Was Henry Ford a Connected Educator?

Or more accurately... was Henry Ford educated connectedly? 
What were the consequences of leaders at disrupted industries (music, retail, gaming, media) being disconnected from what their customers wanted and what was happening in their industry? Are networkers as important as leaders? 

And is this post simply preaching to the converted as the unconnected are unlikely to read this?

Think & Grow Rich... Networks?!
In 1937 Andrew Carnegie wanted to study the philosophy of success, Napoleon Hill undertook this project and produced a book that is something of a classic in business and self help circles.

Given that the title of this book is "Think and Grow Rich" and that there are few educators I know who enter the profession to become millionaires, I'm not sure if too many educators will have read this.

The core message from this book is that an individual with desire, faith and persistence can reach great heights by eliminating negative energy and thoughts and focusing on the greater goals in hand... (sounds like just what the social mobility doctor ordered!) Some of the 13 "steps" listed in the book might not look out of place in the classroom and include: 

Desire, Faith, Autosuggestion, Specialized Knowledge, Imagination, Organized Planning, Decision, Persistence, Master Mind Group, The Subconscious Mind, The Brain 

As its connected educators month I wanted to highlight the value of Henry Ford's "Master Mind Group" or what we might call our network connections or PLN today;

Ignorant... But with a Great PLN (1916)
During World War 1, a Chicago newspaper published editorials which called Ford 'an ignorant pacifist.' Ford brought a suit against the paper for libel. When the case came to court, the attorneys for the paper asked Ford a variety of general knowledge questions which were intended to prove that he was ignorant.

Ford was asked questions like "Who was Benedict Arnold?" and "How many soldiers did the British send over to America to put down the rebellion of 1776?"

Ford became tired of the line of questioning and said "If I should really want to answer the foolish question you have just asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking me, let me remind you that I have a row of electric buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid people who can answer any question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me why I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I hire people around me who can supply any knowledge I require?"

That answer floored the lawyer. Every person in the room realised it was the answer not of an ignorant man, but a man of education. Any person is educated who knows where to get knoweldge when needed, and how to organise that knowledge into definate plans of action.

Henry Ford had all the specialised knowledge he needed to become one of the wealthiest men in America... It was not essential that he have this knowledge in his own mind.

I'm sure we could have a discussion about this regarding rote learning etc but will focus on CPD and PLN.

It's Networkers we need... not leaders
As a recovering EdTech salesman, I doubt I would have a leg to stand on if someone accused me of ignorance, but like Ford, while I may not have many answers... social media sure has made it easy for me to find someone who does!

In addition to this, according to a comment that I read during the World Economic Forum, this may stand me in good stead, as a seasoned venture capitalist suggested that; 

"During a recession it's networkers we need not leaders"

I wonder what people's initial reaction to this statement is? If we consider and review comments from the CEO's, Directors and Senior Managers during key points during the disruption to the music industry, gaming, retail, the media etc you might find that you agree with the statement. 

Were there people in these organisations who were saying;

"We need to consider what we are going to do about these up and coming companies, who are doing things differently?"

Almost certainly! And they were probably "connected" to various people and communities within their industry who were telling these networkers "You need to check this out" and "You want to keep an eye on XYZ."

In education it's the connected educators who are forming links with like minded people who share, values, interests etc who are giving up their free time to attend edcamps and unconferences, being inspired and enthused at these events, going back to their schools and collaborating online with one another to explore new ideas. And (eventually) these ideas become mainstream.

Steven Johnston highlights the value of networkers when describing "slow hunches" and Where good ideas come from


Preaching to the Converted
Would the examples above help encourage an unconnected educators to get online? Or, perhaps more accurately, will they even see this post? If they are somewhere online and the subject line catches their eye, are they likely to open it? Or will they see it and think "Oh not 'connected education' and social media again!"

I will be detailing my own journey which I might call; "Whats-the-point-of-Twitter-why-would-anyone-care-about-what-I-had-for-breakfast-to-social-Media-convert"

I am sure that my story will be along similar lines to others, adding to the voice of many others who detail;

• How much we learn from our online connections
• The fantastic connections I've made and that I woudn't have otherwise have "e-met"
• How being connected has helped my career

But who will I be reaching out to? The already connected?

