Kay Colley's Community

Back to Basics: Writing Across Media

2011-11-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

This semester, I presented a quick lesson on choosing your writing styles to fit across media at the Fort Worth International Association of Business Communicators luncheon. In June I attended the International Conference in San Diego, and the most widely attended sessions were about writing. I thought I could bring some of the information home to Fort Worth. Hope this helps you, and check further down into my blog to get great tips on multimedia and where to acquire royalty free sounds, photos and software.

Back to Basics: Writing Across Media

View more presentations from Kay Colley

I Want Your Phones On During Class!

2011-07-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

During the Spring semester, I asked my students in News Reporting to use their smartphones to report. Today at the Poynter Institute's Teachapalooza, I'm learning some basic and more advanced ways to use smartphones in gathering information for reporting.

Look out Fall semester students. You'll need to bring your smartphones to class every day and learn how to use them to create content and stories. That goes for PR and journalism students. Smartphones aren't just for budding journalists to use professionally.

Marketing Your Student Media

2011-04-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

Gandhi’s Grandson Brings Message Of Peace To Fort Worth « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth If you follow this link, you'll see that The Rambler's photo editor, Meisa Keivani Najafabadi, is credited with taking this photo and so is The Rambler. That's branding folks. Not only did Meisa take wonderful photos for The Rambler, she also had her photo used by local professional media. Way to go! And she thought far enough ahead to mention The Rambler. Excellent! Journalists, this is the kind of marketing you need to do for yourself and your media outlets. Wouldn't it wonderful if someone comes up to Meisa at the First Amendment Awards banquet on Friday and says, 'I saw your Ghandi photo online. Would love to see some of your other stuff too.' Sounds like the beginning of a career.

How tos of convergence draft

2011-03-31T22:10:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

How tos of convergence draft

View more presentations from Kay Colley.

Free Training Available for Multimedia and Convergence Journalism

2011-03-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Now that you have your free software installed, what do you do with it. Try some of these training sites to help you get your feet under you:

Knight Citizen News Network: http://www.kcnn.org/resources/journalism_training_sites/
Knight Digital Media Center Free Tutorials: http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/
Ourmedia Learning Center: http://www.ourmedia.org/learning-center/
Poynter Institute News University: http://www.newsu.org/
Center for Social Media: http://centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use
Journalism 2.0 Download: http://www.kcnn.org/resources/journalism_20_pdfs/
UC Berkeley’s Multimedia Training: http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/
OJR: The Online Journalism Review: http://www.ojr.org/ojr/wiki/
Nieman Reports—Visual Journalism: http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/issue/100060/Spring-2010.aspx

And don't forget to practice often. If you don't use it, you lose it.

Free or Cheap Software List for Convergence or Multimedia Journalism

2011-03-31T21:50:00.000-07:00

In preparing for a presentation at the annual Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention, I came across this list of free or cheap software that journalists or anyone can use to create multimedia content. The wonderful folks at the Knight Citizens News Network made this list possible...Check them out at http://www.kcnn.org/resources/journalism_training_sites/.

In the mean time, here's there list:

For Slideshows:

Photo Peach--Easy online slideshow creator that rivals Soundslides. Upload photos and MP3s, then add effects to create audio/visual presentations. Free. http://photopeach.com/
SoundSlides-- What many professional journalists use to create audio slideshows. A good tool, but the cost can be a burden. $39.95 or $69.95 for plus. http://www.soundslides.com/
SlideShare-- An embeddable way to share presentations (PowerPoint, Keynote, etc…) online. Free. http://www.slideshare.net/
Animoto-- Animoto creates music videos from your images and pictures, using free music. Free. http://animoto.com/
VUVOX-- VUVOX allows you to create interactive slideshows and presentations from photos, video and music from Flickr, Picasa Web Albums, YouTube or Facebook. In beta. Free. http://www.vuvox.com/
Animoto-- Animoto creates music videos from your images and pictures, using free music. Free. http://animoto.com/

For Photosharing:

Splashup--If you’re used to Photoshop, you’ll love Splashup. With its similar layout and large range of tools, it’s a great alternative to paying for the real program. Free. http://www.splashup.com/
FotoFlexer--Fotoflexer/Photobucket is a Photoshop-like service that allows you to crop, resize, rotate and flip photos, adjust hue, saturation, lightness and contrast, as well as apply various special effects. Free. http://fotoflexer.com/
Photoshop-- The free version of Photoshop requires registration, but provides 2 GB of storage and all of the basic editing tools and effects of the full program. Free and paid. http://www.photoshop.com/
Gimp Shop--A free version of Photoshop with not so many bells and whistles. Free. http://www.gimpshop.com/
Dr. Pic-- Originally called Pic Resize, DrPic has a small range of basic, quick photo editing tools and effects. Free. http://www.drpic.com/
Snipshot-- Options: resizing, cropping, enhancement features, exposure, contrast, saturation, hue and sharpness correction, rotation, grayscaling. Free. http://snipshot.com/
Rsizr-- No fancy tools here - just cropping and resizing. Free. http://rsizr.com/
Flickr-- Flickr is an image and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community platform. You can create a group for you community. Free. http://www.flickr.com/
Picasa-- Picasa, like Flickr, is a software that helps you organize, edit, and share your photos. Powered by Google. Free. http://picasa.google.com/mac/
PhotoFiltre-- Editing software that lets you crop, resize and apply effects to photos. An inexpensive alternative to Photoshop. Free. http://photofiltre.en.softonic.com/
Sumo Paint-- Photo editing software, much like PhotoFiltre. Free. http://www.sumopaint.com/home/

For Audio Editing:

Audio Editor-- Completely free PC software allows you to edit audio files visually, record audio from a microphone or any other available input device, apply various effects and burn audio CDs from MP3, WMA, WAV, and OGG. Free. http://www.free-audio-editor.com/index.htm
Audacity--Free, open-source software for recording and editing sounds. It works on Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Free. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Wavosaur— Free software for editing, processing and recording sounds. Free. http://www.wavosaur.com/
Reaper-- A powerful audio editing software. Costs$50 non-commercial; $225 commercial. http://www.reaper.fm/
GoldWave --Audio editor, recorder, converter, restoration and analysis software. Cost $49. http://www.goldwave.com/

