather Company (parent of The Weather Channel) is claiming. In an Adweek article, Weather CEO David Kenny claims that they named storms so that people would start tweeting and posting about them on social media, thus raising awareness and saving lives.

Kenny claimed the almost 800 million photos and tweets that "Nemo" (good lord) generated over five days when it slammed the east coast was proof of his claim.

What do you think? Does naming something encourage social engagement about it? What could we name here at the U to encourage social engagement? Please share your thoughts! And heaven help us if Winter Storm Yogi should approach the northern plains.

I ran across Code.orgs latest YouTube entry featuring the likes of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and will.i.am. (among others) who discuss the importance of coding. Calling it the new human "superpower" - the video states that 90% of schools in the United States do not teach this basic skill. 

Have you produced good work in the past year? Of course you have, and you should be recognized for it in front of your peers! Start picking out your best work of the past year to enter in the 2013 Maroon and Gold Awards. The submission period is March 1-21.

Entering is free, and there are 22 categories all told for print, web, campaign, writing and more. See all the categories, past winners and details on the UMCF website.

This year we will give a new award for best use of the "Illuminate" Driven to Discover campaign theme. Also new this year, the "people's choice" MIKE award is going fully digital. Once submissions are in you will be able to see all the entries and vote for them online.

All the winners will be revealed and winning entries displayed at our fabulous Member Appreciation Party on May 29 at the Weisman Art Museum. (Along with mulling your MAG awards entries, you should start selecting your +1 now.) Watch for an e-mail on March 1 with complete instructions for entering.

Here are some tips for entering (and winning) a MAG award:

• You can't win if you don't enter. And people who win a lot of awards have usually entered multiple times in multiple categories.
• If you produced anything using the D2D Illuminate campaign, be sure to enter it. One of this year's MAG judges is from Olson, the agency that created the campaign.
• Crying when you receive an award is completely optional.

I don't know about you, but the freezing temperatures have given me a case of the winter blues, making me less motivated than I typically would be on a sunny, warm day. How can we continue to be motivated and fight those winter blues?

For me... the answer is TED talks. Dan Pink's TED Talk about motivation got me thinking, hence getting me motivated. What keeps you motivated and how do you motivate your colleagues during these short winter days?

Whether you're a firm believer in making New Year's resolutions or not, the start of a new year is always a good time to reflect, and think about the future. And hey, don't think New Year's resolutions are just for your personal life! Resolutions and goals can have a positive impact on your work environment, as well. My biggest job-related goal for 2013? Find time in my daily routine for creativity to seep in.

For me, this means spending 15-30 minutes a couple days a week to diverge from my daily grind and look for inspiration elsewhere. This could take the form of a walk outside on my lunch break to get the creative juices flowing, browsing blogs or publications that I find to be written well (I do a lot of writing and editing as part of my job), or even trolling Pinterest for some visual stimulation. Why? Because when your brain is focusing on something stimulating and not necessarily related to work, ideas can seep in that affect your work or process that you otherwise might not have stumbled upon. It's all about mixing up those brain pathways, folks.

This need to unplug from day-to-day tasks something I've been thinking about since I attended the panel "Real World Creativity" at the 2012 Communicators Forum Conference. The panelists (Beth Perro-Jarvis and Mary Van Note, two delightfully sassy women from Ginger Consulting) suggested (or rather, forcefully encouraged) we find a small window of time, whether it be daily or weekly, to get creative.

What are your work-related resolutions or goals for 2013? Do you find time in your work life to look elsewhere for inspiration?

If you've ever thought about designing in 3D but didn't want to invest in the software Google (rather, now Trimble) will let you do it for free! Sketchup is a terrific program that will let you model and design in three dimensions. It is fairly intuitive and there are numerous tutorials available to help you learn. It's easier than you might think.

The UMCF Programs Committee has put together a list of some of their favorite programs in recent years. Do you have a favorite program? Join the discussion!

