While my parents were visiting during the holiday I used my smart phone to take and send picture messages to my siblings who live across the country. My mother thought it was amazing that I could share pictures with my family immediately and she wanted to learn how to do the same thing with her phone. After some quick instructions and practice, she was thrilled to take pictures of her grandkids and send them out to family and friends.

Technology has provided us immediate access to information, allowing us to research various topics, conduct business, make business decisions, and connect with friends and family. Data indicate that among those who use the internet, 69% of people use and social media (pewinternet.org). Over the past eight years, use of social media has dramatically increased among all age groups. The most popular of social media outlets were Facebook (66%), followed by LinkedIn (20%), Twitter (16%), and Pinterest (12%).

To provide easy and immediate access to information for those in the potato community, I have started a webpage (www.ag.ndsu.edu/potatoextension), Facebook page (www.facebook.com/potatoextension), Twitter account (www.twitter.com/spudology), LinkedIn account (www.linkedin.com/in/spudology), and Pinterest account (www.pinterest.com/spudology). I welcome questions or comments on any of these. Additionally, if you would like to receive emails there is an email signup on the webpage. Emails will be used to send out notifications of important information.

Here is a quick overview of the new potato extension webpage. The webpage has a navigation column on the left side with links to research and extension publications, laboratories where samples can be sent, pesticide guides and sites, and upcoming events. This is not an inclusive list, so if there is something you would like to see, please fill out the ‘Contact Us’ form with your suggestion. The middle section will be continually updated with new articles, presentations, and other important information. On the right-hand side of the site are links to the social media sites mentioned previously. I look forward to you joining the discussion on one of my social media outlets and exploring the new website.