Disconnected... And Not Interested 
Tom Whitby had a great post patience for the unconnected and he highlighted that the easiest sale has now been made - the early adopters are all signed up!

The early adopters with any new idea accounts for 20% of any given market. If we were to compare the number of connected educators within any given region/sector/country, would we find ourselves at around 20%? In sales organisations make 2 huge mistake which are;

• That they assume that sales progress in a linear fashion and that the same presentation and process will appeal to every customer. 
  Early adopters are looking for new innovations for game changing ideas - Steve Jobs saw the value of two emerging technology ideas with Napster and MP3s to get a jump on the competition.
  
  While pragmatists take a lead and learn from early adopters they don't tend to adopt these ideas until they have been tried and tested

• They put their best sales guys on new projects and they get early wins from the initial 20% to prove that there is potential in the sector, once this has been proven the top sales guys are moved onto the next new market/project. 
  This is precisely the wrong thing to do, the time you need your best sales guys is when the early adopter market has been exhausted. Ideas that get to this point are at a key point where they will either be adopted by the main stream or won't progress beyond a handful of users

Convincing the Disconnected 
I wonder if educators are starting to find some entrenched camps in the staff room, those raving about being a connected educator Vs the disconnected... and no matter what you say they are closed to the idea.

This was me, I had a pre-conceived idea of all social media channels, ideas that I had formed without doing any research on the topic at all! Two things changed this view for me;

• During a conversation with a major EdTech provider and discussing my experiences, I was asked "Why are you not on any social media channels? If you work in EdTech its a pre-requisite these days, you need an online profile."The introvert in me screamed "NOOOOOO" (in a tone and volume that would rival Luke Skywalker when he discovers that Darth Vader is his dad) 

• The next thing I did was walk over to the youngest member of staff at the company I worked at and said "Social media... what's it all about"
  In one statement which outlined a business argument for Twitter he had me hooked! ...more on that in my next post... 

The point here is that the things that convinced me were offline and were related different methods to what I had been exposed to before, they focused on career prospects and other opportunities that I was missing out on.

Is the connected educator agenda approaching "the early majority?" If so, does the recruitment of others require some different approaches? ...And, regardless of the data and the number of connected proponents, is the most important and toughest sell for getting educators online now upon us? 

I understand that Arne Duncan will be a guest on a chat session on Monday as part of Connected Educator month... I wonder what would happen if the discussion at the water cooler on Tuesday morning was "I joined a discussion with Arne Duncan last night?" with no mention of social media and if (or when) colleagues ask "How did that come about?" it might just get them logging on and checking all this connected stuff out.

Team Dynamics or Leadership Dysfunction?

Why do they call it "Team Dynamics" when many teams are anything but dynamic? Is this a case of wishful thinking? 

Do any of the causes of any team and leadership dysfunction have their root cause in flaws with our education system? 

I have a problem with working in teams, perhaps not the best admission to make on your blog when its such an important skill... after all, the National Association of Colleges and Employers "Job Report" cites one of the top skills you need on your CV was "The Ability to Work in a Team."

But the fact that this is an "in demand skill" does not change the fact that almost every personality profile report that I've completed cites that a potential weakness might be my "ability to work in a team."

While this is certainly a fact, and I might even have the tendency to use this as an excuse and a crutch for not reaching my full potential, if I was operating within what Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright describe as  working in a "Stage Two" mindset.

Team Building - Starts with Self Awareness?
How big a deal is this? It's not as if I'm alone here.There are thousands of workers who have Dilbert calendars or their faviourite cartoon posted on their cubicle, or how many employees dread the obligatory "team building events" or have panic attacks at the thought of the Christmas night out. 

The way I look at it is that I am fortunate to have the self awareness on this... the first step to resolving the fact that you have a problem is admitting it right?

So how do I address this? Just work on my own as a one man band? That could be an option, if I didn't appreciate that you can only achieve so much on your own. But I'm fortunate as;

1) I'm by no means alone in struggling with team dynamics

2) I am confident enough with my strengths to be able to highlight the areas that I need to work on

3) In my attempt to address this I have found some fantastic resources that have helped me improve


"The first and best victory is to conquer self; to be conquered by self is of all things most shameful and vile" Plato

Until recently my way around this challenge was that "I don't have a problem with working in a team... I have a problem working in the wrong team!" All I need to do is work for "the right team" and make sure that any organisation I consider working for has a Google-like focus on their organisational culture. 