Royalty-Free Music and Sounds:

Incompetech--The Incompetech blog hosts royalty-free music for a wide variety of movie themes. Though everything on the site is free, donations are accepted. Free. http://incompetech.com/static/music/
Flash Kit-- Flash Kit is a large archive for royalty-free audio loops that can be used in any Flash project. The site also allows you to submit your own loops and offers Flash tutorials as well. Free. http://www.flashkit.com/loops/
Public Doman 4U--This huge database of public domain and free-with-artist-permission music includes its own last.fm radio station. Free. http://www.publicdomain4u.com/free-music-listings/
Musopen--Musopen is a non-profit focused on improving access and exposure to music. It offers classical music files and the sheet music, available for free download. The database is searchable by composer, instrument, period and form. Free. http://www.musopen.com/
Soundsnap--Soundsnap hosts content from the creators of Batman Begins, Million Dollar Baby, Ali, Happy Feet, Star Trek, The Addams Family, Tron, The Hunt for Red October and more. Free to browse and preview. $249 annual fee, unlimited sounds. http://www.soundsnap.com/
FindSounds --From ferrets to Monty Python, you can search this enormous selection of over two million sound clips and effects in multiple file types and channels. Free. http://www.findsounds.com/
Soungle-- Type any keyword into the search box to find a range of free, downloadable sound effects for use in audio and video projects. Free. http://soungle.com/
Sound Jay-- Sound Jay contains a collection of free-of-charge and royalty-free sound effects - for personal use only, not further distribution. Free. http://www.soundjay.com/
SoundClick-- You can find bands and full-length songs here to use in producing slideshows or video. All songs are available in streaming audio and most of the songs are also available as free legal MP3 downloads. Free. http://www.soundclick.com/
Jamendo --Jamendo is a huge platform for free and legal music downloads. Available in seven languages, it offers the largest catalog of music under Creative Commons licenses. Free. http://www.jamendo.com/en/

For Video Editing and Converting:

JayCut-- You can upload video from a camera, webcam or mobile phone and edit it on an easy, iMovie-like program. The finished video can be hosted by the service, downloaded to a PC or embedded on video social networks. Free. http://jaycut.com/
VReveal-- VReveal, the second generation of FixMyMovie, allows you to stabilize, brighten, sharpen, add fun effects and more to your videos. For more effects and fixes, buy the premium version. Free.
http://www.vreveal.com/
Squared 5-- A powerful video converter, it gives users the ability to change one file type to another. It can also play and edit videos for both Mac and Windows. Free. http://www.squared5.com/

What is that funny little box?

2011-02-09T16:47:00.000-08:00

We've probably all seen them, but maybe we weren't sure what they were. They look a bit like a bar code that you scan to get the price of a product, and to some extent, they are codes to be scanned. But these little box-like codes provide the average person with a lot more than just the price of a product, or maybe I should say they CAN provide a lot more than that.

Last week was the first time our student newspaper at Texas Wesleyan University, The Rambler, displayed a QR Code on the front page. The code or rather codes were displayed on the faceplate of an iPhone illustration, and when the codes were scanned with said iPhone, mine in this case, they took my browser directly to http://www.therambler.org/. Neat trick.

Unfortunately, QR codes aren't as well received in the United States as they are in Europe or other parts of the world. Too bad, because they can definintely help in marketing and providing folks with extra information.

To provide you with extra information, here's the QR code to one of my class blogs, which will directly send you to some great GoogleMaps created by my students. If you poke around on the blog, you'll find other interesting things.

If you don't currently have a QR code reader, you can download the Mobiletag app on your smartphone. Then just scan. For those of you who don't have a smartphone, click here.

First Snow of 2011 Fort Worth, Texas

2011-01-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Here's my first video of the year. I'll be posting various videos throughout the year to get a better handle on shooting and editing. I'd appreciate your feedback.
Be forewarned, there's a really quick camera turnaround in this video.

Are You in Alignment? Aligning Your Mission to Institutional Mission

2010-10-28T08:36:00.001-07:00

Today, I am presenting this professional development seminar at the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers fall convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

Lucky for me, I had several doctoral hours in my higher education program that taught me about assessment, learning outcomes, strategic planning in higher education, general administration and financing of higher education. Most people in student media aren't that lucky. So we often think of strategic planning and, heaven forbid, ASSESSMENT, as a wicked waste of time. Far from it my friends. You can use these bemoaned tasks to ingratiate yourself with the upper administration, you alumni and your current employees. When you can point to a mission and strategy that guides all of your decisions, it makes those decisions much easier.

I hope this session helps people who are student media advisers. I hope this slideshare presentation also helps. And I hope you come back to visit me as I continue working on research about student media, mission statements, strategic planning and image.

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Are You in Alignment?

View more presentations from Kay Colley.

Google Map Update for My Newsplex Weeks

2010-07-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

After my two weeks in South Carolina, I have updated my first Google Map including a representative photo that I took at each location. Here's the map:
View South Carolina June 2010 in a larger map

It's interactive, so click on the sites to see the photos.

If you want to see all of the photos that were taken at each location, go to my Flickr streams:

Texas Wesleyan IABC Celebrates First Year on Campus

2010-07-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the first full year of Texas Wesleyan's International Association of Business Communicators chapter. This Animoto slideshow includes a photo of the charter officers and begins with a photo of our co-presidents Shelby Hofsteter-Driver and Laurence Sheehan.

Texas Wesleyan IABC looks forward to another great year, including increased collaboration with the Fort Worth professional chapter, which will be led this year by Texas Wesleyan Director of Marketing and Communication Laura Hanna.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Slideshow of Rambler TIPA Contest Preparation Day

2010-07-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

During my second week at Newsplex, my 500 GB hard drive imploded, sending all of my documents into oblivion. Fortunately, I was able to recover everything, at least I think everything, by using a software program.