Cullean Colby, Associate Administrator, Carlson IT department
My favorite program was last year's "Beginner's Circle: Videography 101". Michael Teachout, the Carlson Instructional Media Coordinator, created a presentation based on the questions and topics gathered from attendees via a participant survey. The event topics were perfectly catered to those who attended! We discussed camera options, general planning for a video shoot, necessary video software, and University resources. Most of the attendees were able to stay for lunch where we continued the conversation with more questions and shared similar video related struggles and issues. I loved watching the attendees collaborate, share experiences, formulate ideas, and make connections while enjoying pizza!

Melissa Pierce, Communications, Extension Center for Youth Development
My favorite program was "How to avoid death by PowerPoint: Tips for giving better presentations" in April 2011. It was very engaging, funny, and useful. I refer back to many of Todd Reubold's tips when creating presentations.

Sarah Howard, Communications Manager, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
The most helpful program for me was the Communications Job Study Panel. Within the U, the communications jobs family had just undergone a restructuring and some changes were made. UMCF gathered those who were behind the changes and had them explain the changes and what it meant for communicators. All of my questions were answered and I learned a lot about how jobs are structured across the University. I'm not sure where I would have gone for this information without this panel! With this type of event, I really felt like UMCF was watching out for me!

Stephanie O'Donnell, Executive Office & Administrative Specialist, Extension Technology
I joined the Communicators Forum earlier this year and have already had the privilege of attending several great programs. My favorite thus far was the "For the Common Good" Exhibit at Anderson Library this fall. Not only did I benefit from hearing more about the archiving services the University libraries offer communicators and departments on campus, but I also appreciated the guided tour of the exhibit and the subsequent discussion surrounding the history of the University of Minnesota as a land grant institution. It was a great way to feel connected to the University and its strong community of communicators.

Katie Evans, Lead Events Coordinator, Institute for Global Studies
The Communicators Forum program that I found most useful was the "Working with University Relations" on November 15, 2012. It helped me get a better sense of what types of stories the University was interested in promoting on a larger scale. The program was also great to put faces with names and be able to know who the direct contacts for different needs are.

Thank you everyone who took the Communicators Forum member survey. 125 of our 311 members -- from different campuses and locations -- took the time to let us know what you'd like to see from the University of Minnesota Communicators Forum (UMCF). Your input is greatly appreciated. The Communicators Forum board is meeting next week and will consider this feedback to inform efforts for the next semester and beyond.

There are many ways to maximize your membership and make it your communications year:

Attend a program

Volunteer for a committee - several still need members, it's not too late!

Save the dates for member appreciation (May 29) and conference (June 25)

Feel free to send ideas any time to umcf@umn.edu and to comment on this post to share any ideas for future speakers, topics, member benefits, and other ideas.

It is easy to get caught up in the daily grind, which leaves little time to evaluate how inefficient we have become. I think it is time we all take a step back and think about how we can be more innovative in both our personal and professional lives.

This article "Three ideas for encouraging workplace innovation" might help you kick-start innovations in your work. There is no better time than now, right?

http://www.arenasolutions.com/blog/post/workplace-innovation

Pantone announced the color of the year for 2013 today: emerald (17-5641 for those of you who like to be exact about this kind of thing). Those of us who prefer green may be a little smug about this announcement, but...does it really mean anything? Will we start seeing more designs using this color that purportedly "enhances our sense of well-being further by inspiring insight as well as promoting balance and harmony?"

Is it more than a marketing tool? Is it fun, regardless? Would you have picked something else?

Only the Pope could start a Twitter account, not post a single tweet, and still have 116,859 followers (as of this posting). He's barely begun his social media journey, but could it be that he's already having trouble "feeding the beast"?

What suggestions do you have for the Pope, or anyone else who is considering starting a Twitter account? How should they keep it fresh, on message, interesting? I'd love to see your comments.

