Many of the people who are aware of this blog and I hope are paying attention, are members of NAMA – National Agri-Marketing Association. However, not all of you are.
A great place to learn more about it and network with people from across the country is the annual Agri-Marketing Conference and Trade Show. This year it’s in Phoenix, April 20-22.
ZimmComm will be there, blogging our way through.
Just thought you might be interested.
I was just alerted to an ag blog you might want to check out. You can see for yourself at the Center For Rural Affairs .
See? There’s more of them happening all the time.
Feel free to contact ZimmComm if you’d like help in learning how to blog. We can set yours up for you and even help you maintain it!
I couldn’t resist posting a picture of this little guy from the NCBA trade show. Especially since New Holland is a client and we helped with their Polar Express movie promotion by sending a Talking News Release! 
This is from Webopedia:
(n.) Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.
(v.) To author a Web log.
Other forms: Blogger (a person who blogs).
I’ve found that so many agricultural communications folks don’t know much about it that I thought it might be helpful to put a definition.
I would add that this year will be the year that companies start using blogging and RSS as a way to communicate in a very personal way and to easily syndicate that information.
I wish there was a prettier word to use than blog though.
Or are we the media?
Interesting question.
It used to be that companies had to push their information to their customers through “traditional” media (newspaper, magazine, radio, tv). The web has opened up a whole new world though.
What about blogging, or as I’d rather say, self-publishing and syndication? If I create an easy to use and subscribe to web log site then I’m going directly to the audience I want. My site can include audio, video and of course text.
Although not blogging, look at what companies like John Deere are doing today. They announced this week that member organization NCBA has “endorsed” the Gator and Buck as their official Utility and ATV vehicles. I’m sure this provides the organization with much needed and welcome revenue for it’s programs and services. In return, John Deere gets mentioned and plugged in NCBA news releases and materials which I assume will include their website and other member communication devices. They’ve passed the traditional media by to reach their customers directly in a relationship that seems to work for everyone.
Does this mean that NCBA has become the “media?”
I got my latest edition of NCGA News of the Day by email. It talked about a new agreement with Eden Bioscience that allows NCGA members to receive product discounts and participate in field demonstration trials with a product they hope to receive registration for prior to the upcoming planting season.
Does this mean that NCGA has become the “media?”
Love to know your thoughts on this.
I’ve only been spreading the word about blogs for a couple weeks. Just in the past 24 hours I’ve been contacted by 2 ag communications people about their new blogs. They’re getting their feet wet and seeing what blogging is all about. They’re brave new souls who will continue to succeed in their careers because they’re willing to try something new.
I’ll post links to ag-related blogs when I find them. If you have any send them to me and I’ll pass them along.
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, talking to the press in San Antonio.
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, facing the press at the Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio. This was his first public speech and press conference as Secretary outside of Washington, DC.
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, speaking to cattle industry members in San Antonio.
One of the nice things about being a member of the media is the ability to get close to the stage and take a nice picture!
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, talks at the Cattle Industry Convention on Friday, Feb. 4. You can listen to a few minutes of his comments here: ZimmComm Podcast.
Contact me at ZimmComm if you’d like to hear more from the Secretary. He spoke for about 30 minutes and then answered questions at a press conference and I have all the audio.