There may be some merit in this as I read an article on teams and one interviewee observed that he "Never got along with people at work," then he realised that he was very talented and was in the wrong team, enrolled at Stanford, and gets along very well with those people...but this is a strategy that millions of others have, as Google, Apple, Facebook and other companies that have "great cultures"get thousands of unsolicited CVs a day.

Over-Compensating

I don't believe in the philosophy of the annual review that says "You need to work on the following weaknesses" because I like playing to my strengths - I don't recall seeing Michael Jordan trying to get drafted by an NFL team?!

But its important to acknowledge that if you want to achieve anything of note, that you need to be able to lead and work effectively as a team... but what opportunities do we get to figure these out when your younger?

Sure there is Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Cadets, team sports and playing in an orchestra. But all of these are voluntary, so what if you were not involved with any of these? How do you get to grips with these must have skills if you haven't been taught them, or if they don't come naturally? 

With leadership it took a while to realise that there are so many leaders who are convinced that they have the right model, but there are as many models as there are leaders. these models can be very different, how can they all be right? If would appear to me that they were the right fit for each of these leaders' personality and style.
 

It can take a while to realise that you need to find the right leadership style that suits your personality, one which allows you to BE YOURSELF! 

I've listened to a lot of people on this topic and, personally, I like Jim Collins' Level 5 leadership framework/philosophy, Marcus Buckingham's rebelliousness and his advice  to "First Break all the Rules," Bo Burlingham for his alternative take on culture/priorities and Shackleton for his leadership style. 

Together these suit my unconventional, creative, anti-authoritarian, meritocracy based, values-led and introverted nature.

Making Teams Work
Up until "a book ago," my philosophy with teams was "OK if I have trouble working in the wrong team, let's make sure that I am part of the 'right' team." But the "right team" cannot exist without the "right leadership!"

Whether joining an existing organisation or starting your own, there is always going to be something that means the team is "not quite right" unless the leadership is exceptional. 

I said that was "a-book-ago" ...I have recently included a powerful addition to my tool kit, it is a useful guide to show leaders how to create the right team environment. 

This book is "Tribal Leadership" by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright, with the introduction from Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos, who uses the concepts from this research as part of their training... and when someone who takes organisation culture and "Delivering Happiness" as seriously as Hsieh then you've gonna sit up and take notice (and notes!)

This book, along with Marshall Goldsmiths "What Got you Here Won't get you There," has given me the confidence to believe that I could now be dropped into just about any team and could make it work... and I'm not even half way through Logan's book!

Tribal Leadership has also highlighted that my inability and discomfort with working in teams in the past was inevitable, it has all part of a process... a process that the current education system is not geared for, and does not seem to help develop!
   
Collaborate... As if your Exam Results Depended on it!
Tribal Leadership discusses the 5 key cultural stages that teams go through;

Stage 1 - The kind of culture you'd encounter in prisons or on a run down council estate, and
Stage 5 - A game changing culture one where teams re-defines the standards of their industry

With regard to the education system the book suggests that "Most formal education, by design, keeps people at Stage Three ("Lone warrior - I'm great... and you're not") all the way through graduate school." This is an observation that Brett Steenbarger's, author of psychology of Trading, would agree with.

He also came up with an innovative and very effective intervention to encourage teamwork. (At least I think it was Steenbarger... couldn't find the extract when I tried to dig it out).

A University in the USA had a medical school which was having issues with positive discrimination, as black students from more disadvantaged backgrounds who had slightly lower grades what their white counterparts, were admitted onto the course.

The University called Brett in to see if he had a "Solution Focused intervention" that might help to reduce the divisions between the students. The psychologist said that he could help but only on the condition that his intervention would go towards the students final year SAT scores. The university agreed.

He went into the class and said "We're going to have a test, but in this test the person with the lowest mark is the score that everyone in the class will get... Oh and by the way this score will go towards your final SAT scores." Cue chaos and protestations in the class... The psychologist continued "However, you can collaborate on the answers for this test with anyone you want to in the class"

Guess what happened? Everyone in the class collaborated to cross reference that everyone had the right answers. The class got 100% of the answers right... and any racial tensions that existed as a result of the positive discrimination dissipated.