Earlier this week, a few fellow marketing department coworkers and I took the StrengthsFinder test and went to a Human Resources workshop designed to help us understand our results. I tend to reflect a lot about my relationships, whether it be with coworkers, superiors, community members, patrons, or my personal relationships. I found StrengthsFinder to be a good exercise in reflection. None of my top 5 themes surprised me, but I found some of the suggested action items on how to incorporate my strengths into the workplace helpful, although some of them felt a little too much like a zodiac for my comfort, such as "Find someone with strong Command or Activist strengths to pair with." However, what I found to be even more helpful was hearing my coworkers' results, and how they interpreted or explained them. This allowed me insight into our work relationships, and understanding why certain protocols, processes, or environment details are important to different people. 

Do you think personality tests such as this are useful in the work place? If you've taken StrengthsFinder specifically, what did you discover with your results? Have you shared them with your coworkers/superiors? If so, has that affected the way you work together?

We have made some changes to UMCF maroon and gold awards this year that we think you will love:

• 2013 awards will be presented at a member appreciation party on May 29 - this will be a swank event you will not want to miss.
• Winning entries will be displayed gallery-style at the May 29 event, with winners on hand to talk about their work between bites of delicious hors d'oeuvres.
• We have a new award this year for best use of the Driven to Discover "Discovery illuminates everyone" campaign in any medium. This award is sponsored by Olson, the advertising agency that created the D2D campaign, and an Olson staff member will be one of our judges this year. Tips on using this theme

The eligibility period is March 1, 2012 to Feb. 28, 2013, so the work you are doing now will be eligible. You may enter in as many categories as you wish, and there is no entry fee. Read more about past categories and winners - Advisory only, as rules and categories could change for 2013.

Look for more information about awards and member appreciation night in coming weeks. In the meantime, save the date - May 29. It will be a great party and a great way to celebrate our work.

-- Ann Nordby and Kris Junker, UMCF awards committee co-chairs

This morning I heard this story about treadmill desks. Pretty nice set-up. Well, with that and the upcoming University holiday on my mind, I'm reminded of how important it is to move around and take a break. 

 

Today I went to the UMCF program, Beginner's Circle: Working with University Relations, and discovered a pocket of resources for us as communicators. I am fairly new (one and half years at the U) and have had veterans tell me that you are not a real U employee until you have been here for ten. It was nice to hear that for some people that were closer to the ten-year mark, this was good information all around. So, whether you are new to the University or have been here for years, there was a little something for everyone.

The panelists were: Ann Aronson, responsible for marketing and branding; Laura Johnson, responsible for creative services; Chuck Tombarge, responsible for the news service; and Jay Weiner, the presidents speechwriter.

Here are some of the resources they provide:

New Service: (www.umn.edu/urelate/public-relations.html) Will work with you on a press release or connecting you to local reporters. Provide media training for faculty and staff. Provide council on social media strategy. Write a column from the president in your department/units newsletter.

There are four staff members, broken into beats that they cover:

• Julie Christensen covers public affairs, access, engagement, philanthropy and diversity.
• Steve Henneberry covers liberal arts, humanities, and video.
• Matt Hodson covers STEM, research, science to industry, business, and agriculture.
• Patty Mattern covers administration, athletics, crisis, and efficiency.

Creative Services and Marketing Communications: (www.umn.edu/urelate/marketing.html) Provides consulting in collaboration with marketing and branding for marketing strategies, electronic communications, shared media, design, writing, editing, multimedia, and photography. The U Story on the homepage is also handled through creative services and ideas can be submitted to urstory@umn.edu.

The overall focus for University Relations this year is President Kaler's priorities that can be found here: www.umn.edu/president/initiatives-priorities/index.html.

Do you have other resources that would be helpful for navigating communications at the U?

I am also looking forward to the next program, Expert Insights: Dave Pyle, Former bureau chief of the MN/WI Associated Press on December 5.

