That lo-o-o-ng last mile for connectivity.
When we wonder why communicating gets muddled in this high-technology era we might review an article added recently to the ACDC collection from Webology journal.
Authors A. Neelameghan and Greg Chester identified 66 major barriers to effective communications in support of development. Only a half-dozen of those barriers involved technical and systems aspects. Call in the professional communicators to help.
Title: Environmental knowledge and marginalized communities: the last mile connectivity.
Posted at http://www.webology.ir/2006/v3n1/a24.html
10 new research papers from the 2007 ACE/NETC conference.
We are pleased to call your attention to these papers presented during a research session of the 2007 meeting of the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences. ACE conference and the National Extension Technology Conference (NETC) took place jointly during June in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here are the titles and authors, plus information you can use to contact the lead authors if you are interested in further details.
- “Reaching online audiences successfully: the effect of cognitive problem-solving style, Internet usage, and level of interactivity on recall of Web-based information.” Emily Rhoades, Tracy Irani, Ricky Telg and Brian Myers. Contact: rhoades.100@osu.edu
- “New agricultural communicators: a content analysis of the current state of agriculture blogging.” Emily Rhoades and Kelsey Hall. Contact: rhoades.100@osu.edu
- “Promoting solutions: selected consumer perceptions and evaluation of an integrated marketing communications Web site for Extension.” Courtney Meyers and Tracy Irani. Contact: cameyers@ufl.edu
- “Identifying factors related to satisfaction and trust in media relations between Kansas Extension agents and newspaper gatekeepers.” Pat Melgares, Kristina Boone, Joye Gordon and Bonnie Bressers. Contact: melgares@ksu.edu
- “Walk the talk: agriculture communicators’ approach to media relationships.” Amanda Ruth and Ricky Telg. Contact: rutha@cofc.edu
- “News wire coverage of agricultural issues: a closer look at reporters’ objectivity.” Ruth Bobbitt, Shelly Sitton and Dwayne Cartmell. Contact: ruth.bobbitt@okstate.edu
- “Naturally confused: selected consumers’ perceptions of all-natural and organic pork.” Katie Chodil, Tracy Irani and Courtney Meyers. Contact: kchodil@ufl.edu
- “Strengthening agricultural communication curricula: conversations with industry professionals.” Marissa Mullett and Mark Tucker. Contact: mullett.50@osu.edu
- “Managing impressions of diversity for agricultural communication programs.” Lisa Lundy and Lori Boyer. Contact: llundy@lsu.edu
- (Alternative paper) “An analysis of the competition between the Internet and printed agricultural magazines as production agriculture news sources.” Shannon Krueger, Kristina Boone, Joye Gordon and Thomas H. P. Gould. Contact: skrueger@ksu.edu
How free were the media in 2006?
You may find interest in a global report we prepared recently for members of the International Federation for Agricultural Journalists. This feature drew upon statistical reports from several organizations that monitor press freedom in nearly 200 countries.
Title: How free were the media in 2006?
Posted at: http://www.ifaj.org/news/media_in_2006.htm
Contributions of a farm broadcast pioneer.
We join others in honoring Layne Beaty, a farm broadcast pioneer and leader in the U. S. His career from 1939 to 1980 spanned tremendous change in farm broadcast media and methods. You can read a recent article about his life and career at www.nafb.com/nafbfiles/jun07echats1.htm. The ACDC collection contains nearly 20 documents about him, or written by him. For example:
- “Layne Beaty’s comments” (written in 1946 as the National Association of Radio Farm Directors was forming)
- “The place of the RFD [radio farm director] in television” (written in 1950 when television was emerging as a medium)
- “Broadcasters: somehow they do count” (written in 1973)
- “Are farm broadcasters really journalists?” (written in 1983)
Also, you can learn more about him and his work by reviewing “The papers of Layne R. Beaty,” in the National Agricultural Library at: www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll. Search for “Beaty” in “Search Special Collections.” And let us know if you would recommend other documents about him we might add to the ACDC collection
Communicator activities approaching
July 28-August 1, 2007
“Writing, photography, design: the AMS trifecta.” Agricultural Media Summit in Louisville, Kentucky USA. Organized jointly by American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA), Agri Council of American Business Media (ABM), Agricultural Relations Council (ARC), Livestock Publications Council (LPC) and Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT). Information: www.agmediasummit.com
August 22-25, 2007
Annual conference of the Association of Food Journalists in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA. Information: www.afjonline.com
September 5-9, 2007
17th annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists at Stanford University, Stanford, California USA. Information: www.sej.org/confer/index1.htm
September 8-9, 2007
“Food and morality.” Theme of the 2007 Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, England. Information: www.oxfordsymposium.org.uk
Great economy in rural talking.
We close this issue of ACDC News with J. Frank Dobie’s observation in Cow People that economy in conversation may be rarer than in art and literature. He cited a few examples about economical expression in the Old West:
- A man “died of defective vision.” (another man with a gun saw him first)
- “They quit breathing” (said of certain cattle thieves)
- “Two of them…didn’t need their horses any longer and we rode them out” (after a battle at the border)
- He found “a rope with another man’s horse at the end of it.” (accused as a horse thief)
Can you add an example of great economy in rural talking? If so, we welcome it.
Do you have thoughts, examples or suggestions related to any topics featured in this issue?
Please send them to us by return e-note.
Get in touch with us:
- When you cannot locate information you need about agricultural and rural communicating.
- When you see in this collection interesting items you cannot find, locally or online. Tell us the titles and/or document numbers. We will help you gain access.
And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Com Documentation Center, 510 LIAC, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or electronic form at docctr@library.uiuc.edu
Best regards and good searching.
July 2007