So as part of my training and to improve my skills, I created this audio slideshow of photos that I took when Jonathan Resendez, Conner Howell and Chuck Fain helped me prepare the contest entries for the Texas Intercollegiate Press Contest. I wrote and recorded the script using Visual Communicator on Wednesday.

This is my belated tribute. Hey better late than never...and a good way to get some photos off of my drive and into a format that others can appreciate. Or at least poke fun at.

Animoto Slideshow of Newsplex Week 2

2010-07-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

The final week of Newsplex is coming to a close. A great group of folks attended for the second week as well. It's been a great way to meet and learn about new people, including two international journalists/professors.

Because many of the exercises from this week were the same as last week, I didn't do most of them; however, I did do some additional exercises using some of my own content.

I also did this great exercise today--a stand up, on-camera response to a news anchor. I have a more profound respect for my broadcast friends. Wow--remembering what to do and say and listen to that person in your ear is tough! I'll definitely need more practice on this, and now I have a great exercise to subject my students to. I know you're all looking forward to that. And so am I, but I'll tough it out with you and get the practice as well.

Week 2 Newsplex Training 2010

2010-06-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

Today starts my second week fo training at Newsplex at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. This week focuses on teaching and researching convergence.

I spent the weekend touring a couple of cities--Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA, so I'll be posting content from those whirlwind trips shortly. You all will be subjected some more multimedia storytelling techniques when I'm posting this content so that I can continue to practice some of the software programs that I learned last week.

A couple of great tips from last week's seminar:

Adrive allows you 50GB of free storage space. Sign up for an account and begin backing up your data. Too bad I hadn't discover this until one of my external drives had a meltdown. Unfortunately for me, this is the drive that has, or rather had, most of my content. I'll be checking with the good folks at Texas Wesleyan's IT department to see if anything can be recovered--I hope; I hope.
GimpShop provides a toned down, free version of Photoshop, so for those of you who can't afford Photoshop, download the software and play.
Audacity also provides free audio software. Just download the software, and you can edit digital recordings, add effects, etc. before associating the ditigal recording with a slideshow.

I'll offer more tips that I've gleaned from Newsplex throughout my two weeks of training, so stay tuned.

Flash Animation Exercise from Newsplex

2010-06-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is my final Newsplex post for this week--a brief Flash animation that we created. Now I'm off to Charleston.

My Newsplex Video with My Awesome Group

2010-06-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Thursday was video day at Newsplex, and my team shot this video using a Kodak Zi8 and MovieMaker. It was a good learning tool and a really basic video. Hopefully, I can remember how to do this for a movie of Charleston and Savannah. Check back after my worldwind tour this weekend, and thanks to everyone for their suggestions of sites to see in Charleston.

Thanks to Sue and Warren. You two are awesome!

Adobe Photoshop Allows for the Kay Colley iPhone

2010-06-25T10:23:00.001-07:00

colleyiphone
Originally uploaded by klcolley

It's amazing what you can do with Photoshop. As you can see, my face now appears on the iPhone. Not really. But at least on this iPhone it does.

The IT department at Texas Wesleyan will be upgrading The Rambler's Photoshop software this summer, so don't forget to check us out in fall. You'll never know what you might see.

St. Patrick's Day Slideshow Exercise Using Visual Communicator

2010-06-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

The slideshow software program Visual Communicator offers the ability to record on-camera video (see opening), audio and provide some cuts along with a teleprompter-like running script--a really cool feature!

Thanks to Newsplex for making the content available. Hopefully, I can provide some of my own content and create something of my own, but for now, here's St. Patrick's Day in Columbia, SC.

Last Day of Newsplex Convergence Bootcamp

2010-06-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

During the last day of the Newsplex convergence software bootcamp, we learned how to put together a quick video using Animoto.com. This quick and simple program gives s brief glimpse of the facility and the folks who spent the week toiling over software challenges.

My Newsplex Journey Using Google Maps

2010-06-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

This week has been a week for Convergence Software bootcamp at Newsplex, including use of Google Maps. One of my students did an awesome Google Map for murders of journalists in Mexico, but this is my first Google Map. I'll update it as my weekend between Newsplex training sessions progresses.

View South Carolina June 2010 in a larger map

What I'm Doing This Summer (at Newsplex)

2010-06-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

So check out my Grammy coverage created today at Newsplex using the free software program Audacity and some clips that were provided. My voice overs aren't the greatest, but it does take practice.

I hope my students are keeping up with this, especially you Rambler folks, because you're in trouble now. I'm actually learning how to use the software to create multimedia projects so the bar will be raised once again.

Maybe by the end of the week, I'll have a unique project to post. Stay tuned to see.

My First Week at Newsplex

2010-06-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today starts the first week of my convergence training at Newsplex at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. That's the back of my curly hair on the far right while Dr. Augie Grant speaks at front.

Eleven other intrepid journalism faculty members from around the nation are here, and right now, we're all trying to blog. I've been fortunate to have the blog established, so I'm cheating...no new blog created; you all are just going to be exposed to my Newsplex experience for the next two weeks. Lucky you, and lucky me--since I'm here for two weeks instead of just one.

Again, the basic skills of journalism were stressed as imperative in convergence journalism: reporting, writing, editing, basic photography, basic videography and basic audio production.

I'm always floored by how public relations people seem to be ahead of the curve in this struggle, since they've been needing to learn everything for so long. Now, it seems all of the folks who practice communication have fallen into the same boat--the all or nothing boat. Learn it all, at least the basics, or no job.

So stay tuned to see what happens this week. You can also check out my Twitter or Facebook accounts to get updates as well.

Personal Branding and the CETL Faculty Spotlight Video

2010-04-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Recently, Texas Wesleyan's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning did a faculty spotlight video of me that now appears on YouTube. It gave me the chance to article my philosophy on social media and to practice something I preach all of the time--personal branding.

Personal branding is an impact part of getting a job today. For most of us, including me, it's difficult to determine what our "brand" is. And after we've discovered our personal brand, what happens when we need to change that brand?

Well before you start wondering what happens when things change or you change, it's important to take that first step and establish a brand. I've been working on this for a while now, including my Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Delicious, Slideshare, Flickr and YouTube presence in addition to this blog. What takes work is continually creating the content to make these tools valuable in constantly updating my "brand."

