The K-12 publishing market has different drivers than the trade market, no question, but as trade book publishers have been  struggling for some time with dramatic shifts in their sales channels, in some ways they are well ahead of education publishers in learning how to best communicate with their readers online.

In a  recent post at Booksquare, a blog about the book industry, Kassua Krozser has this to say on one our favorite topics - why publishers should add blogs to their websites:

While there is no way for publishers to control the message about their books — the discussion is happening in too many places on too many levels — publishers can participate in more proactive ways. Rather than worrying about the future of reading, why not use today’s technology to entice readers and remind yourselves why you joined this business in the first place?

In educational publishing, the quality most of us share whether publisher or educator is a fundamental excitement about helping kids learn. Perhaps one way to overcome any reluctance about blogging as a K-12 publisher is to push beyond the discussion of the product to the reasons why we do what we do for a living and check our view of the world from a higher altitiude.

We all believe that in some small way we are contributing to the educational journey of teachers and students in this country. What gets you up every morning?

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Co-written by technology evangelists Robert Scoble from Microsoft and Shel Israel, a Silicon Valley tech guru, this book is a primer for those interested in understanding how blogs are changing the conversation between producers and consumers.

Fundamentally, blogging interferes with traditional corporate communications in that it is no longer possible for a company to ‘control’ their message. The book shares many examples of how this happens and presents case studies of companies who have handled the change well and those who haven’t. And then there are those who have been standing on the sidelines waiting to see if blogging just goes away.

Well, it’s not going away and the faster companies realize this and adapt to it, the stronger they will be. One of the key points of Naked Conversations is that customers and prospects now have a potentially global audience and will talk about you whether you participate or not. Read the rest of this entry »

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We have been talking about building online communities around specific websites where educators can share their teaching experiences and resources. Yesterday, PBS Teachers took this concept to a whole new level when it unveiled a new online community  that has the functionality of many of the popular social networking sites.

PBS Teachers Connect describes it this way:
“PBS Teachers Connect is an online community of teachers exchanging ideas, resources and instructional strategies on the integration of digital media and technology.”

In many ways it is a blueprint for what K-12 publishers can and should do to build vibrant, purpose-filled online communities. Read the rest of this entry »

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Before we leave behind the interview with Scott Walker of TeacherTechBlog, let’s review some blog best practices that he shared with us. If you missed our two-part interview with Scott, then take a few minutes and read it at the two inks below. We’ll wait.

How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 1

How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 2

So, what are some of the takeaways for the rest of us to learn from Scott?

1. He has accomplished one of the primary goals of blogging in that he has established himself as a credible authority on educational technology and other educators look to him for guidance and insight.

2.  He confirms the commitment of time required, but also sees that time as an investment in building a high-value experience for his readers.

3.  Scott’s readership growth in one year from launch to 10,000 means that his tech tips were successfully viral as he has achieved exponential readership growth in one year.

4.  He has built readership by reaching out to others in the blogosphere tackling similar topics and now has readers in 103 different countries. That is an impressive metric for one year’s work.

5.  Blogging has become an integral part of his own professional life.

6.  Even though he is not eliciting lots of comments on his blog (something that many bloggers focus on), that was not a part of his intention which was to share his technical expertise with other educators and so Scott has built a community of people who look to him for thought leadership and practical advice. Read the rest of this entry »

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Last week we talked about finding and listening in on conversations that your customers and prospects are having on the web. This week we’re hearing from an avid teacher-blogger about his experience in sharing technology tips with his fellow K-12 educators. Here is part 2 of our interview wtih Scott Walker of TeacherTechBlog.

6.   What is the absolute best part of this [blogging] experience for you?
The best part about blogging has to be the networking that comes with it. I have made several incredible friends/colleagues that I never would have. People from complete opposite ends of the earth have given me useful help, ideas, and insights that have not only helped my strategies but have also been an incredible encouragement. 

Some of these connections have taken me places that I never would have been. One of my first big experiences that I can remember was getting invited to FETC in Orlando to blog as a member of the press. I can’t even begin to say how remarkable an experience that was, and how many great opportunities happened because of it.

7.  What are the top three (or five) things you would share with another educator about the benefits of blogging?
Blog about what you know and love, even if you think other people won’t care about what you have to say. It is one of the few opportunities where you can filter out everything except what you passionately love about what you do. Read the rest of this entry »

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