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UPSTATE HORTICULTURE: CLEMSON EXTENSION FACEBOOK PAGE

Website/Online Content

S. Cory Tanner
Horticulture Program Team Director
CLEMSON EXTENSION SERVICE
Clemson

Team Members: TANNER, S1
  1. AREA EXTENSION AGENT, CLEMSON EXTENSION SERVICE, GREENVILLE, South Carolina, 29601

Abstract & URL

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\r\n       Extension clientele, especially younger clientele, are increasingly turning to web-based information sources first. Reaching them by traditional means (print media, radio, mailings, etc.) is often less effective and more costly than using internet outlets.  As a result, social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) offer great potential for reaching new audiences and sharing information with any interested party, for essentially no expense.   Therefore, the author launched a Facebook Page in fall 2009 called “Upstate Horticulture: Clemson Extension” and has continuously maintained the site.  View the site at www.facebook.com/UpstateHort. The author is the only administrator and manages all content, posting new content almost daily.   Various informative, subject-specific, and research-based tidbits about horticulture, gardening, landscaping, etc. are shared.    Program announcements and Extension updates also feature prominently on the page.  The site had 392 “likes” as of March 11, 2011 with little more than word-of-mouth advertising.   People who “like” the site see new items in their own “news feed” when those items are posted.  If viewers are interested in the topic they may click on it to see more, or simply ignore it if they are not interested.  They may also “like” or comment on individual posts.  Since inception this Facebook page has proven a valuable communication and constituent recruitment tool for the horticulture programs in the Upstate region of SC.

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Years of CES Service: 0