I encourage all of you, especially my students or former students, to jump into the world of social media and establish your personal brand. It's easier than ever to do this, and it will pay off in the long run when that great job you want includes outlining social media strategy in support of a company brand or news dissimenation efforts.

In the mean time, check out my video created by the CETL and let me know what you think...am I too gray?

Continued: The Rambler Marketing Plan and Increasing Online Presence

2010-04-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

So last time we talked, The Rambler's staffers had put in a concerted effort to increase fans, followers, friends and e-mail distribution of The Rambler online.

We've continued those efforts, and since that time, we've also won several awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association from its annual convention, including honorable mention for general overall excellence for the web site--a great endorsement. Now, we're working to let everyone know about that and increase our valued readers/viewers.

For our campus community, we have a story in our online only edition of the student newspaper and a story just appeared in the campuswide newsletter. A specific e-mail was sent from me to several members of the campus community--our student publications board, the provost, my dean and my department chair. Next will be a story to our local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The announcement is also scheduled to appear on our social media entities, and will be added to our staff box for a recurring effect.

In the works, signs posted around campus, maybe a congratulations banner on our building, and some statement in our recruitment efforts for students.

We've put our alumni outreach on hold for a week or two, with a kickoff associated with our end of the year banquet.

Next up will be direct emails from me to department members from my own department and then departments within the School of Arts and Letters.

So to recap, we've taken the mass media approach (macro blasts) on campus, and now we're following up those blasts with more personalized e-mail blasts and papering the campus.

One wrinkle in the plan: we have two Facebook pages. Next week, we tackle that.

Friends, Fans, Followers and Subscribers on the Rise

2010-03-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

So an update on how we're working to build community at The Rambler. Part of my strategic plan for the next few years is to increase our web presence. To that end, the students have created a YouTube channel, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter sites, with more in the works. We also signed an agreement with College Publisher to host our web site, which is going all right. Could be better, could be worse.

As part of the service provided by College Publisher, there is a news digest that can be sent to members who sign up. In the past couple of weeks, we've had an all out push to increase those numbers. First, students and professional staffers have been using their Facebook and Twitter feeds to point people in the direction of The Rambler online, www.therambler.org and one of its many social networking sites.

Next, an email was sent campuswide to all students, inviting them to sign up for the news digest. The results, a 100% increase in registered users in the week following the campuswide email.

A story appeared in the campus internal email newsletter, and a slight increase in users followed.

For Facebook, etc., The Rambler has sent invitations to members and sent links to other Texas Wesleyan entities to belong. Our followers, friends and fans are increasing steadily.

Next is this blog, and the entire time, we have been running a 1/4 page advertisement in the printed edition of The Rambler to encourage new friends, fans, followers, and subscribers.

We're continuing our onslaught of the campus community on a weekly basis, and now we're about to expand into the alumni realm. An update on that strategy for next edition.

Moving Steadily Toward Your Goals

2010-02-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

Creating community or growing a community is challenging, and time consuming.

Going into my second semester as student media director for the Texas Wesleyan student newspaper, The Rambler,I am beginning to see the results of the long hours of work in the fall.

Students are "hanging out" in the office, showing a sense of pride, and really communing with each other. Success is in site on this front...at least until our seniors graduate.

This semester, I'm working to tackle on-campus perceptions.
Since journalists are held with about as much esteem as salesmen (just see the studies on this), my main focus has been to get to know people around campus and improve credibility.

Getting to know people takes time...something that I have a limited supply of as a full-time, tenure track faculty member and administrator of student media. So how do you get to know people and sustain relationships?

Well the getting to know people is pretty easy if you just schedule meetings. The sustaining relationships part is more difficult. Scheduling lunch with administrators, faculty and staff can become challenging when you're also trying to sustain community within your organization, do some writing/research, prepare for class, teach class and retrofit a building.

I'm not sure I always choose the right priorities, but prioritizing is the only way to go.

Rome wasn't built in a day, as the saying goes, and it will take some time and continued work to achieve all of our strategic goals. I guess the point is to move steadily toward those goals and continually put the community first.

After all, people still take precedence over things. I learned that in my reporting classes many years ago. And it's still as relevant today.

Networking Equals Community Building

2009-11-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

Networking is creating community. Networking is also one of the best ways to get a job, especially in an industry like communications. But many people, especially new graduates or college students, don't understand how to network.

The Dallas International Association of Business Communicators give a few tips on their YouTube channel.

Take a look at these quick tips on Networking, and then join in a networking event. You'll be glad you did.

Community Relations Ranks at the Bottom for Higher Ed PR

2009-11-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

http://chronicle.com/article/Understanding-the-Public-in/48999/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

The previous article, Understanding the Public in Public Relations, is from the Chronicle of Higher Education. It focuses on a portion of public relations at universities that gets short shrift: community relations.

Now how, you ask, does a university located in a community ignore the community? Well it isn't a matter of ignoring. It's more a matter of taking for granted.

Throughout the history of higher education, institutions of learning have depended on the support and finances of the local community to fulfill their missions. Without the local community, these institutions wouldn't have become the Harvards and Yales and even the University of fill-in-a-name. Instead, they would have withered away and died.

In the early going, even Harvard had problems staying afloat, relying on the generosity of the local community, and some benefactors from throughout the United States, to pay faculty, provide books and provide students...

So why is it that universities have taken their communities for granted?

Well, like any good relationship, if you're in it long enough, you begin to relax. You begin to count on the person on the other side to just be there and to just be. That's when you begin taking the relationship and hence the people for granted.

I'm not saying that all universities do this. I'm saying that it's easy to do this in a longstanding relationship. But when new people move into an area, they don't understand how the university did whatever it did. They expect a certain level of attention, and when they don't get it, problems arise. Here's when you should focus on community relations--before this happens.

Public relations is supposed to be about building and maintaining relationships. Community relations really focuses on this more than many other forms of public relations, which is why it's so important. And while we have a tendency to just take that relationship for granted, it does require work and maintenance.

So PR folks in Higher Education, when was the last time you asked your neighbors what they think of your university? Maybe it's time again.

