Google Resources

It was a pleasure and an honor to speak at the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents Convention today! Terrific group of folks, buzzing with neat ideas! Thank you for such a warm welcome, and a really fun session!

I mentioned some Google products, and a few asked for more resources on the products. I wanted to share some sites that might be helpful as you incorporate Google into your offices and programs.

• Google for Nonprofits ~ there is an application process, but the benefits are amazing, and it is free for organizations with less than 3,000 people.
• Google+ Hangouts ~ free resource for holding video conference sessions. This is a guide to what the symbols mean and how exactly to use this feature.
• Google Sites ~ create collaborative internal websites. This is the beginner's guide to getting started.
• Google Sites How tos ~ how to instructions for adding content, managing the appearance, etc.
• Google Drive ~ create and store collaborative documents, including word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms (for polling/collecting data). This is the getting started guide!
• Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides ~ understand more about each type.
• Share and Collaborate ~ how to make it all happen!
• Creating free QR Codes ~ there are numerous resources to do this, but these are two of my favorites:
• www.qrstuff.com
• http://beqrious.com/qr-code-generator/
• Once you have created the QR Code, download it and ad to any print materials.

These should get you started! Happy collaborating!

Gamification

I'm thrilled for the opportunity to speak at the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents Convention tomorrow! As part of my presentation on social media and gaming, I will be speaking on the hot topic of gamification. I was fortunate to have a friend and fellow 4-H Association Member loan me a copy of Innovation Games by Luke Hohmann. This is a terrific read with fabulous ideas for gathering real, useable feedback from customers, coworkers, staff, students, etc. Not all game concepts fit all settings, but there are definitely applications for nonprofits and youth organizations.

Take a look at the book, and let me know if you are interested in applying gamification concepts to your organization or group--I'd be happy to help structure your strategy!

QR Codes for Nonprofits and Small Businesses

By now you have probably seen a QR Code or two scattered around random places (there was even one on my Pepto Bismal bottle lid the other day...). You may have even scanned one before (if not, not to worry--they are still catching on and not everyone has experience with these clever little bar codes). If you're new to interacting with these, download a QR Code reader app (my suggestions: QR Droid for Android devices, and QR Reader for iPhone), and give it a shot.

If you're not new to QR Codes, you may be wondering how to make these things work for your organization. I like to encourage non-profits and small businesses to specifically think about incorporating these little marvels. They are free to create and can save a lot in reprinting costs (when placed correctly). The key to QR Codes is that they are for driving mobile traffic. Where do you want visitors to go on their mobile devices?

Here are some ideas:

1. As part of a viral t-shirt campaign, created just for Orange County 4-H, we placed QR Codes on the shirt sleeves. These codes direct visitors to the social media profiles for Orange County 4-H, as well as the main website. It's like an interactive billboard, that's walking down the streets, through the school hallways, and showing up at events.
2. Use QR Codes on brochures and posters, linking to information that has a tendency to change in between printing runs. This also helps cut down on the word clutter, and makes for an opportunity to bring the printed materials to life--link to a video or audio file.
3. Allow preregistration for events and fundraisers by scanning the codes. This can help increase early registrations, and makes it easy and convenient to register.

As always, I'm happy to help your organization create QR Code magic. Scan the code above to email me. :)