With every unique industry, social media moves at a different speed and takes shape in different forms.  Consumer products, health care, restaurants, real estate…each industry takes a unique approach to social media.

One of the most interesting industries TVG works with in social media is agriculture.  As an industry driven by farmers who often have limited access to high-speed internet, and who are rooted in a strong tradition and history, social media has been perhaps a bit slower to catch on.

2010 has brought into focus two main ways in which social media will grow and benefit agriculture. These two elements can also be applied to many other industries. 

• Collaboration and best practice sharing among the industry.
• Building a stronger brand among industry influentials and the general public.

Collaboration and Best Practices

Social media uses technology to build and foster communities and conversations.  It is a resource that allows barriers of time and space to break down and it creates more opportunities to communicate and collaborate.

There are some great examples of how this is already working. As of early 2010, more than 25 different state farm bureaus were on Twitter, in addition to many commodity groups, industry media and individual farmers. Planned weekly Twitter conversations like #AgChat bring together the industry to discuss hot topics on a weekly basis.  Commodity groups are also funding social media efforts. The National Corn Growers Association has a multitude of social media channels, including a blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a newly launched Podcast. And one of the best examples, the Future Farmers of America, is bringing together young farmers on various social networks like Facebook, as well as their own micro-social network of more than 5,000 members.

These groups are setting a precedent for how to communicate and collaborate as an industry. As the Future Farmers of America take their place as the new leaders in agriculture, their enthusiasm for new media and communication technologies will continue to move the industry toward new methods of communicating.

Communicating with the Public

The second focus of social media – targeting external audiences – presents a greater challenge and yet perhaps the greatest reward for agriculture.  The social media world we live in has changed the way consumers want to relate to the companies, brands and products they purchase.  Consumers want a more personal connection to companies and want companies to be more socially aware and transparent about their practices and products. 

In agriculture, consumers want to know more about their food, where it comes from and who the people and companies are who produce it.  Films like Food, Inc. and authors like Michael Pollan have been a part of this trend and are aggressively using social media to spread their opinions and perspectives on food.

Often that perspective on U.S. food and the image of the agriculture industry is missing one important voice—that of the American farmer.

Because of this, many industry corporations and commodity groups are helping farmers to get their voice heard. Some good first steps to get more engaged include social media training, online videos featuring farmers and commenting on blogs or news articles you agree or disagree with.

It is important in 2010 for all industries to become more involved in discussions and communities in social media so an accurate and informative image can be delivered to consumers. 

The U.S. consumer is craving information and a direct connection.  Social media is providing that direct connection, a connection that has the power to bolster the U.S. farming brand and the brands of countless industries and companies around the world.

1. Donna was in North Carolina this week for the Pinnacle Worldwide (PWW) conference.  PWW is a network of more than 50 privately-owned PR firms around the globe, for which Donna serves as President.  The group shares best practices and collaborates on various projects.
2. Here at TVG we love Panera lunch meetings. This week Panera Bread Co., or St. Louis Bread Co. as it’s known around here, has been making national news for opening a non-profit location in Clayton, Missouri.  The St. Louis Bread Company Cares Café asks patrons to “pay what they can” for their food.  The concept is not new in the restaurant world, but it is the first national chain to take on the initiative.
3. You probably have already heard the buzz about Google’s homepage today, but I can’t resist sharing.  Today the logo is in honor of Pac-Man’s 30^th anniversary, but boy, Google has outdone itself yet again.  Check out Google.com and select “Insert Coin” right next to the normal search button. Just watch out for Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde!
4. One last reminder for St. Louis to check out the Ag Innovation Showcase next week at the Danforth Plant Science Center.  If you are interested in attending, use the discount code AG20AT and receive 30% off of the registration price. You can register here.
5. As an industry we are constantly looking for ways to monitor the fast paced conversation on social media.  This week try a new search engine, Kurrently, searches Twitter and Facebook simultaneously.  Facebook can be a difficult site to search and this tool is a great real-time solution, while also capturing the Twitter conversation. Thank you to Jay Baer for sharing!

What is on your Friday 5 this week?

Happy Friday everyone and have a safe and fun-filled weekend.

1. Is BP doing the right thing? Check out our crisis team’s take on the Gulf oil spill in our most recent Insight publication.  What is your take on how BP has handled communications in the crisis?  Share your thoughts in the blog comment section.
2. Last Friday the St. Louis Business-Journal published a business guide to social media along with their normal weekly print edition.  Be sure to check out TVG’s ad on our social media program and software, Pulse.
3. I go through phases of social media and communication blogs I visit on a regular basis. Lately, I’ve been enjoying Jay Baer’s Convince & Convert.  A recent post highlights some great stats about Twitter.  If you aren’t on Twitter yet, these stats may convince and convert you into a believer.  (Sorry for the pun, I couldn’t resist).
4. You can probably find a new example everyday on how the Internet and social media have changed the way we consume news and communicate.  This week the flooding in Nashville is a shining example.  Hundreds of home videos and first hand accounts of the devastation have been filling the news and social media. Luckily these tools are also helping to drive support and fundraising for recovery efforts.
5. Lastly, happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.  Need a last minute card for your mom?  Check out one of JibJab’s fun e-cards.

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?  This week we have a last minute bonus item!  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (one of my favorite movies of all time) is being played out on Twitter and Foursquare today. You can follow Ferris, his sister Jeanie, girlfriend Sloane and even Mr. Rooney!  Enjoy all.