How to Promote and Market Your Student Publication

2009-11-07T14:46:00.001-08:00

This is the presentation that I did at the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers convention in Austin last weekend.

Our student newspaper at Texas Wesleyan, The Rambler, is a weekly, so it should be all about community engagement. That's what weeklies are good at, and that's what communities expect.

This presentation was reaching out a different community, my colleagues at student newspapers across the nation, to help them understand that marketing and public relations aren't bad words, and that they should do more of each.

How to Promote and Market Your Student Publication

View more presentations from Kay Colley.

Creating Engagement With Wikis

2009-10-19T17:56:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation. I'll be presenting this on Saturday in Houston at 8 a.m., so stop by if you're around for the IABC Southern Region Conference. I'll also be commenting on additional aspects of engagement throughout the week.

Creating Engagement With Wikis

View more presentations from Kay Colley.

The Importance Of Professional Networking

2009-10-13T10:02:00.001-07:00

Networking is just another name for creating community. We rely on our network of contacts to help us get jobs, find out information, give us the latest gossip, and provide us with a good set of eyes and ears so we'll know the latest in our chosen professions.

To successfully maintain a professional network, you have to be good at maintaining community. Whether the network is actual or virtual, people want to hear from you, and that's what community is all about.

Check out this SlideShare Presentation. Hopefully you'll find it helpful. I certainly found it helpful to put together--I always learn more from teaching people. And fortunately, I was able to find a super-duper networking tip sheet from Barbara Gibson, president of the International Association of Business Communicators. I've embedded a link to her website in this presentation.

The Importance Of Professional Networking

View more presentations from Kay Colley.

Narrow Definitions of Objectivity Kill Media, Reduce Minority Community Coverage

2009-08-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

As the adviser to a college student newspaper, part of my job is to teach students how to cover stories for the mass media. As you might guess, that can become quite a daunting task, especially when you throw in ethics.

Recently, an adviser colleague found ethics to be even more daunting than usual as she contemplated hiring a student who was part of the gay community. This student was active in the gay community, and the adviser was concerned about the student's ability to objectively cover issues related to the gay community.

A variety of other advisers chimed in saying how involvement in an organization means that a person cannot be objective in covering the organization.

My response was immediate.

As a journalist and a professor who teaches journalism, I have had the philosophy that wrapping yourself in the flag of objectivity is ridiculous if you are a journalist. Objectivity is an ideal, not a reality.

It's better to understand your biases and work to maintain fairness and balance. The ideal of objectivity just leads to biased coverage and lack of context, which is what most people complain about when they roast the media. This is the context in which my response began, but it is also based on my belief that the white, male view of news is just plain biased. And the white, male view of journalism is what my colleague got from the variety of other advisers who offered their advice.

The reality of covering news is that gay journalists have a better understanding of the gay community; Hispanic journalists have a better understanding of the Hispanic community, African-American journalists have a better understanding of the African-American community, etc., etc. You get the point. People from the community are also more likely to speech to folks who understand them--people who are like them. We use this understanding of people in research by trying to match subjects and researchers based on gender, age, ethnicity and race. It just makes sense.

Today's media would benefit from looking at things differently. Embrace the different points of view of groups who could expand coverage, expand thinking and expand the media market. Seems like something today's media really need--expanded markets. After all, narrow thinking has left the media grappling to stay alive. Isn't it time they were maybe a little more relevant?

Social Animal Syndrome: New Media Ideas from History

2009-07-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

I just finished re-reading the book From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman and was struck by several parts of the book. One part in particular discredited the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes. In Leviathan Friedman quotes Hobbes regarding the "state of nature:"

...."where every man is enemy to every man...there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain....and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

Notice the solitary aspect of Hobbes' assertion.

But what Friedman noticed in Beirut was that no matter how awful things got, people didn't become solitary beings. They reached out to each other, and as Friedman said, "Rather the behavior of Beirutis suggested that man's natural state is as a social animal who will do everything he can to seek out and create community and structures when the larger government or society disappears." The idea of making order out of chaos.

Friedman continued with his assertion that when government in Beirut failed, people turned to microsocieties based on religion, culture, geography, family ties, and other ties that bind people together. In short, people searched for ways they were alike.

This idea plays into the community that can be created using new media and/or social media. We, as communicators, focus on the ties that bind our constituents together, and send our message to those communities. In a sense, we create our own little societies based on our interests, our family, our religion, our culture, our whatever--insert your favorite thing here. That's why you can find whole websites devoted to Star Wars, Star Trek and other "cult-like" phenomena. In essence, we're all just trying to find people we can talk to and understand us, at least on some level.

I guess if you think about this from a physical and psychological standpoint, you can look at the need for babies to maintain physical interaction and nurturing to sustain their growth and development. As adults, we seem to be no different. Physical interaction and nurturing are essential elements to a healthy life. So what does this have to do with communication?

Segmentation and differentiation. As communicators, we need to segment or differentiate our audiences based on their differences and commonalities. It's easy to appeal to differences to drive wedges between people, but the commonalities upon which we develop communities, whether they are based on geography or shared interests, make people more likely to listen to and act on messages that impact them. And that's how new media can learn from history.

Twello Ladies and Gentlemen

2009-07-01T12:16:00.001-07:00

Pardon my pun, but I needed something to catch your attention.

It seems that new media has struck College Media Advisers throughout the CMA Summer Workshop, but especially after a particularly fun-filled and information-filled session at the Poynter Institute yesterday. When I returned to the room, I was much too fried to give any of the new information a try, but I have since gone to Twitter's version of the Yellow Pages, Twello, and registered. It seems that every day launches at least one new application that can be added onto Twitter.

Those naysayers of social media will be clucking their disdain right about now, saying that Twitter is just a flash in the pan. But with almost an 800% increase in members in the last year, it's a mighty flash indeed. By the way, got my figures from Ellyn Angelotti of the Poynter Institute. What an impressive young woman, who introduced the lot of us (45 new and experienced media advisers) to the new news cycle. Some people are kicking and screaming, while railing against the changing news environment. Others are embracing with some reckless abandon. I say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thus my addition of Twello.