People who go to college, school, department, and other higher education websites want to find the faculty, staff, physicians and residents, students, and other people at those sites. Sometimes there's a link that says "Faculty and staff." Sometimes a link for "People." Sometimes it's something else completely.

So...

Is it people?

Is it faculty and staff?

Something else?

It's a throwdown: People vs. Faculty and staff. Which side are you on and why?

I was introduced to Basecamp, which is a project management software, during one of our board meetings and wanted to find out more on how it will benefit our team. Please click: http://ridz.sg/blog/2010/08/what-is-basecamp-and-how-i-use-it to read more about this online collaboration.

I've been using Google Docs for many of our department projects and wanted to break down the benefits of each here:

Google Docs:

• User creates a document (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.) and the document "lives" in the cloud.
• User invites other users and gives them certain privileges (read only, edit, etc.).
• The doc is always available since it "lives" in the cloud.
• Multiple people can be editing and/or viewing the doc at the same time - nice feature if two or more people are collaborating on a conference call and working on the doc at the same time.
• Users can export the doc to MSWord format, for example, if the user wants to get it onto their desktop.
• Feature set is good but is pretty basic - enough so that some users may not have all the cool features that they enjoy on their desktop apps.
• Biggest benefit is that many users can see and edit the document from many locations at any time since it's living in the cloud.
• Biggest downside is that some of the more advanced app features from desktop apps may not be available.

Basecamp:

• User creates their document on their desktop and uploads a copy to Basecamp.
• User can specify who can see and download the document.
• Users who want to work on a document download it to their desktop and then upload it again when they are done. Users can specify whether or not to send an email notification when a new revision has been uploaded.
• Basecamp allows you to see previous iterations of the document - all versions are stored permanently.
• Basecamp has tons of nice project management features: basic project calendar, allows you to set up and assign milestones to specific dates and people, alerts assignees when a milestone is imminent or is past due, assign To-Do's with deadlines to individuals, track hours worked.
• Stores threads of conversations (messages) in a central location so all project-related conversations are easy to find.
• Nice email notification features when changes are made to project components.
• Iterative storage of project-related docs.
• Available apps for the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.
• $24/month pay as you go vs. Google Docs which are free, but if you are needing some project management features then the price is WELL worth it.
• Biggest upside: great project management features, very easy to set up and use, love the pay as you go (no long-term contracts), nice conversation thread management, nice email reminders.
• Biggest downside in comparison to Google Docs: If users need to collaborate and edit a document simultaneously someone will need to set up a webinar (free for up to 3 people using Acrobat Connect, though there are several other free and paid screen-sharing software apps out there).

I guess it ultimately comes down to preference in choosing a platform that best works for your team.

The Communicators Forum board recently sent this email inviting members to make it your communications year and take advantage of membership benefits and value.

Here are five steps to maximize your membership.

STEP 1: Complete this brief member survey by Friday, November 16.

STEP 2: Save the date for these signature events:

• Member Appreciation Event - May 29, 2013, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis
• Annual Conference - June 25, 2013, all day, Carlson School of Management, Minneapolis

STEP 3: Plan to enter your best work in this year's Maroon and Gold Awards, entries due February or March 2013 for work done anytime in 2012.

STEP 4: Attend a program. The next two are:

• November 15, 12-1:30 p.m., 100 Murphy Hall - Beginner's Circle: Working with University Relations (panel discussion)
• December 5, 12-1:30 p.m., 2-233 Carlson School of Management - Expert Insights with Dave Pyle, former bureau chief of the Minnesota/Wisconsin Associated Press

STEP 5: Give yourself a creative reboot and try something new.

