Web Strategy and Development Blog

Faculty and staff free portrait days are Sept. 4-5

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Update your MSU employee photo during faculty and staff free portrait days, September 4-5 at Plaster Student Union.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 317, the office of visual media will take your photo, free of charge.

Attending this event ensures you have an appropriate profile photo on university websites. This is a great opportunity for new faculty and staff members to have their pictures taken.

Contact Chuck Busby, office of the provost, if you have any questions.

Key details: Free portrait days

  • Who: Missouri State University faculty and staff
  • When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., September 4-5
  • Where: Plaster Student Union, Room 317
  • About: Professional or business casual attire preferred. No pre-registration or cost required.

Choose the photo you want

MSU employee posing for photo during free photo days
MSU employees have the opportunity to get a professional headshot taken by the office of visual media during faculty and staff free portrait days.

You’ll review and select your photo on-site at the event.

Then, web strategy and development uploads your photo to the university directory – with no extra effort on your part.

Within a few days, you can download your photo per instructions provided at the event.

Your photo is free. You can use it for other professional purposes.

Graduate students: Share the stories of MSU

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Our team is growing.

The marketing and communications division at Missouri State currently has three open graduate assistantships.

Are you a creative communicator who loves to tell stories? We need you to help recruit students and be a brand ambassador for the university and its programs.

Each position would give you an opportunity to get hands-on experience with marketing, promotion, writing, editing and public relations while having your education paid for.

Find the position that’s right for you.

Social media kit: Collaborative Diversity Conference

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Shed labels. Stand up to racism and bias. Act with moral courage.

Empower yourself at the Collaborative Diversity Conference. The event runs April 24-26 at Plaster Student Union on the Missouri State University campus.

MSU employees can attend for free April 25-26. Register through My Learning Connection via My Missouri State. You’ll earn professional development credit.

You can also attend a pre-conference session on April 24 for $150.

April 27: Just for students

Students lead the way on April 27. The MoState Student Summit is a student-only conference and part of the Collaborative Diversity Conference.

Workshops for MSU students, led by other MSU students.

Key details

  • What: Collaborative Diversity Conference
  • When: April 24-26, 2019; Student summit April 27
  • Where: Plaster Student Union, Missouri State University.
  • Who: Diversity experts, including plenary speaker Irshad Manji. Review the conference schedule for a full list of speakers and sessions.
  • Tickets:
    • Free admission for MSU employees; register through My Learning Connection to receive professional development credit
    • Standard registration: $250, or $200 if you register by April 8
    • Pre-conference: $150
  • Sponsors
    • Bass Pro Shops
    • Central Bank of the Ozarks
    • City of Springfield
    • College of Business, Missouri State University
    • Commerce Bank
    • Community Foundation of the Ozarks
    • Community Partnership of the Ozarks
    • CoxHealth
    • International Institute Business Solutions Center
    • John Deere Reman
    • Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights and Community Relations
    • Med-Pay, Inc.
    • Networking and Telecommunications, Missouri State University

Share your story

If you attend the Collaborative Diversity Conference, we want to hear about your experience!

Join the online conversation during the event. Post about it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tag your posts with the official hashtag: #Diversity19.

Make your post social media savvy

  • Tag your post with the official Collaborative Diversity Conference hashtag: #Diversity19
  • Whenever possible, tag Missouri State University or @missouristate; Division for Diversity and Inclusion or @DiversityMSU
  • If applicable, tag the post with the Springfield, Mo., hashtag: #SGF
  • If you would like to provide a link for more information on the event, please link to: Collaborative Diversity Conference
  • Nothing beats a first-hand perspective! If you attend the Collaborative Diversity Conference, consider sharing a photo from or quote about your experience

Photos

Sample social media posts

Sample tweets

  • The Collaborative Diversity Conference is April 25-27. Plan your events: https://bit.ly/2GcDdiw #Diversity19
  • How to be a #CitizenBear: Attend the Collaborative Diversity Conference. Registration: https://bit.ly/2HUb9wE #Diversity19
  • The Collaborative Diversity Conference welcomes Professor Irshad Manji on April 26. https://bit.ly/2pHhSDs #Diversity19

Review our steps for turning a link into a tweet.

Sample Facebook posts

Example 1

Plenary speaker Irshad Manji

URL: About the plenary speaker

Text: Professor Irshad Manji is an author, educator and advocate for the rights of women and minorities. She’s the founder of the award-winning Moral Courage Project, based at the University of Southern California.