If you haven't been dabling in the new media and social networking, what's taking you so long? Follow me on Twitter @kaycolley, and use Twello as a great resource to find folks who might share similar interests. Creating community by finding folks who share your interests or your values is the best way to introduce yourself to social media. After all, it's hard to talk when you don't have something in common, which is why we commune with similar folks. See you on Twello soon!

Things Are Heating Up: Convergence and Social Media Workshop

2009-06-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

It's a hot one in Texas this time of year, but this year, it's especially hot.

Several days of 100+ temperatures and no rain were brutal, but apparently not enough, as my air conditioner decided to call it quits for a couple of days this week.

Air conditioning issues followed me to DFW airport on Saturday and afflicted my plane to Tampa.

I've interrupted my summer break to attend a workshop in St. Petersburg, Florida, this week. What better way to learn about what's the latest in journalism than by taking advantage of the great minds at the Poynter Institute and College Media Advisers.

I was finally able to cool off in the room at St. Pete after shooting this video of the beach directly behind my hotel. OK, so a little discomfort was worth it...

Stay tuned this week as I post to my blog, twitter and Facebook, the cool and cutting edge information I learn about convergence media and social media. But first, enjoy the beach!

Home Sweet Home

2009-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

I just came back from my mother's farm and videotaped this wonderful sunset. While this is where I grew up, I've moved from the Home Sweet Home mentality to Home is Where the Heart Is mentality. I challenge you to discover the difference, because there is one. I'd love to hear what you think it is...

Summertime Begins

2009-05-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

(Cue music...)Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime...

If you're a faculty member in higher education, that's the song you're probably singing right about now. Unless you're one of the unlucky few who is teaching summer school. But this year, I'm one of the few, the proud, the off all summer.

Unfortunately, I've discovered recently that being off isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I sat down and compiled a list of things I'd like to get done this summer, and there's not enough summer to get it all done!

So here are my top 10 items. If you think something should be added, feel free to comment.

1. Submit my research for publication.
2. Map out at least two more articles for publication.
3. Submit article to SWECJMC for fall presentation.
4. Submit article to CMA research contest.
5. Update my blog weekly--see I didn't forget you!
6. Paint the shed.
7. Paint the fence.
8. Go to St. Petersburg, FL for CMA Workshop.
9. Take weekend trips often--how do you define often?
10. Prepare Rambler for Multimedia conversion.

Here's hoping for a successful summer!

In My Tribe: Communication Commentary

2009-04-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah. That's the name of an album, but I'll bet you don't remember the Communication Commentary part. That's because it wasn't there.

In my tribe, which today I'm defining as Communication at Texas Wesleyan, I have learned something this week. Take a deep breath. Listen.

Another crazy week in academia has me wondering just why is it that people get so tense around this time of year? I know the answer, but if you'd like to let me know what your issues are, I'd be happy to listen. However, for the rest of the semester I'm going to do what I learned: Take a deep breath and listen.

The reason I've learned this now in particular is because it is so tense this time of year. I feel pressure; my students feel pressure; everyone on campus feels pressure, and it's rising to a level of explosion, which is why I'm going to take a deep breath and listen.

I learned this lesson several years ago when I received a flame from a student. I flamed right back and felt really bad about it later. The student felt even worse. After that, I decided that any e-mail from anyone that sounded like a flame from the subject line, read like a flame from the first sentence and had lots of exclamation points needed to be thrown in the trash. It served me no purpose, and it served the student no purpose. So that's what I've done. Easy fix for e-mails, but in person flames....that's a bit different. Which is why I've decided to take a deep breath and and listen. While I may not be able to delete the person in front of me flaming, at least I can work to lower my blood pressure and avoid snide comebacks that are full of defensiveness and venom.

So everyone, let me encourage you to take a deep breath and listen. The flame you put out may be your own.

Best Practices For Community Relations Ucd 2009

2009-04-10T08:57:00.001-07:00

My Network, My Community

2009-04-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

In reviewing my blog feeds today, I found this gem from Seth Godin at his blog.

Reminds me of an experience that I had yesterday. I attended the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Conference in Dallas, where I volunteered to help with the live news contest. It's an event where students gather to report on a manufactured story, and the best reporting wins.

Standing in front of a crowd of 75-80 student reporters and photographers, I was a bit overwhelmed. Even though these were members of my community, here I was about to "perform" before them and become controversial. I had planned a live news event that would test their sense of objectivity and in the end, vilify me. I even wrote about this briefly in my Facebook account, where another segment of my community embraces me and serves as my network.

Standing outside of the community of journalists was strange. Condemning them and espousing rhetoric in total opposition to what I believe and what I teach was even stranger, but in the end, it has strengthened my network. From this experience, I have been able to build a common bridge with people in my Facebook community and advisers at the contest. I suspect that I will also be able to build a bridge to students who participated in the contest or heard about it.

The point being, commonality and difference can create bridges. Most lead to community and an expanded network, but some lead to nowhere. In the end, the things that we do, the organizations that we belong to are all about the people, the community and the network. Now I believe I can leverage this experience at TIPA to build bridges and create connections where none existed. I can only guess where this might lead.

The Community You Know

2009-03-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Last week during Spring Break, I made a trip back to my hometown, the community I know. Or maybe it is the community who knows me. It seemed surreal since I ran into people I had worked with many years ago when I was a reporter. They were a bit older, and of course, so am I, but they really hadn't changed.

Because we shared something for several years, we had a common bond, and that common bond made it easy to talk, share and catch up on what life has handed us. But in talking with these people who had been such an integral part of my life in the 1990s, I discovered that I had changed.

While we will always have our shared experiences, our lives have diverged. I no longer live in the small town where I grew up, and I no longer have those shared experiences. Now, my experiences involve a different city and a different way of life.

Sometimes when I go back to the town where I grew up, I fondly remember the community that I had then. It was a bustling hub of newspaper, softball, city, county, College Station, Bryan and Texas A and M connections. But when I return home I realize that I have just as much bustle in my life and just as much community.

