Attention, local friends:

In May I’ll be teaching again. Join me for an introductory social media class and/or classes focused exclusively on Facebook and Twitter basics. Community members are welcome to join the class by registering with Staunton Parks and Recreation.

Introduction to Social Media

You’ve probably heard about “social media”. What you may not realize is how amazing this emerging communication technology is to daily life! Come to learn more about two of the biggest social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) and how they are used. In this lecture-based class you’ll watch the instructor explore both on the big screen.

Introduction to Facebook

Did you know there are more people over the age of 60 than teenagers on Facebook? It’s true: and it’s not just a reflection of demographics. It’s also because more people are seeing how Facebook and other social media tools are transforming our social and business lives. Come to this lecture-based class to observe some of the basics – from setting up a new profile to connecting with distant family and friends. (And, you’ll see why businesses need to set up a Facebook business page, too.)

Introduction to Twitter

Can you really communicate using just 140 characters? It may sound difficult, but it isn’t – and it’s transforming how people are communicating, learning, and even volunteering! In this introductory class we’ll explore what Twitter is, how it works, and how it is contributing to some interesting and positive shifts in a lot of surprising areas. You’ll learn how to setup a Twitter “handle”, how to send messages, and how to share messages.

These classes are very affordable and will be held at the downtown library:

Monday, May 23:
Facebook, 10-11am
Twitter, 12-1pm
Social Media, 6-7pm

Wednesday, May 25:
Facebook, 10-11am
Twitter, 12-1pm
Social Media, 6-7pm

Thursday, May 26:
Facebook, 10-11am
Twitter, 12-1pm
Social Media, 6-7pm

Friday, May 27:
Facebook, 3pm

My friends at Deena Warner Design have hired me for an interesting, albeit, “odd” project: being the voice of their pet project, “Odd Staunton” – the “Officially Unofficial Guide to Staunton, Virginia.”

Matt and Deena started the blog as a hobby when they moved to Staunton from Northern Virginia in 2005. They are quirky, creative types (my highest compliments) and their view on the city reflects that. In fact, finding the “Odd Staunton” blog is how we met and became friends.

I’ll be writing a regular feature for “Odd Staunton” that highlights weird and wonderful things in the area. (I mean, what other cities greet you with a large watering can sculpture, seen here?) The first is a profile on Montgomery Hall Park.

Strategy-wise, this project has several objectives:

• showcasing the city’s unique personality
• using seo techniques to build on existing web traffic
• highlighting cool things, people, and events around the city

I think the Warners’ project provides a great community service, and, has already resulted in convincing another set of friends to relocate to the area.

I’m happy to be a part of it.

UPDATE:
More posts for “Odd Staunton”…
Cannon You Believe It?
Swannanoa Palace, or, Why You Cannot Die!

Curious about building your own rain barrel? I built one and  wrote an article inspired by the process. It appears in the June/July issue of Flavor Magazine, a magazine dedicated to “Cultivating the Capital Foodshed” in the D.C./Virginia region.

Rain, Rain, Go This Way

An excerpt:

A rain barrel has many practical uses, whether you’re an urbanite, a serious gardener, or somewhere in-between. A rain barrel can service a small, urban herb garden, for example, or maintain stretches of suburban lawn. Gardeners in particular appreciate water from rain barrels because harvested rainfall does not have the additives or chemicals some municipalities add to the water supply. Plants respond better to water that hasn’t been softened.

Read it all here.

Hey, Rich Women!

Thanks for dropping in. I’m pleased to be the latest woman profiled on Kim Kiyosaki‘s site “Rich Woman“. (Thanks, Sara Korn!)

If you are curious about real estate, you can see my Victorian restoration project for sale here.

Questions? Happy to discuss my content marketing and commercial writing business (this website). Or, if you want to discuss the challenges and joy of running a business with your life partner, I’m happy to do that, too. As the profile mentions, my husband and I jointly own and operate George Bowers Grocery, an independent specialty grocery based in Staunton, Virginia.