Obviously students collaborate and work in groups in education all the time, but if it is such an important attribute then;

Should education be doing more to prepare students for being a part of a team when they enter the workplace? Should tests like the one above be part of students formal assessment? After all what's more important in today's economy? Knowing the answer or knowing how to collaborate with people and groups who know where to find the answer?

Your College Vs Our Students' Future 
But then again who runs education? Its academics who have been through a system that has encourages individual achievement - it's MY exam result, MY scholarship, MY university place, MY dissertation, MY PHD, MY research paper in the academic journal, MY department, it may even be YOUR college but its OUR students future... So what can WE ALL do to make sure that our young people are Jim Collins Level 5 Leaders or can fit into Dave Logan's Stage 4/5 teams?

How Online Engagement Leads to Collaboration

Its almost 3 years since I opened my first social media account and boy what a learning experience its been.

Today I am involved with, or am in discussion about, some really interesting projects - including

• Collaborating with OCR, who are one of the largest awarding bodies in the UK, on my latest report based on Technology in FE
• Will be producing a really cool RSA shifting paradigms style video with OCR (How cool!)
• Invited to sit on the Expert Advisory Board for the inaugural Horizon Project Europe
• Guest bloging for a couple of education publications/sites including LinkedIn University
• An interesting and ambitious development with #ukfechat. 

It has been 9 months since I became involved with #ukfechat and this weeks session was hosted by University of Hull Lecturer Dr Carol Azumah Dennis @azumahcarol and was on the topic of "Establishing links between research and practice in FE" 

The discussion looked at some of the challenges with conducting research in Further Education and, with input from experienced researchers like Matt O’Leary @drmattoleary, we compared some of the key differences with how research is viewed in HE & FE.

Some of the comments included a lack of time, budgets, experience and how research didn't seem to be as valued in FE.

As part of my contribution to the chat I detailed my experiences with other areas of social media - highlighting aspects of inbound marketing, how producing good content is important to every profession today to avoid what Seth Godin has termed as the "Race to the Bottom."

The merry band of regulars at #ukfechat have encouraged one another to blog, get involved with what we believe to be the first FE dedicated teachmeet, the following comment was made at the end of the chat and the suggestion of taking the groups innovation and collaboration a step further;

"Right #ukfechat has got us into blogging & teachmeets, whose up for research?"

After an hour of discussing the issues - the considerations, time restrictions, the potential and the frustrations - we found that 7 people were interested in exploring the idea - @fossa99 @mrssarahsimons @csf0961 @hilarynunns @shanechowen @azumahcarol and @drmattoleary - who will be exploring some topics that we could research.

The next stage will be to find a topic and a way that we might be able to work together and collaborate given the various considerations - geographic location, difference skill sets, job roles and responsibilities, research experience, no time, no budget and not even having a set topic or hypothesis - but we're willing to explore the idea and see where it takes us.

Not bad for what is a bit of random chat about FE on a Thursday evening at 9pm? What were you doing last Thursday at 9pm? Join in the chat... and the research... you can always watch Educating Yorkshire on Channel 4+1. 

From Generation Spent... To Generation Rent?

Dream Job!
If you're one of those lucky people and "you do what you love; and love what you do," have you ever stopped to wonder why it is that you love it?

If it's because you work in education, maybe its because of that teacher who was so passionate about the subject they taught, that their enthusiasm for the topic was infectious... and you just could not help but catch the bug! It was so infectious that his/her captivating lessons went viral and polluted the air with ideas and possibilities.

Or maybe your enthusiasm was hereditary as you saw your parents were clearly enthusiastic about what they worked as.

When my employer closed their Glasgow office 3 years ago, the day the announcement was made I set myself a new goal, which was to land my dream job something that looks set to become a reality in the not too distant future.

This got me to thinking "why is this my dream job?" What makes it so cool? Why do I get excited about education, technology and start ups or, more accurately, their organisational culture?

I think the answer to this lies in three simple words that pack a big punch;

Making a difference

When you hear Steve job's talking about the influence of his 4th Grade teacher;

"I’m 100% sure that if it hadn’t been for Mrs Hill in 4th grade and a few others, I would absolutely have ended up in jail. I could see those tendencies in myself to have a certain energy to do something wrong. When you’re young, a little bit of correction goes a long way"

Or Google's Jamie Casap talking about the opportunities that education provided him with - and is a silver bullet that we need to save - or how dedicated teachers like the guys at Kipp and elsewhere achieve in helping kids out of the ghetto... whats not to get excited about?

