FARMERS INVITED TO JOIN ICMB IN SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING

Jan 17, 2011  |  Today's News |  ICMB |  Public Outreach

Farmers and agri-business professionals in Illinois are invited to participate in a series of free, online training seminars to learn how to best use social media to engage in conversations about farming.

 

Whether you are brand new to social media, or have already started using applications like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) hopes that you’ll register to participate in the January 20th webinar.

 

The first of the monthly seminars will be this Thursday, January 20th, at 10:30am CST. The session will be the first webinar of the National Corn Growers Association 2011 Social Media Training Program. The program is generously sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business.

 

“Like it or not, there’s been a revolution in the way people expect to receive information and carry-on conversations,” says Scott Stirling, a corn farmer from Martinton, IL, and ICMB chairman. “There’s nothing magical about social media. These applications are just another way to deliver good information and encourage conversation.”

 

“Using things like Twitter and Facebook reinvigorates the grassroots emphasis of our organization,” Stirling continued.

 

The format of the training will be a webinar, which is essentially a seminar that is viewable over the internet. Participants will need a computer connected to the internet to view the presentations, and a telephone line to connect to the audio portion of the seminar.

 

The Jan. 20 webinar will address the goals of the series, and why growers should take the time to participate. Presenters will define the objectives and review the “return on investment” of engaging in social media and how it fits within the context of agriculture. Instructors will also review how it is being used successfully by others in the industry and show participants how they can track their personal social media success.

 

Follow-up webinars are planned for February 17, March 17, April 28, May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17 and December 15. Times for these will be announced prior to the webinars.

 

Go to www.ncga.com/socialmedia to register. Email Tricia Braid at tbraid@ilcorn.org or call her at (309) 827-0912 if you have any questions.