Thanks for stopping by – hope to hear from you about your creative projects, too.

Sincerely,

Katie
@KatieMcCaskey

Shenandoah Valley Farm

Earlier in the year I volunteered to write and design an informational brochure (embedded below) for the Shenandoah Valley’s Resource Conservation and Development Council (Shenandoah RC&D).

This lead to an interesting three year contract to organize and collect written materials for the “flex fencing stream exclusion” watershed program. The program provides financial assistance to farmers willing to erect fencing to keep animals from polluting the watershed. The fencing is typically accompanied by erosion-prevention planting techniques, too.

The program is privately funded through the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network.

From a content management standpoint the flex fencing project demands keeping track of, and documenting, numerous pieces of varied content (written materials – such as contracts and transcribed farmer interviews – to digital content, such as before/after photos).

Content is pretty essential when you think about its role securing funding for a non-profit. The content collected and managed tells the story of what’s been accomplished.

Content strategy required for independent food retail, too

Solution:
Develop content strategy and related copy for a social media presence and new, CMS-driven website.

Client:
T&E Meats, Harrisonburg, Virginia
—

Excerpt:

Why T&E Meats
In 2007 Joe Cloud joined forces with farmer, author, and activist Joel Salatin to save one of the few remaining independent, USDA-inspected abbatoirs in the Mid-Atlantic.

The existing butcher shop had been named “T&E Meat Market” after Tommy and Erma May, the previous owners. Cloud and Salatin renamed it “T&E: True and Essential” to highlight the crucial role meat processing plays in the local food ecosystem and to mark the difference between sustainabily-produced local meats and the industrial system.

T&E enables farmers in Virginia to raise and direct market quality livestock by providing excellent processing services under USDA inspection.

A small-scale facility like T&E Meats skillfully and respectfully butchers its livestock compared to the mechanised and inhumane systems common to most large commercial meat processing plants.

We are the only remaining full-service butcher shop and abbatoir in the Shenandoah Valley.

##

See: T&E Meats website and T&E Meats Facebook page

Related articles

• The ‘lunatic’ singlehandedly taking on the US agricultural system (telegraph.co.uk)
• Joel Salatin on Big Organic and the Future of Food (thekitchn.com)

Challenge:
Inform the public about federal and state funds available for the creation of quail habitats in Virginia.

Solution:
A press release explaining the urgency of habitat loss and its connection to the local economy.

Client:
Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District
—

January 12, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VERONA, VIRGINIA—A collection of cost-share incentive programs are now available to Augusta County residents willing to create quail habitats on their property.

The official “Christmas Count” of these grassland birds reveal that the quail population in Augusta County has dropped to an all time low. Bobwhite quail populations native to the area have declined over 82% in the last forty years.

Cost-share programs are available to private landowners, commercial tenants, and private citizens who wish to develop habitat for quail and other species on their properties. The state’s Best Management Practice (BMP) program in Augusta County is administered by The Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District.

“Our goal with the cost-share program is to support creation of quail habitats. We find the local, state, or federal funding available to help shoulder the cost. Funds are available to reimburse residents for costs associated with purchasing native plants or hiring labor.”, says Robert Whitescarver, District Conservationist at Headwaters.

He continues, “Landowners are rewarded knowing they are contributing to improved wildlife habitats, support the local economy, and by enjoying the increased aesthetic beauty of their land. State and federal funds make protecting wildlife and natural resources a reality.”

According to Private Lands Wildlife Biologist, Kenneth Kesson, the contributing factors to the quail population decline include: habitat loss and fragmentation, increased urban development, nest predation and lack of winter cover and food. Natural grassland food sources have been gradually eliminated and replaced with non-native Fescue, a grass species which is neither good for cattle or quail. Meanwhile, many hedgerows and shrub thickets, which historically provided thermal and escape cover, have simultaneously been destroyed and cleared.

photo credit: Les Howard | Flickr

“Some might wonder why focus on quail when there are other pressing environmental issues in Augusta County. The answer is that by providing habitats advantageous to quail we are building a healthier ecosystem at the same time. Bobwhite quail can be seen as an indicator species for early successional grassland bird populations.