This week, I attended an IABC Fort Worth professional meeting with some students, and we were welcomed with open arms to the community of communicators. It felt just like "old home," so I sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the company of my current community.

What this says to me is I guess your level of comfort is in direct proportion to how well you know the community and how well the community knows you, no matter how close or far away that community might be.

Getting Enmeshed in the Web

2009-03-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

I just finished an article for PR Strategist co-written with Dr. Amy Collier. The article was about using wikis in public relations, and we are the experts.

Here's the funny thing: I just began working with wikis, and public relations isn't my first profession in mass communication. I'm a trained reporter and editor. So how can I write this article and be considered an expert? Well believe it or not, it's all about community.

In the Parker J. Palmer book that I'm reading, The Courage to Teach, Palmer talks about how getting enmeshed in the web of life creates community. He also talks about how we can only create knowledge or truth in this community-like setting.

For me that means, I can wallow around in the world of wikis, and with the help of my co-author, Dr. Collier, I can discover truth--in this case how to use wikis in public relations.

When I've wallowed around in the world of anything on my own, I've found it difficult to make connections with truth or knowledge. There's just too much out there for me to discover and make sense of on my own.

It's only through getting enmeshed in the web of community and depending on someone else to help guide my journey that I've encountered a little piece of truth and produced a little bit of knowledge. That's a pretty strong endorsement of collaboration from my perspective. And a pretty strong endorsement for seeking and using communal knowledge.

Community and Solitude

2009-03-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

In reviewing Parker J. Palmer's The Courage to Teach, it became clearer to me how the two concepts of community and solitude can coexist--both are necessary for survival.

Human beings need community to feel a part of something greater than themselves, to connect on a more intimate level with others, to feel needed, wanted and loved. These are all good things. But you can get too much of a good thing.

Just as too much chocolate can make you sick, too much community can make you sick too.

Have you ever heard yourself saying, "I'm tired of people"? Or maybe it was more like, "I'm sick and tired of people!"? Sometimes the things we say in exasperation or frustration are really the things we feel, no matter how bad they sound or seem. Sometimes, we just need to be left alone.

There's nothing wrong with wanting or craving solitude. There's nothing wrong with wanting or craving community. Sometimes I forget that these two paradoxes exist in the same human being--me, you, everyone.

So while creating community and fostering community is important and necessary for a successful business and a successful life, don't forget to create and foster yourself. You can have community and solitude, but go easy on the chocolate.

Using Wikis In Marketing And Media Relations

2009-03-05T15:36:00.001-08:00

This is my presentation from the Best of the Southwest Communicators Conference last weekend.

Wikis are really good tools to create community. Far better than blogs because they offer a more open environment and an egalitarian approach to participation. Check out this SlideShare presentation and let me know if you agree.

Using Wikis In Marketing And Media Relations

View more presentations from Kay Colley.

Creating a Groundswell

2009-02-27T11:01:00.001-08:00

In helping me prepare for a presentation that I'm doing tomorrow, a wonderful librarian friend found the book "Groundswell" by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff and laid it at my door. (Thank you Kaeli!)

The book talks about how technology has changed our world and will continue to change our world. I must admit, I'm still in the first couple of chapters, but I do get the idea--people in business, especially public relations people--are going to have to change their way of thinking to take advantage of the Groundswell.

The Groundswell is the ability for people online to bypass "the man" and as a community get what they want. The whole idea is that like minds congregate and in creating a groundswell, collaborate. Watch out business! The community takes over!

Actually, this has already occurred. Public relations people are just now catching up. Newspapers are still working to get there despite their innate ability to create community. Go figure. I think it's that virtual community that they're having trouble getting.

Back to the book: In their blog Li and Bernoff give a list of 10 tips from the book, and the last one talks about community.

Okay, okay, I hear you--so what's the point? The point is, this is back to basics, just with a focus on technology. We can leverage our communities, even if those communities are online, to create change. Actually, it's probably easier to leverage communities to create change online. Word spreads faster and more people can congregate and collaborate. These are points that I need to make sure to get into my presentation: back to basics.

No matter how far we've come, it's still about what we find in common that binds us together. And it's that commonality that allows us to create Groundswell moments, stopping action by government and big business.

I'm Creating Community. I'm Using a Tool.

2009-02-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

In her post to the PRSA blog ComPRehension, Corinne Weisgerberger discusses those two statements in relation to social media. Weisgerberger has been teaching a Social Media class and made the discovery that students had a hard time connecting social media with the concept of anything other than creating community.

This is an interesting observation, and one that I've noticed not just among students, but among everyone--creating artificial barriers. I use Facebook to connect to community. I use MySpace to connect to community. I use LinkedIn to connect to community, and so on and so one. But I also use these social media TOOLS. And sometimes I don't use them in the way that most public relations people would use them.

In preparing for a presentation at the end of this week, I have made a discovery: We all need to change our way of thinking.

Book after book after book that I have read focuses on this concept--the innate desire from people to connect with other people. The creation of community or rather the desire to create community is something that we all have, which is why Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, et al have become so popular. You're able to create a virtual community. You're able to reach out and make that connection that we all long for.

How does this affect public relations? Well we have seemed to be stuck in the mode of this tool is for that purpose, and this tool is for that purpose, not bearing in mind that tools can be multipurposed. This requires a change in thinking--a lifting of the barriers.

If you think about social media as a tool that allows you to create community, the possibilities are endless on how that may occur. If you think about social media as one or the other, a tool or a place to create community, you've placed an artificial limit on the tool and the community.

Not feelin' the love

2009-02-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've got to admit it: I'm not feelin' the love. Maybe it's because I'm sick today, but I don't seem to be feelin' the love from my peeps. Where are my followers? Where is my community?

I guess this is a wonderful lesson in creating community, and something that I hope many of my students will at least read, even if they don't follow. Just because you start a blog doesn't mean people will follow you. Uncanny how that works!! I guess that's why we PR Peeps, which is a community all its own now, just put things together and expect them to work, and we're quite dumbfounded when things don't work. I've called this the "If you build it they will come" marketing and public relations mentality.

Haven't you been in an organization that practiced this kind of community-building activities: Throw it all against the wall and let's see what sticks? This ain't spaghetti folks! A little more strategy might make everyone's life a little easier.

