THP: Media Map (Draft)

Delving into a committed relationship with social media could be extremely beneficial for Trauma Healing Project. If it campaigns and partners with other organizations, social media platforms can help raise awareness. Currently, Trauma Healing Project has a very limited presence on social media. There is a Facebook page and a Twitter page, but neither is really utilized. In addition to Facebook and Twitter, Trauma Healing Project should consider creating a company page on LinkedIn. These three venues of social media could help Trauma Healing Project become better known within the Eugene community by enabling it to connect with similar, more prominent organizations.

Facebook is an easy way to reach a large audience comprised of a variety of demographics, and at the moment, it is the most utilized form of social media. There are almost 400 “likes”, and the page is consistently (though somewhat infrequently) updated. Posts vary in content from promoting events to calling for volunteers. The page hosts events and has connected with four other pages through “liking” them, which is great. By clicking on a few of the liked pages, it seems that Trauma Healing Project has not yet reached out to the groups. An encouraging sign is that some people have posted nice sentiments on the timeline, which means that there is an opportunity for growth. Trauma Healing Project could invite those who like it to share the page with their friends by tagging THP in a post or by inviting people on their friend lists.

Next, Trauma Healing Project’s presence on Twitter is barely there. There have been three tweets since October 2nd, the account is only following 25 other accounts, and it only has 15 followers. It can be difficult to break into Twitter without an established base, but connecting the account with THP’s Facebook account could increase its reach. For example, synching posts or even just mentioning THP’s Twitter account would be helpful.

A third platform that would be beneficial to Trauma Healing Project is LinkedIn. A few employees have profiles set up on the networking site, but there are some interesting ways to use LinkedIn. THP could add itself to the site as a company, and people would be able to connect to it. Currently, the director of THP has a LinkedIn page, but it would raise more awareness if people could click directly onto a page that has information about what THP is, not to mention the fact that it could be rated and recommended.

Media Inventory

The organization I’m using for my case study is Trauma Healing Project, which provides services to people who have been affected by trauma in an attempt to create a healthier society. My meeting with them is on Friday, so for my media inventory, I’m going strictly by what I’ve been able to find on my own.

Website:

The website needs updating, to say the least. The front page is a little bit cluttered, but it does have important information on it, such as a fundraising campaign, its mission, and links to other ways to connect with THP. Through the sidebar on the website, there is an “About Us” section which goes into further detail about the organization, a calendar tab, which is an easy way to learn about events and classes, and other sources for people who have been affected by trauma. There’s even information about the artwork on the website, which I found cool. In all, while the website looks dated, it’s packed with valuable information and is a good resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the organization.

Email List:

You can sign up to join an email list from the home page of the THP project. The purpose of the list is to “share news and information on efforts to address, end and heal violence and other trauma in Lane County, Oregon” (http://lists.healingattention.org/mailman/listinfo/community). I can’t tell how often emails are sent out, but it seems to be monthly, according to the “Community Archive”.

Facebook Group:

THP does have a Facebook page that is updated fairly regularly with news and community events; however, there are only around 300 people who “like” the page, so THP does lack visibility.

Again, as I have more contact with Trauma Healing Project, I will update this inventory to reflect what I learn. As of now, THP’s biggest setback is their lack of visibility within the community. It’s a great organization with a lot to offer, but it needs to get its name out there.

Lexicon: Week 3

Culture

Culture is difficult to define because it’s so fluid. A simple definition is a shared system of beliefs and traditions, but it’s a lot more than that, especially since communication between people all over the world has increased greatly. Globalization has caused many cultures to merge, grow, and disappear, and it has even caused new cultures to emerge, such as internet cultures that emerge around ideas.
Access

In the context of this class, I see access as one of two things. First, it is something that is easy for people to grasp and conceptualize. It is the ability to gain certain knowledge through a comprehensible platform. Second, access can also mean having literal access to something, like an exhibit or a website.

Trends

Trends refers to patterns in the market, and can be used to predict what will be popular, how to market it, and whom to market it to. Paying attention to trends can be very helpful to people who work in the arts because they can develop a more efficient marketing plan if they know what to expect.


Consumer

Consumers are people who take part in whatever you’re selling, to put it simply. We all consume goods, whether it’s food, technology, or even a theater production. Consumers play an important role in developing market trends, and their feedback can shape industries.