Example 2

Woman speaking at 2018 Collaborative Diversity Conference.

URL: Division for Diversity and Inclusion Facebook event

Text: Act with moral courage and empower yourself at the Collaborative Diversity Conference.

Recap: Making Your Statement in a Digital World

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Web strategy and development staff members Kai Raymer and Erika Brame delivered a half-day training session Feb. 8 on digital marketing.

Whether you attended or couldn’t make it this time, here’s a recap and a chance to download slides and view video from Making Your Statement in a Digital World.

Key takeaways

Readability

Readability: The ease with witch a person can understand written content.

  • Two keys for readability: Concise text and scannable layout.
    • Use simple words and short sentences. Use headings so people and software can scan your content.
  • Write inverted pyramid style, not chronologically. Put the most important information near the top of your story, content and/or website.
  • Tools like Hemingway App and Yoast SEO can gauge and test the readability of your content.
  • Aim for a 6th-to-8th grade reading level for your content. Most people read at that level.
  • Prioritize what goes on your website. Don’t clutter. The more content and links you have, the less important everything becomes.
  • Know that readable content can help you:
    • Reach more people
    • Increase what they understand
    • Get them to act
    • Save money
  • No one wants to put extra effort into reading. Even smart people (deans, department heads, graduate students etc.).

Download readability slides (PDF)

You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print these documents.

Social media

  • Share human – don’t be afraid to act like a human and interact with your audience one-on-one.
  • Set up a Facebook business account where people can find your contact information. Be prepared to respond to their questions.
  • Facebook ads can be helpful but use with a strategy for want you want to accomplish.
  • Third party platforms can help teams collaborate and offer insightful analytics.
  • Keep it simple. Not everything goes viral and that’s ok. Keep interacting with the audience.

Download social media slides (PDF)

You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print these documents.

Accessibility

Accessibility helps people with disabilities or limited abilities better use the web.

  • Think of your website as a public space. Make accommodations for all users.
  • Not following accessibility standards could lead to lawsuits or legal trouble. Higher education websites are often targeted for accessibility issues.
    • Following accessibility standards will make your website better. You’ll improve SEO and reach more people.
  • Three staples of accessibility: alt text, headings and descriptive links.
    • Alt text is the text equivalent of a photo. Imagine you were describing the image to someone via text message or phone call.
    • Headings are vital for screen readers and give all visitors an easy outline of your website.
    • Descriptive links explain what the link offers. You shouldn’t have to read surrounding content for context. Don’t write “click here” for your links.
  • Use tools like WAVE and the Web Press accessibility checker. They’ll find accessibility issues on your website.
  • Follow our ongoing Accessibility blog series for the latest tips and strategies.

Download accessibility slides (PDF)

You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print these documents.

Video

  • Think visual – when on location for an event share raw photos, but when promoting the event utilize photo services to help boost your presence.
  • Video is king across all platforms. Be sure to add captioning for accessibility and to increase views.
  • Measure your success based on the goals your team sets: more followers, increased engagement, more views, etc. Keep a log of your analytics so you can compare data from previous years.
  • Start thinking of ways you can add video to your workflow. Start slow and make goals for yourself for when and how often you want to post videos.
  • Don’t backlight your subject. Let the natural light work for you, not against you.

Download video slides (PDF)

You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print these documents.

Watch on Zoom

For the first time, we live streamed the training through Zoom.

Watch the replay

Improve your digital content strategies

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You’re invited to Making Your Statement in a Digital World on Feb. 8.  Join us as we cover best practices for websites, blogs and social media.

Please register on My Learning Connection via My Missouri State. You’re welcome to bring a laptop and/or mobile device.

This is a terrific opportunity for MSU faculty, staff and students who haven’t previously attended this training session.

Key details

Attend on Zoom

Can’t attend in person? Join a live stream of the training session via Zoom.

About the session

You’ll learn practical strategies for managing websites, blogs and social media. We’ll answer questions like:

  • How do we repurpose our website and blog content and distribute it on social media?
  • What do users want my website, blog or social media to provide?
  • How do we become better strategic storytellers?
  • What are some tips and tricks we can use to make sure our site accessible and readable for all users?
  • How do we manage messaging on multiple social media channels?
  • What are some advanced strategies to increase our effectiveness on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram?
  • How can we best leverage photo and video content?

Meet the trainers

Erika Brame, web strategy and development

Kai Raymer, web strategy and development