It's education that changed the world for these people when they were growing up and they, in turn went on to change the world. As Casap says in his Ted Talk "How many of you were not on the internet today?" Was one of the first things that you did this morning to reach for your phone and see if there were any messages? When was the last time you went a day when you were not online?

So educators and technologists GET STUFF DONE! However the very best educators and technologists who get stuff done do so by paying close attention to the culture they establish.

That's the reasons I think that I do what I do... and why I love doing it! I get to hang out with people who change the world - educators and techies.

The Stuff of Nightmares

It's perhaps also due to this same criteria that I there are two groups who I am not their #1 fan.

Over the last few years there have been two groups of people who have changed the world in a very different kind of way - to make it a nightmare place for many - the political class and the financial industry.

Like many bloggers I have wanted to "Let loose" and vent my frustration at the actions of these groups and had to remind myself that "If I've nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all," (and assure you there is relevance by raising this in today's post).

These two industries highlight the power that culture has on individuals. I know a number of politicians, and there is no doubt that they are intelligent, hard working and caring people. But put anyone into a culture of "Well everyone else is doing it" and they do things they would not otherwise have done, as the extent of the expenses scandal highlighted.

Would the CEO of a bank go down to the local pub and approve a loan of a local drug dealer? No, of course they wouldn't. 

But put them into an organisation with the kind of culture as depicted in Michael Douglas' "Wall Street," or the soon to be released update on the "greed is good" tale via Scorcese's film "The Wolf of Wall Street" and the  "Anything- goes-as-long-as-you-don't-get-caught" culture, and they do things they might not otherwise have done... and blame the culture

Add to this the fact that these two groups recent decisions have caused a great deal of suffering while they don't actually produce anything, you can perhaps see why I'm not their #1 fan. 

What would you rather have in your pocket - the latest iphone/android phone... or the latest political manifesto?  

If there is ever a "Lets-transfer-bankers-bonuses-to-educators" petition please, please let me know, I'd be happy to be the first to sign up!

Laughing all the way to the bank?

Despite some questionable practices and behaviour we see that it is very much "business as usual" ...but for how much longer? 

In my Lessons in Adversity post I consider what followed from previous recessions, and wonder what the consequences will be of young people seeing their parents struggle and become "Generation Spent" (literally and physically) Are there signs of what to expect starting to appear... 

Generation Rent
High levels of unemployment, zero hour contracts, a volatile economy, seeing parents struggle with mortgage payments, hard working families having to walk for miles for the charity of food banks... how can this not have a lasting impact on the young people living through these changes?

Articles are starting to appear regarding the business of the future: renting and sharing or how all the current insecurity is changing peoples priorities, goals and aspirations answer any questions about why aren't young people buying more homes or my faviourite pictures of millenials with everything they own (and it isn't much).

Makes you wonder why these "Millenials" get so much criticism about many of their ideas and actions... they seem to have sussed the game out better than the older generation have!

And I can't imagine too many parents advising them otherwise, so could the banks end up paying a heavy price in the long run... but could this also affect education? 

From Freakonomics... to Freaking Out Educators?

Freakonomics discusses what the major contributing factors were when there was a drop in crime in the 1990s. While politicians and other groups argued that it was their policies that led to these improved crime statistics, authors Stephen & Dubner Steven Levitt argue that the legalisation of abortion in the landmark 1973 legal case Roe Vs Wade (which legalised abortion nationwide in the USA) played a significant role.

Could it be some similarly unexpected reasons that end up being the deciding factor that plays a big impact in traditional methods of further education? 

As the debate about the merits and flaws of online learning rages on... could it be the mindset of "Generation Rent" that will be the deciding factor in the mass uptake and adoption of MOOCs?

Education with a small e

There's not much room for course books and in these
houses... But it will be easier for students to relocate 
to where the work is.

I don't know if there is anything in this but its difficult to imagine that there will be much of an appetite for a group who are travelling so lighting to want to be saddled with thousands of pounds worth of debt on Education with a big "E"... when they are able to replace this with a small "e" through e-learning.   

And with parents providing the benefits of their experiences from the side lines, if I were an educator, I wouldn't want to bet against it... 