• Volunteer for a committee
• Visit a museum or see a performance on campus
• Explore UMCF communications resources, comment on Pinterest, tweet or retweet your UMCF colleagues
• Get creative sharing ideas in the comments on the member survey
• Comment on this blog

Editor's Note: Our Marketing & Promotions Committee keeps you informed of the Communicators Forum's goings-on through promotions, tabling events, social media, and more. Get to know the M&P Committee with today's brief member profiles. We asked them the following questions:

1.) What is your job title and department here at the U? How long have you worked there?
2.) Favorite part of your workday?
3.) Why are you part of the Forum?
4.) Where do you find creative inspiration?

Here's what they had to say:

Erin Kober, Marketing & Promotions Committee Co-Chair

1.) Marketing Manager at Student Unions & Activities. I have worked at Student Unions & Activities for just over a year.
 
2.) Brainstorming! I love finding new and creative ways to get our message to students.

3.) To network across the University and get new ideas from people across all University departments.

4.) A variety of blogs, and of course, Pinterest!


Katie Covey, Marketing & Promotions Committee Co-Chair

1.) Program and Project Specialist at the Weisman Art Museum. I started working at WAM as a sophomore in college but have been a full time staff member for two years.
 
2.) Planning programming with our student group, WAM Collective. They keep me connected to student life!
 
3.) To make connections and learn from my colleagues across campus.
 
4.) The Weisman's galleries, tumblr, nature, and everyone's guilty pleasure - Pinterest!

Amanda Aranowski, Marketing & Promotions Committee Member


1.) Communications Coordinator at the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications. I began working at the U a little over a year ago.

2.) Editing! I am a total nerd, and when I get to sit with my stack and a red pen, well, nothing makes me happier.

3.) To learn about the best and greatest in communications and to get to know other fabulous communicators on campus.

4.) Other campaigns, advertising, blogs, and, of course, from all of YOU.
 

Monique Dubos, Marketing & Promotions Committee Member

1.) Business Operations Supervisor, Housing & Residential Life for 7 years

2.) Favorite part of my workday is working on projects for committees such as this one. One of the committees I serve on is our HRL sustainability committee. Last year I developed, edited and contributed to a newsletter highlighting our accomplishments from the year.

3.) I'm part of the forum because, through this and other committees, I've discovered a knack for project leadership and development that allows me to use my writing, editing, photography, and social media skills. I joined UMCF to meet communications professionals on campus, learn from them, and add to my experience that will hopefully lead to a communications job one day (soon, I hope!).

4.) I find inspiration in the people I work with - at work and on outside projects. I'm also inspired by the beauty of everyday life - I'm rarely without my camera!


Katie Evans, Marketing & Promotions Committee Member

1.) Lead Events Coordinator, Institute for Global Studies. I have been in my current position for six months. Prior to that, I worked for two and a half years as Program Specialist at the Center for German & European Studies.

2.) Attending the events that I have been preparing for and making sure everything is running smoothly.

3.) I hope the forum will help me become more aware of university wide resources that are available as well as connect to other motivated and talented people in communication positions. Also, my position involves a fair amount of communication and marketing and I hope to be inspired by the forum.

4.) I love collaborating and communicating with my colleagues. People have such diverse experiences and I find that by talking with them, I often get new and fresh ideas through conversation. Also, working so often with events, I find that attending them and seeing different styles also stimulates new ideas that I can apply to my current position.



Kristin Trautman, Marketing & Promotions Committee Member

1.) Events and Communications Coordinator at the Technological Leadership Institute in the College of Science and Engineering. I began working at the University a little over a year ago.

2.) Designing something! Whether it's marketing materials, a website or a PowerPoint presentation I enjoy coming up with an interesting way to layout and display information.

3.) To take in (and hopefully add to!) the best of the communications community here on campus. I joined the forum earlier this year and have already been inspired and learned a great deal.

4.) I am constantly perusing marketing and technology websites and blogs for ideas. I also like to attend events here on campus and around town.

Editor's Note: How would YOU answer these questions? Where do you find inspiration? What prompted you to join the Forum?

