I wrote a guest post for Gather Content about the conflict exists in Higher Ed between infinite stories and finite staff members who are able to tell them.
Source: Gather Content
Leaving stories untold is the sales equivalent of leaving money on the table.
Beautiful website and timeline from the National Philanthropic Trust.
Explore the history of philanthropy around the globe, through the lens of a dozen causes and by different types of giving. The site breaks down significant eras of modern time by – New Meaning in a Changing World (1500-1750), Upheaval and Reform (1750-1890), Lasting Change (1890-1930), Redefining Philanthropy (1930-1980), and  a Global Outlook on Giving (1980-present).
Go to the site:Â historyofgiving.org
I’m a big fan of short morning meetings with your core project team when work loads are intense and moving pieces are flying all over the place. When organized in short huddle format check-ins can be as short as 20 minutes and set a productive tone for the rest of the work day. Video conferencing for huddles works great when you have team members in different places. Even if you work in the same office building, early morning virtual huddles allow you to settle into your space or dial in from home when you are running late.
It’s important to assign a huddle convener to keep track of time and agenda items. I usually play this role as a project manager. I’m typically also the notetaker in this role. I break out huddles into three parts – announcements, agenda items, and problem solving.
Announcements should only take 1-3 minutes. First, start by noting who is on the call and who is missing. It’s helpful to be aware of who is out of the office for the day and who was involved in these morning discussions. Huddle notes should go out to the whole group at the end of each meeting.
Next, cover what is due today and important items due in the near future. If anyone is has upcoming meetings related to the project, this would be the time to mention those.
Need-to-knows are any announcements that are important for the group as it relates to the project. These announcements should be quick enough to mention and move on. If you know an announcement will spark discussion, it’s better to move it to an agenda item.
Last, announcements can include feedback gathered from project stakeholders. Good feedback (not necessarily positive) is actionable and can be taken care of during announcements. However, there will be times when feedback requires discussion and it’s OK to make this an agenda item.
Don’t list every little thing that you are working on as a separate agenda item. Stick to the work that is contributing to the project’s big picture. This is a good time to think about the impact of your work outside your group.
The problem solving part of the huddle will save your morning sanity. Ask your group if they need help completing their work. If they are running into road blocks or missing any information, take note and address it after the huddle. If you find one of your agenda items is quickly becoming a time suck. Stop team members where they are and make note that a follow up meeting is needed. All problems cannot and should not be solved in the huddle.
Huddles are more effective when they happen regularly. Frequency can be adjusted based on the intensity and pace of your work. It might seem counter-intuitive to add more huddles when work is ramping up, but I find that these short check-ins are a great way to stay on track and make sure your core team is marching to the same drumbeat all day.
Content production planning helps you to establish a fluid workflow around the creation and management of your project content.
Source: Gather Content
This guide is for nice agency folks and in-house teams who work on web projects and want to produce quality content.
Here are 11 things you can do to get their attention in your next event invitation.
Source: AdWeek PR Newser, by Ben Hindman CEO and co-founder, Splash.
Read the full article for more how-tos and pro tips.
I spoke with Eric Hoover at The Chronicle of Higher Education about web design strategy for admissions websites. Content is available for subscribers.
Even the best home page, though, can’t impress teenagers who never see it. Although moms and dads might call it up, Millennials often bypass it. “How students are searching the web, how they’re getting to our pages, has changed,” says Ashley Budd, assistant director of social media strategy at Cornell University. “Everything is a Google search for them.”
Best In Track Speaker Award: Marketing,Content and Social Strategy
HighEdWeb Annual Conference. Portland, OR – 2014
And endless Instagram inspiration from Ben & Jerry’s.
amMap offers a free tool for highlighting countries on a map, useful in data visualization. Choose the countries, colors and size of map. You can also make a states map.