I know that I'll be telling my kids about the importance of doing what you love, making a (positive!) difference... but to travel light, it will sure help them to not get bogged down if they ever decide to take the road less traveled.

Did Learner Voice Just Go Viral? LinkedIn University

I am currently working on a report that has taken almost a year to research and pull together, so am extremely excited at the prospect of finally publishing it. 

The topic of this report is all about how important the relationships between educators and their technology suppliers are (a rough executive summary for this report can be found here - Technology in FE)

Something that this report considers is why so many of educators faviourite EdTech tools are free and developed by the major main stream tech providers like Google, Apple and Microsoft et al as opposed to dedicated specialist EdTech providers... is LinkedIn about to join this group of providers with the launch of their Linkedin University Pages. 

For all the money that colleges and universities spend on promoting their institution at the moment, I wonder how any of them compare to the potential impact that this new initiative from LinkedIn will have in a few years time?

This looks to me like a great opportunity if colleges embrace this free advertising for the college... but could it also be a risk for any college who continues to dismiss social media?

Learner Voice... Just got amplified.
UK Further Education colleges get assessed by education inspectors for  their "Learner Voice" strategy, which effectively asks "Does the college listen to the needs of their users and customers?"

With LinkedIn's announcement I sincerely hope that the colleges' answer to this question is a resounding "YES! We do."

I have recommended that colleges watch Scott Stratten's Unmarketing presentation - Social Media and Engagement Explained in previous posts... please find the time to watch this today, its full of really useful marketing advice. One of my faviourite comments from this presentation is; 

"There is no such thing as a social media success... social media amplifies you brand.  If your product sucks it will suck more on social media" 

Is your college prepared for current students logging onto your LinkedIn University page to discuss their college experience with your prospective students?

Social Media Guidance and Digital Citizenship... Just became a priority
Related to this announcement may be the fact that social media guidance for students may have just become more of a bit more of a priority for the college.

I have highlighted in the past how social media should be embraced for students as this can greatly benefit their job prospects - Social Media and Better Job Prospects.

LinkedIn's announcement perhaps shifts the focus of social media guidance benefiting students to being advantageous to the college... and to help prevent making your admission departments' job a lot more difficult.

In the "Audacity of Hope" Barak Obama discusses the importance of media relations by observing "I am whatever the media says I am," and how public opinion is formed by how the media portray his speeches and decisions. We see this in the UK as politicians cosy up to influential media moguls, to try to avoid any bad press.  

Most colleges will be aware that bad press is unavoidable in the age of Social Media and, in many instances, the damage is done once the comments are posted.

Prevention is always better than your marketing and PR department having to comment on a bad press event. This is where social media guidance and training can be invaluable.

One of my favourite example's of responsible social media use is from Maccalaster College President Brian Rosenberg in his  2011 commencement address, where he advises graduates to be responsible, and remember what the college has taught them, both educationally and in terms of core values.

For some example Social Media guidance policies please see P15 of this Twitter in Further Education Guide

Corporate Image Vs Social Identity 

Social Media sense of humor? Might be a little risque
 ...but its got 3.5mil views

While I talk about education & technology on social media - and hope that the content is relevant to educators - one of my own social media policies is to refrain from "talking shop"  "There is a reason its called social media" I remind myself.

Like any brand, college's want to put its best foot forward, they want people to go to their website and get the professional, corporate vision of the college. 

But the colleges' corporate image may be a little different from the students perspective on social media... and may even be more like this "Honest College Ad"  (Warning: this is very funny but does contain some strong language).

Humour can work for colleges and one of my favourite examples is again from Macalaster's Brian Rosebergs and his tour of the college on President's Day... its very funny. I wonder who is going to be the first UK College Principal to film a similar kind of video? 

Playing Devil's Advocate... But Quality Matters

"If we were a good university we wouldn't need this commercial" The Honest College Ad

As an educator do you find the fact that your employers, government ministers, sending their children to private education is just a little hypocritical? Why don't they have confidence in their own product?

If you said "Yes" to the question above, what happens if we ask, would you encourage your kids to attend the institution you work at? If not, why not? If the reason is due to an issue of quality, is your decision any different from the politicians who get criticised? 

"Great products are at the heart of today’s leading companies. No longer is the product independent of sales &marketing" Dave Feinleib, author of Why Start Ups Fail.