We're happy to announce a Beginner's Circle event for November called Working with University Relations.

When: November 15, Noon-1:30 p.m.
Where: Murphy Hall Room 100
To Register: UMCF Members can go here and register with your x500

What: Have a story you'd like featured on the U of M's homepage? Need to get a press release out to media but don't know who to contact? Want to get your faculty in the media? At this Beginner's Circle event, learn more about the role of University Relations in internal and external University communications. A panel of University Relations employees will be on-hand to explain their role in getting U news out to the public and will be available for questions from you! Find out how to get your department on the University's radar and the tools available to help share your department's story with the Twin Cities media. Please sign up and fill out the participant survey.

Editor's note: To start off a new academic year on the blog, we decided to profile the 2012 UMCF Member of the Year, Jen Peters. Take notes, folks.

UMCF: What is your job title and department here at the U? How long have you worked there?

Jen Peters: Graphic designer at the University Libraries since September 2008 (4 years, 1 month).

UMCF: What's an average workday like?

JP: The majority of my day is spent in my office designing. I generally have at least five projects going at once, and produce them from concept to completion. I often start a project with a few quick sketches and typeface explorations before moving into InDesign. I often sort through images from the Libraries' archives and special collections and collaborate with our exhibits designer, Darren Terpstra. I work closely with the Communications Director finalizing text edits and creating and sending HTML emails.
 
UMCF: Favorite part of your workday?

JP: I love starting a new project, particularly brainstorming visual concepts and searching for the perfect typeface! I am fortunate to work with so much incredible art here at the Libraries such as these lovely seed catalogs.

UMCF: How does what you do support the mission of the University?

JP: We work to promote our vast resources which ultimately help expand the reach of research: our expert librarians, the millions of volumes held in our collections, tools to enhance productivity, and programs and services.

UMCF: Why did you join the Forum? What role does the Forum plan in your everyday work life?

JP: It was a big transition coming from an agency setting into my current position, working with only two other people. I joined to network and gain a better understanding of the communications work happening at the University.

I have learned so much by volunteering on the conference committee. I have been asked to help plan events at the Libraries as a result. Plus, it gave me a good excuse to approach potential speakers - designers and artists I admire.
 
UMCF: Where do you find creative inspiration?

JP: Design and photography blogs, any type of magazine, Pinterest, plus the incredible local art and design culture here in the Twin Cities.

UMCF: What are your hobbies outside of work?

JP: Riding bike, gardening, photography, skiing - anything outdoors!

UMCF: Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

JP: We (my husband and I) have a 15 year old music loving cat. When my husband plays guitar, she demands to be in the same room, sitting by his feet.
 

Check out this blog post by Emily Peters, a post-doc in I on E. She has some great "lessons learned" about working with the media including:

University communicators are there to help you. Get these communication experts involved as soon as you suspect your research may draw media attention. These people not only are trained journalists, but also work with scientists all the time. They understand how hard it can be to translate years of complicated research into a few sound bites or sentences. They truly want to help you tell your story in the most interesting, accessible and accurate way possible. They also serve as a point of contact and filter to the outside media world. Let them do their job and help you through this process.

It's all about images now, as this article from Fast Company notes. How do you show, rather than tell, what your unit does?

Mobile web usage is becoming more and more popular making content optimized for mobile devices incredibly important. Even President Obama is ensuring that key services on .gov websites are available easy to access by mobile. Getting started can be daunting to many -- take a look at five best practices.

And, make sure to attend the UMCF annual conference session, "Responsive Web Design," with Anthony Ticknor a principal software engineer at The Nerdery.

The conference is six weeks away but there's still time to register!

I should be posting this to Facebook or Twitter right now instead of a blog. Why?

The Poynter Institute has just released this report showing the highest click-through days/times for Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.  Peak time for Facebook and Twitter are right now: 2:30 p.m. on a Wednesday.