1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to TVG’s EVP Kelly Ferrara!  Celebrations were held at Monday’s staff meeting which included cake, cards and our best effort at singing “Happy Birthday.”
2. Can you say Eyjafjallajokull?  Don’t feel bad if you stumble a bit.  It seems that even experts can’t agree on how to pronounce this Icelandic volcano which has grounded thousands of flights this week due to ash clouds.
3. As if wanting the new iPad wasn’t enough, this week Gizmodo leaked an exclusive first look at the next generation of the iPhone 4g.  Speculation has filled the web and social media outlets – was this all an accident, or was it a planned leak by Apple?  What do you think?
4. In honor of the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day, click here for “Five Easy Steps for Going Green.”
5. Are you always connected to social media?  A new study by Ground Truth revealed that “approximately 60 percent of time spent on mobile internet is spent on social networking sites and apps.”

Look for another Friday 5 on April 30 – the last Friday in April.  Wow, where did the month of April go?

1. Kelly Ferrara took her first bite out of the Big Apple this week as she attended the Mirren New Business Conference.  She’s now working on sharing the wealth of her learning!  One of the tips:  the subject line of an email is the most important 6-8 words you’ll write!
2. TVG started off the week with our friends at 4ORCE as they celebrated their new brand and the opening of the first agency-run UX Lab in St. Louis with an open house on Monday.  4ORCE is doing some great things in user experience, an important element to all brands.
3. TVG’s Shelley Lester is in San Francisco today representing the St. Louis IABC at the Pacific Plains’ Regional Meeting.
4. The Sanford-Brown and Missouri College team at TVG spent Tax Day, April 15^th, getting the word out about free massages the schools were offering in St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Tampa.  Altogether the students and faculty gave out hundreds of free massages to help relieve the stress of tax day.
5. To wrap up this week, visit TVG’s Web site…I mean website.  It seems the people at AP Stylebook (the standard for grammar, style and writing in the newspaper/communications industry) have decided to change the term Web site to website.  A hotly debated topic across the industry and here at TVG.

Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Friday 5 and have a wonderful weekend.

1. Our friends (and newest client) at 4ORCE made some big announcements today.  Formally known as NGAGE, the digital agency based in St. Louis has introduced its new brand and announced the opening of a state-of-the-art UX lab. They will host an Open House on Monday and you are invited to attend and tour their UX lab.
2. This week Mashable put out some advice on how to clean up your Facebook page. As the site continues to grow in the business arena, it’s worth checking out.  You can find TVG on Facebook as well!
3. Did you know TVG has satellite offices across the country? This week TVG’s Kelly Ferrara and JJ Goldman made the rounds in Nashville and TVG’s Eileen Buleza met with Naperville, IL businesses at Women in Business.
4. This was a big week for sports- March Madness wrapped up with Duke and UCONN finishing on top, golf’s Masters Tournament teed off and baseball season started with opening days taking place across the country.
5. And to send you out with music for the weekend, here is the YouTube sensation of the week and Taiwan’s Susan Boyle- Lin Yu Chun.

Enjoy your weekend, and see you next week.

1. Google’s emailing service, Gmail, turned six years old this week and the company marked it by changing their name to Topeka for April Fools Day and in honor of Topeka, Kansas who changed their name to Google.  Pete Cashmore focused his weekly social media column on CNN.com on six ways Gmail has revolutionized e-mail.
2. St. Louis business news was filled with optimistic and promising news on the economy.  Early in the week St. Louis was among one of the most affordable cities to do business in the nation. Today Missouri and Illinois were allotted $237 million for employment and training services while the March Business Conditions Index reported improvements in Midwest business conditions.
3. Looking through communication news this week, it is hard to escape coverage of the iPad (including an entire episode of Modern Family devoted to it), which goes on sale tomorrow.
4. Email and online video topped the preferred marketing methods according to companies recently surveyed.  Fortune 500s, publishing companies, media agencies and ad agencies identified e-mail as the strongest performing marketing effort in 2009, followed by search.  For 2010, 67% of respondents said they’ll be “leveraging online video.”
5. Many in the PR industry have heard of HARO (Help a Reporter Out) where reporters can post topics they are working on and PR pros can log in and share relevant information.  Well now there is HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out). Formed in early 2010 by two PR professionals who connected via Twitter, HAPPO is holding their next event on April 30^th and you can visit their site to get career advice from fellow PR pros.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

1. Healthcare, healthcare, healthcare is the word of the week.  Check out Cassie McCloud’s recent blog post “Tweeting is a Big F**** Deal” on just one facet of the conversation this week.
2. Not sure how to approach social media because your main focus is business-to-business marketing?  Check out these tips from leading social media experts.
3. Yesterday’s IABC social media seminar was a success in St. Louis. With TVG’s Cassie McCloud joining eight other presenters in the region to discuss various aspects and techniques for online marketing and engagement.
4. For many of us Google is a major aggregator and resource of information, news and media. This week Google has been making politically charged headlines over its changes in service for China, a country that instills strong censorship on its Internet content.  What is your take on Internet censorship and freedom of information?
5. Congratulations to Shelley Lester who was named TVG’s Staffer of the Quarter for first quarter 2010! Some of Shelley’s specialties include managing web development projects and coordinating national media buy projects.

What is your Friday 5 for the last full week of March 2010?