So what does this mean for my little community here in the blogosphere? Well, I'm working on a campaign to increase the little community to a larger community. Stay tuned to see what happens.

Using social media to build community

2009-02-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

This week, I'm doing a presentation about the use of wikis in public relations. My topic, in particular, is using wikis for media relations and marketing. While that's a wonderful idea, wikis help build community. A Business Week article really drives this point home. The examples that they provide really give you an indication of how great wikis are at creating and sustaining community, especially when you consider Hollywood has gotten into the act by creating wikis for some of its most popular shows.

The reason that wikis are so good at creating community and blogs are not as good at it is that wikis lack controls. The average person, for the most part, can post, edit, delete and create whatever he or she pleases. This is the essence of letting go of the message, something that many communicators have a problem doing.

Hopefully, I can convince some PR-types that letting go is a good thing, because to effectively create community in an online forum, you have to allow others to create and become a part of the creation. Something that even Business Week would recommend.

It's the community stupid!

2009-02-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

Today, I've stumbled upon, and not using the social media tool of the same name, two articles about social media. One from Business Week http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2009/tc20090218_335887.htm that talks about the myths of social media.

Everyone seems to think that social media will cure their marketing or public relations ills. "Just join Twitter." "Get a page on Facebook, no MySpace, no both." "Start a blog." "Don't forget to put it on YouTube."

All of the advice in the world won't help according to another article from Bill Sledzik on his blog ToughSledding. http://toughsledding.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/are-social-media-changing-the-dna-of-public-relations-not-one-bit/

His contrarian view is that social media will not change the face of public relations because public relations isn't about the tools--it's about the relationships. In other words: It's the community stupid!

As communicators we often forget that what we are trying to do is create community through our communications. This is even more important in social media settings, known as groups or COMMUNITYs. Getting people involved is one thing, but keeping them involved is something totally different, and it isn't as easy as it looks!

So finally, I feel better! Whew. I was beginning to think that I had to implement all of these new social media tools in a campaign and make them work. Bill Sledzik reminded me that it's about the community, which means I can use whatever tools work for me to achieve that goal. Even if those tools are social media.

The power of personal contact

2009-02-17T15:26:00.000-08:00

In the past few days, I've been reminded of the power of personal contact--it can win friends, influence enemies, get you jobs....

In my perusal of the blogosphere and the internet, I was once again reminded of the power of personal contact this afternoon, and simple things such as saying thank you. http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=227

It's often these little niceties that we learned as children that will mean the difference between sustaining community after we've created it and making people feel as if they've been taken for granted. Don't let anyone in your community feel that way! Say thank you! And thank you for reading.

Where do I fit?

2009-02-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

In creating community or in joining a community, that's the question that most people ask--where do I fit? If they don't feel as if they fit, then they won't join. Sometimes it's a matter of physical fit. Just last week, our student chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators met in a room that was pretty small. A few students came by, looked in and left. They didn't want to come in because they felt as if they wouldn't physically fit into the room.

Sometimes, it's a matter of critical mass, to use a term that is mostly associated with ethnic and racial minority fit in the larger culture. People who are ethnic or racial minorities must feel as if they fit to stay in a predominantly white cultural setting. To achieve this fit, a sense of critical mass is needed. I say a sense of critical mass rather than actual critical mass, because it is truly that perception that makes the difference.

In my dissertation, "Latino Success Stories in Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Graduates at a Health Science Center," located at: http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-3687
I discovered that critical mass is as much about perception as it is about reality. The former students who were successful created this sense of critical mass for themselves.

For other communities or for people who cross community boundaries, keeping a foot in several different communities, the question becomes more problematic. Where do I fit may depend on where I am not necessarily who I am. If you are a female of Hispanic and African-American descent and you identify as bisexual, what group is your community? What word do you choose first when describing yourself?

Just where you fit is a matter of comfort, and at any given moment, that can change. That's why creating and sustaining community can be so challenging.

Creating Community

2009-02-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

So, just how hard is it to create community? That is definitely a question worth exploring, especially if you are into public relations or social media. Creating community is what we're all about.

What if someone set up a social marketing or social media format and nobody came? That's not uncommon. "If you build it they will come..." only works in the movies. Fortunately, creating community is something that can be addressed. One way to address it is by inviting people to join. Sounds simple, but that's why you see those invitations on all social marketing or social networking sites that invite you to participation.

Invitations aren't always readily available from every community. Some community's use a lack of an invitation to keep people out. Some invitations can be recipes for inclusion and exclusion as well.

The second thing that must be present to make people feel at home in a community is a sense of well-being or security. You have to not only receive an invitation, but feel good after you get there. That's why it's important to thank people for coming to a meeting and express your interest in their ideas--introduce yourself and follow-up with another invitation.

While these little steps may seem elementary, we often forget what it's like to be outside of the community. Especially when we're in the in crowd, so to speak.

Answer the question

2009-01-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so yesterday I posed a question but provided no answer. I hate when other people do that, so let me try to elaborate on what I think of as community.

When I was growing up in small town Texas, I spoke about living in a small community. To me, that was not just a geographic place. It was an idea. It was a group of people who knew me and cared about me.

Now I live in a big city, but my idea of community hasn't really changed that much. It's still more about groups of people who are associated with different parts of my life--there's the Wesleyan community, the student publications community, the public relations community, the gay and lesbian community, and yes, even a community of people associated with where I live. However, this idea is not about the geography of these places. It's about the people.

People make community. So no matter what geographic "community" I live in, I dwell in several communities. This is my idea of community. How to create it, how to expand it, how to communicate within it--these are some of the issues that I hope to explore further.

What is community?

2009-01-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, when I was a budding young journalist, I had a newspaper column called "Kay's Copy." I guess this is a modern-day version of that, except that now, I'm a budding, but not so young, assistant professor, and I'm interested in studying the idea of community. I hope that this blog provides other people a place to talk about community, question the idea of community, define community and hopefully create community. So while this is officially my "community," I certainly hope that you'll join.

--Dr. Kay L. Colley