Reach, Engagement, and Impact of eViticulture and the eXtension Grape Community of Practice

Reach, engagement, and impacts are important metrics in Extension reporting. Social media is a growing method to inform interested parties.  Facebook and Twitter are the most used platforms by eViticulture, having over 500 likes and followers, respectively. Two out of three tweets are retweeted, thus expanding our reach and engagement.  The Grape Community of Practice (GCoP) eXtension and eViticulture websites have garnered over 686,000 pageviews since December 27, 2010.  This accounts for nearly 4% of all visitors to eXtension.org. Readers average 2 minutes and 12 seconds on the GCoP eXtension pages and 2 minutes on the eViticulture pages.  Determining value to the reader is difficult; however, if we extrapolate from reported income levels we can estimate the value (Stafne and Fidelibus, in press).  In 2013 the average U.S. household net adjusted disposable income was $38,001.  At 686,000 pageviews and 2 minutes per page, one could estimate the value at $411,600 for the general public.  If the income is targeted to vineyard managers, then that income rises to $87,683 for the U.S (based on CA).  The value would then jump to $960,400 from December 27, 2010 to February 20, 2014.  Some state Extension programs also inherently value their publications (for a paper copy) which are similar to those on eViticulture.  For example, Alabama Cooperative Extension Service and Oregon State University Extension Service value similar Extension publications at $1 to $2 each. One could take the estimated value to the public ($411,600) plus the value of traditional Extension publication charges ($1) x page views on eVitculture ($686,000) for a total value to clientele of $1,097,600 from 2010 to early 2014.  This is one way to calculate the value of GCoP content and quantify our accomplishments.  While it provides an estimate of worth based on how individuals value their time, it does not include the additional “value” of savings or income generated as a result of knowledge gained.  Obtaining quantifiable data regarding impact through online surveys have been tried, but response was low.  A better method may be collecting anecdotal comments from users via email, social media, and face-to-face feedback as evidence of impact.