LET'S COMMUNICATE
Agriculture Communication Newsletter
December 2008, No. 155
Contents
Logo Identifies NDSU; Use It
NDSU Impact Campaign Needs Testimonials
Resources Available from Ag Communication
Write the Right Word
Ag Communication Welcomes Bob Bertsch
Thundar Needs Your Votes
December eXtension Professional Development
Logo Identifies NDSU; Use It
NDSU Impact. You’ve probably seen the billboards or TV ads. Notice the NDSU graphic always looks the same. Not Arial type. Not boldface. Always a specific graphic, not just typed letters. Just like McDonald’s arches or the Nike swoosh, the NDSU graphic identifies our university to the public.
Please use the NDSU and related logos to market our institution. Have a logo on your office entry door. Project a logo as people enter the meeting room. Put a logo on posters and on brochure covers.
Downloadable logos in different formats are on the Web:
- NDSU -- http://vpur.ndsu.edu/ndsu_logo_usage/
- N.D. Agricultural Experiment Station -- http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/research/logo.htm
- NDSU Extension Service -- http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/newextlogo.htm
Never use the old EXP or EXT logos, the staggered NDSU letters, the old snorting bison or the university seal.
NDSU Impact Campaign Needs Testimonials
How has your career in Agriculture and University Extension impacted your life or impacted other people? Did someone else with NDSU impact your life? The NDSU Impact campaign is asking alumni and others to share how the university impacted their lives. Go to http://www.impact.ndsu.edu/ to enter your story.
Resources Available from Ag Communication
The Ag Communication department has various materials and equipment available for checkout. The new personal response system (PRS) has 40 clickers that allow the audience to share what they know as a group and vote in polls. Reserve the PRS, the digital SLR camera, the video camera and other equipment listed at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/agcomm/equipment.htm from Linda McCaw at linda.mccaw@ndsu.edu or 231-7881.
Also now available for checkout are the six Extension retractable vertical banners, tubular banner stands, and NDSU and Extension table runners.
Marketing materials for sale at cost include Agriculture and University Extension pocket folders in green and yellow, and Extension notecards and decals. See photos at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/agcomm/resources.htm.
John Grindahl can create personalized posters, banners and other marketing materials. Contact him at (701) 231-7898 or john.grindahl@ndsu.edu.
Write the Right Word
When we communicate, we want to make sure the people with whom we are communicating don’t have to guess at what we’re trying to say. One way to help get our message across is avoiding ambiguities.
The word “it,” usually accompanied by “is,” may be one of the most wishy- washy words in the English language. You hear and see people misusing the word all the time: “It is a nice day.” “It was my idea to go to the beach.” “It is recommended that the seed be planted 6 to 8 inches deep.” What is “it,” anyway?
To keep people from wondering what “it” is, simply rewrite the sentence. For example: “This is a nice day.” “My idea was to go to the beach.” “The cropping specialist recommends producers plant the seed 6 to 8 inches deep.”
“There are” and “there is” are other ambiguous phrases. Instead of saying, “There are three books on the table,” try this, “Three books are on the table.”
Rewriting takes a little more time and thought but is worth the effort.
Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu
Ag Communication Welcomes Bob Bertsch
Bob Bertsch joined the Ag Communication staff Nov. 10 as Web technology specialist. He has already reviewed thousands of NDSU Agriculture and University Extension Web pages plus similar sites from other universities; started learning TYPO3, NDSU's content management system; and begun gathering information to strategically plan our Web presence into the future.
Bob can be reached at:
Morrill 115D
(701) 231-7381
robert.bertsch@ndsu.edu
Thundar Needs Your Votes
Thundar, the NDSU bison mascot, is one of four semi-finalists in the Capital One Bowl mascot challenge. This week Thundar is head-to-head against the University of Maryland’s Testudo, and he needs your votes by Sunday afternoon to move on to the finals. Go to http://www.capitalonebowl.com and vote once each day. Also, forward the URL to others who can vote for Thundar.
December eXtension Professional Development
December's 30-minute sessions are listed below. Five minutes before start time, have a speaker phone and go to http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/learn .
* 1 p.m. CST, Dec. 4 -- how to use the new Ask eXtension widget to receive and answer questions directly from your county Extension web site or blog.
* 1 p.m. CST, Dec. 9 -- Source Code Version Control: Use It or Lose It
* 1 p.m. CST, Dec. 17 -- Search Engine Optimization
* 1 p.m., Dec. 18 -- goals, tools and techniques you can use to present visual information to get constructive feedback
Other sessions:
* 1-2 CST, Dec. 10 -- discussion of Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, et. al., and Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
Second Life trainings and gatherings also will happen in December.
To view recordings of past trainings, see http://about.extension.org/wiki/Recordings_of_eXtension_Professional_Development_Sessions
Let's Communicate
Past issues and topics from Let's Communicate are at www.ag.ndsu.edu/agcomm/letscomm/letscomm.htm. If you have questions or comments, or would like to submit information or make a suggestion forLet's Communicate, please contactme.
Becky Koch, Director, Agriculture Communication
Morrill 7, North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND 58105-5655
Phone: 701 231-7875, Fax: 701 231-7044
Please note my new e-mail address: becky.koch@ndsu.edu
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