COLLEGE STATION – The Texas Watershed Planning Program of the Texas Water Resources Institute is sponsoring a social media workshop for natural resources professionals June 18-19 in Room 113 of the Texas A&M University Agriculture and Life Sciences Building, 600 John Kimbrough Blvd., College Station.
A social media training presented by the Texas Watershed Planning Program will be held June 18-19 in College Station. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
The “Social Marketing for Natural Resource Professionals” training will be from 1-4 p.m. June 18 and from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. June 19. Participants can register for one or both days. Registration is $40 for June 18 and $50 for June 19. The June 19 training includes lunch. Registration is $80 for both days.
Amy Hays, program specialist for the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources and workshop trainer, said the first day will be “hands-on” and cover the basics of the social media platforms Facebook and Twitter and how to get more out of them.
“The second day attendees will learn how to make what they do relevant on the web — whether it is on their website, blogs, Facebook, Twitter or other places — as well as make it more searchable, shareable and liked,” Hays said.
She said participants will learn how to use Twitter, better comprehend Twitter conservations and discover more information. She also will explain how to curate Twitter and Instagram to create better program outreach.
“We have to know where to post, when to post and what to build on our websites. We have to learn how to reach traditional clients as well as new clients,” she said. “There are many successful models that can be used and applied in natural resource outreach and education.”
Nikki Dictson, Texas Water Resources Institute program specialist, said the watershed planning program is sponsoring this workshop to help natural resources professionals involved in watershed protection planning better understand the role social media can play in interacting with watershed stakeholders.
“By better understanding how to use the various social media platforms, these professionals will be able to connect with more stakeholders and provide more information quickly,” Dictson said. “Getting a dialogue going through social media will benefit the watershed planning process.”
For more information or to register for the workshop, go to http://watershedplanning.tamu.edu/training/.
The Texas Watershed Planning Program is funded through a Clean Water Actnonpoint grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Texas Water Resources Institute and the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources are part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
Information on other training programs coordinated by the Texas Water Resources Institute and the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources can be found on the institutes’ Natural Resources Training Program page at http://naturalresourcestraining.tamu.edu.
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