This will change how we schedule our postings. Have you seen anything different in your campaigns? Click through for neato graphs.

Bitly data shows the best times to post links to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr

Go for the Maroon and Gold

Communicators Forum 2012 Conference

Thursday, July 26, 2012
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
St. Paul Continuing Education and Conference Center
Parking Map and Directions

The early bird deadline has been extended! Register by May 18 »

Session topics and speakers are now available online »

Ever been put on the spot to produce a great idea...? And, realized that your creative juices were not flowing? Drumming up creativity can be a tricky thing, especially if when you get stuck on these hang ups (http://www.copyblogger.com/mental-blocks-creative-thinking/).

That's why it's important to put aside some time during your week to exercise your creative muscles.... starting with this: 29 ways to stay creative (http://vimeo.com/24302498).

Also, don't forget the UMCF annual conference is coming up July 26!  And, we're pleased to announce that Beth Perro-Jarvis and Mary Van Note, Partners of Ginger Consulting, will be leading a session on creativity.

P.S. Check out this cool story about Ginger Consulting on Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/148329235.html).

Screen printing. This is quite possibly one of the coolest forms of visual communication. Conveying a message or brand through images is compelling and, if you're an art enthusiast like me, more engaging than other forms of communication (when done well).

A great example is Twin Cities illustrator and print maker Adam Turman who tells the story of biking in the Twin Cities through his collection of cycling prints.

Check out how to create the final product in this screen printing tutorial written by Turman.

And, plan to attend Turman's UMCF conference session "Let's Print" where he'll talk about the process of screen printing, but more importantly, he'll be teaching how to pull some actual prints that attendees can take with home.

Register by April 23 for the discounted rate.

In celebration of Beautiful U Day which is happening next week, some sustainable links:

• Companies are revolutionizing sustainable product design by using environmental life cycle assessment to benchmark their product impacts.
• Heard about the U's RFID program? Faculty and staff can bicycle towards points to reduce 2013 medical program rates.
• See art out in the open and year-round at Mankato's CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour.
• RiverFIRST is the winning design proposal for the Minneapolis riverfront. Watch the design team's video and learn about the 2010 international design competition which was sponsored by the Mpls. Park Board and Parks Foundation, with creative partners the U of M College of Design and Walker Art Center.

It seems I can't do anything in the communications world without bumping elbows with yet another one of the billion social media tools popping up these days. In the crowded room of businesses, college departments, and organizations all screaming for your attention through their various social media, it can be hard to decide what tools are best or applicable to you and your place of work. Here's a quick article on some of the newer buzz-tools out there: the new Facebook Timeline for businesses, Pinterest, and Instagram.

What's your take on these new platforms? Do you see an opportunity to use them in your workplace?

Email marketing. It's a quick and direct way to communicate with your audience. But, when should it be used and what's the messaging like? Integrating email marketing with a broader communications plan (probably including both traditional and new media) is often key to its success. Also, writing engaging and relevant messages is a must for standing out in the flurry of emails.

Check out ten best practices for email marketing.  And, plan to attend the UMCF conference session on email marketing, "Having a Blast: Making Mass Email Work for You," with U of M University Relations' electronic communications specialist Pete Wiringa.

Learn about the conference agenda and session topics. Register by April 23 for the discounted rate.

What would you guess is the personality type of a communicator? Probably extrovert, right? But there are many of us in varying job functions, from graphic design to PR. Let's see how it shakes out:

Social media is a constantly changing suite of tools. While each platform offers communicators valuable ways to engage with their audience and deliver key messages, managing all of them can be a challenge. That's why developing a social media strategy is crucial to posting successful updates.

Learn how to build a social media strategy in three steps and plan to attend the UMCF conference session on developing social media strategy. Rita Greenberg, interactive media specialist at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, will present.

To register for the conference, click here. If you register by April 23, you'll pay the discounted rate of $120. Go for the Maroon and Gold!