“Declines in the quail population mean that there is a lack of this type of habitat in general, and may be seen as an ecological warning indicating that there may be further declines in other species which use similar habitat components as quail. By restoring quail habitat we allow people an opportunity to enjoy a resource that has been in Virginia for centuries. There are many other benefits from adding habitat components favored by quail, ranging from carbon sequestration to protecting the soil from the erosive forces of the wind and water. We have had great success working with farmers and individuals to keep our waterways clean, prevent soil erosion, and replace non-native, invasive plants.”, says Kesson.

He adds, “It may be possible to bring the quail population back to previous levels over time. By developing habitat we are taking the first step towards making a realistic recovery effort. I am happy to speak to anyone interested in created quail habitat, or wildlife habitat in general, on their properties. The positive thing here is that we have money to help those interested in developing habitat on their properties and can get a lot of good done fairly quickly.”

In the past five years, Headwaters has paid $1,860,787 in state cost-share funds to Augusta County landowners who installed conservation practices.

The Headwaters District is one of 47 Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Formed in 1975, the District is a part of the state government which provides citizens the structure and the capability to solve conservation problems at a local grassroots level. Since 1984, farmers in this District have voluntarily excluded 1,669 acres of pasture from livestock to protect streams and protected 96 miles of county stream banks, among other successes.

“Area residents have demonstrated their commitment to improving the environment over the years. We expect area residents will be excited to participate.” adds Whitescarver.

Private citizens concerned about quail can make their yards more wildlife friendly. Residents should provide four critical components for wildlife: food, water, cover, and a place to raise young.

More information on cost-share funds specific to quail can be found online at: http://www.headwaters.vaswcd.org/, or by calling Mr. Whitescarver at [omitted]. Yard certification is offered through the National Wildlife Federation. More information can be found at: http://www.nwf.org/

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I’ll say, emphatically, that I love the book Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel.

The premise of the book is neatly summed up in the secondary title: “Everyone is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone.”

(Perfect example: to the right you’ll see Chris Penn of the Financial Aid Podcast, who is profiled in Six Pixels of Separation. I met Chris while at the financial start-up, Geezeo.com.)  

Six Pixels of Separation is an important book for anyone starting or running a business today. In particular, Six Pixels of Separation should be read by people who do not come from a digital media or marketing background. Why? Well, the book summarizes a variety of practical tools for digital marketing and branding. It also explores current technological trends and how they may impact small business in the near future. The entire book is easy-to-understand and sure to be thought-provoking.

Those who work in digital media and social marketing take these principals for granted. Yet, they are still remarkably new to the general public and many small business owners. My experience talking to other local entrepreneurs here in Staunton (a rural city in Virginia, for anyone unfamiliar) is that some, but very few, are using these tools.

When my husband and I started our corner grocery store last year we immediately embarked on a digitally-based, targeted marketing campaign. Nothing fancy: an email invitation to the store’s opening, a website, and a Facebook presence. This was met with great enthusiasm. We quickly met the handful of other small businesses in town using social media (e.g. Pufferbellies Toys & Books) and enjoy exchanging tips.

Not surprisingly, we also received perplexed, downright indignation from some corners of local traditional media advertising. (What do you mean you don’t want to paper the town with fliers? Why don’t you want to spend money on the radio or Little League jackets?)

It wasn’t that we felt we were better than these outlets. We just knew we were on a strict budget. Like anyone else, we wanted to reach our target audience as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Personally-speaking I was really impressed with Joel’s chapter regarding online reputation. I think it’s interesting to observe what some might call the “over-share shift”. How is it defined, and how is your reputation (as business or individual) managed?

Based on our experience marketing the grocery exclusively via social media, I believe Six Pixels of Separation should be required reading for anyone starting and marketing a business.