I’ve been talking to lots of farmers in preparation for the free social media workshop I’m running at the Australian Dairy Conference on February 24 and three things seem to hold them back from getting into blogging or Twitter:
- I don’t have time or want to make that kind of commitment
- I don’t know where to start/not good with computers
- I don’t want to “put myself out there”
They’re three really good reasons not to jump in the deep end and write a blog but there are two much easier ways to participate in online discussions.
1. Get a Twitter account, upload a profile and start making tweets and contacts
2. Comment on other blogs
Facebook is also very popular (especially with young people) but I’d recommend dabblers leave that until later if it appeals.
How to make use of Twitter
Victorian dairy farmer and UDV Vice President, Ron Paynter, recently wrote of his experiences with Twitter on dairy forum Udderly Fantastic and allowed me to use this excerpt:
“I’d heard of Twitter, and despised the concept of people slavishly following the every banal scrap of information from some air headed celebrity who only survives off the oxygen that being continually noticed gives them. Honestly, who cares what Kim Kardashthingy had for breakfast. I had recognised that during emergencies like the Qld floods, Twitter had played a part in keeping people informed, then later in the year, we had that powerful image of a massive social movement, co-ordinated through Twitter being instrumental in the Egyptian Government change.
“Still, despite these clues about the potential of the ‘tweet’, I was a non-believer. Didn’t need it! No time to set up an account or learn a new way of communicating. Besides, what can you say that is at all useful in less than 140 characters?
“What changed was a ‘call to arms’ from some people already involved in Twitter. On a Tuesday night, between 8 and 10 pm, there was going to be a ‘Twitter Forum’ on issues around animal welfare in our industry. We needed people, real farmers, on Twitter to put our case forward and not allow the discussion to be hijacked by activists or the uninformed. So, @payntacow was born and @payntacow, along with several other new conscripts joined in on #agchatoz, the discussion forum location to see what transpired.
“There was no abuse, no searing accusations, no threats of coming around and giving you a fat lip . The discussion, formed around six or seven key moderated questions, was sensible and civil and the activists were notable in their absence. The people who were there were interested, some had opinions, some were happy to lurk and learn, but all were supportive and looking for information or genuine debate. I was so impressed by the thoughtful fellow twitterers I met, that I went back to the #agchatoz forum the next week, and have kept on coming back.
“Access to a smartphone or tablet like an iPad makes tweeting as easy as checking your watch. Twitter people who I am following include dairy identities such as Milkmaidmarian, Graeme Nicoll, Esther Price and Lynne Strong. Twitter lets you expand the source of ideas well outside your local area though. I’m following an ag teacher in QLD who is passionate about agriculture, a dairyman in Arizona, and a vegan activist in the US. Each day, there are new people or groups to follow if you think they may have something of merit to listen to, and each day, I pick up followers who want to listen to my views. It’s a really interesting ongoing conversation that you can pick up on whenever you have a spare minute and phone handy.
“So, I’ve fessed up. I am a twitterer. And I was wrong about tweeting as being shallow and not interesting. What Twitter provides is a rapid way of sharing ideas and information, and the chance to have a real dialogue about the ideas, albeit in 140 character chunks.
“I really believe that as an industry, we need to be involved in the discussions. I’d encourage anyone who can try Twitter to give it a go.”
The Milk Maid Marian 
Marian, I would also add that, once someone is comfortable with social media in their own industry sector, begin to look for sources of information that affect the industry sector. These “secondary” links for dairy farming may include workplace safety, rural health, mental health, small business management, coping with isolation and a whole range of other farming matters that a suburban non-farmer (myself) can’t know.
Once in the social media world, it is surprising who becomes your “follower” and just how many people are interested in what you do and what you think. Your social network expands and people you have only heard of online want to say hello and meet you in the flesh. Social media is often an introduction to an expanded real world.
Best of luck with the workshop. I wish I could be there.
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In today’s world marketing is a strategic part of doing business. Too busy to market your business who are we kidding its time to move into the 21st century dairy farmers. Social media is a cheap and highly cost effective way of marketing your business without even having to leave the farm. Anyone who says they don’t know where to start/not good with computers
and don’t want to “put myself out there” are farming like their grandfather did. Ron, like me, Graeme, Marian and a number of other Australian dairy farmers made the move and discovered a whole new support network who are proud of their farmers and will fight tooth and nail for them. We have also discovered a whole new world of overseas farmers who we talk to everyday. We have conversations with journos, they write stories about our businesses and promote our industry because the community IS interested in stories about their farmers.
Marketing doesn’t mean every farmer needs to have a logo, spend money on advertising, write a marketing plan, write a blog, join Twitter or Facebook – it simply means being customer focused. This means you have to understand your customer and their values and your business has to BE the image you want your customer to see.Then whenever you get a chance, put that image out there. It may be at the farmgate, at a local farmers market, a community meeting, a media interview or whenever you are in contact with consumers.
As Marian said its as easy as commenting on other people’s blogs, they are busy too but they make time to promote their industry. Its that easy to particpate and show your appreciation and find out like us that the community is interested in YOUR opinion too can be very rewarding
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I was dubious at first about twitter, but i soon understood the meaningful exchange of information, the positive collaboration and flow of ideas that can occur between people from near and far away. It is incredibly inspiring at times and allows you to commit to a level of use that satisfies your own needs.
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