My Technology in FE report looks at how hard it is to create a great EdTech product, but is true for any sector or industry... its hard work! But,in the age of social media, its also a sound strategy.

So the next time that your in a crisis meeting with your admissions and marketing team to discuss a fall in admissions or a poor recruitment campaign, you may want to call other departments into the meeting, and find out if you are dealing with a marketing issue... or challenges based on "network effects" and "feedback loops" - College Brand & Identity - Just Do It!   

Dealing with Negative Posts... Build a Community

I'm not sure what level of moderation colleges will have on LinkedIn's University pages but there may well be the potential of negative comments being posted. This is perhaps unavoidable as students can tend to blame their college or university if they struggle to find employment.

If a student attended college 2 years ago and was expecting a job to fall into their lap at the end of their course, but is out of work, they may feel that the college has let them down... their college has not delivered what they had expected.

There are many reasons for the economic downturn, all of which are outwith the colleges control. However, if a student says on social media that the college didn't help them find a job, and there are enough comments, then this is what will stick. This is how Dell found themselves in "Dell Hell" in 2005.

One of the best strategies that I have heard of to deal with any kind of negative influence is to take the time to build up a community of online proponents, before any bad press occurs, as the proponents can work to neutralise the influence.

"Hoy! Critics Leave em Teachers Alone"
I attended a conference where a school have taken the time to build a community online, so they could communicate with students and parents across a number of platforms.

The school was earmarked to get academy status (the bad, failing kind not the independent kind), this upset everyone at the school. Instead of the teachers coming out to defend themselves... the people from the community that they built up did - students and parents tweeting and blogging in defense of their teachers and articulating how and where the school was undergoing changes.

Rosenberg highlights that negative comments are inevitable, and might be an inevitable part of the Colleges' LinkedIn University page. But there is a big difference between there being nothing but a few sporadic complaints about the college on the page; and one that has an active and vibrant community, one with students who are taught and encouraged to create responsible, constructive content about the college.

Then, anytime there is an incoherent, rambling rant about the college, there could be numerous well thought out replies that limits and dilutes the potential impact of these kinds of posts.  

I enjoy following Ohio State University's hashtags for this reason - students tweeting to the world about the great time they've had at the university. 

Check out #OSU1000 to see how the university gets loads of free advertising... and enough positive learner voice sound bites to fill a prospectus

LinkedIn - Student Style
What's the worst thing that would happen if college LinkedIn staff profiles were written in a style aimed at appealing to prospective students? 

Other radical ideas might be to explore ideas like the "Many Voices of Sweden" - an odd Twitter experiment...which has become a multimillion pound tourism boon? Brave, yes. Some unexpected Tweets? To be expected. Controversial, absolutely? Sleepless nights for Sweden Inc's Marketing Department? I'd be surprised if it didn't! Was it successful? 

Or what about O2's social media masterclass when their network went down? Marketing didn't cause this problem, and a poor response could have fanned the flames... but boy did they get their sleeves rolled up and help with the fire fighting!

So the next time you're brand encounters a storm in a tea cup because of a social media catastrophe you can do what O2 did by using humour, do what Sweden did by giving up control of their brand to the many voices that make up their community.

...And if the storm does blow into a full scale hurricane - you can see where this is going can't you? But decorum prevents this blogger from spelling it out.... but this particular brand of humour didn't do Scotland's image any harm check this link for more details - Scotland's Hurricane


Or what about encouraging Tweeting in class and as part of your course work? After all students are going to to this anyway, better to do it in a controlled environment rather than to be as deluded as Sheldon Cooper and his Lecture Tweets... would this not be instant Learner Voice data that could go towards self assessment data?

Any college with a marketing strategy that includes trying to control their brand by refusing to acknowledge, explore and embrace the role that social media can play, is increasingly looking like a risky strategy. Especially when there are open invitations like this;

Welcome Higher Ed Professionals

We're here to support all you do, from preparing students for careers and engaging alumni to marketing and admissions outreach.

                                                                                  LinkedIn University Homepage

So congratulations! Your LinkedIn University page awaits you today. It could take the college brand to great places! Log in and sign up and you'll be on your way! ...and will you succeed? If my experience is anything to go by, you will indeed! 98 and three quarter percent guaranteed.