2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Blogs have become one of the most popular ways to share information on digital channels as social media has become key to reach target audiences. Blogs often cater to specific demographics with simple, to-the-point text to gather information about a desired topic, like gardening or cooking. Blog articles often contain about 350-500 words and act as an informational resource for online audiences. As higher education faculty cope with administrative desire for greater public outreach, the ability to communicate and share information is valued more now than ever. To help lighten the load of increased outreach expectations for faculty members, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) used blogs as a tool to distribute and promote new Extension horticulture publications. MREC staffers wrote blog articles about research updates on horticultural practices, pests and plants in the form of an Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS) publication. This blog article was then promoted on MREC’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to drive readers to the EDIS website to download this free Extension document. From January 2018 to December 2018, MREC found the impact of blogs to be quite significant on EDIS download numbers. Over the 12-month period, a blog article was posted to the MREC blog and promoted on social media every month for a total of 12 EDIS publications. Of the EDIS publications highlighted, the number of downloads ranged from at least 400 to over 1200 for each document. On average, 724 EDIS downloads occurred as a result of each blog post. Using blogs to promote Extension horticulture publications is shown to be an effective way to distribute information about integrated pest management practices, including pest and disease identification, weed management and smart practices, as well as other horticulture-related topics. The reach of each blog was amplified by the use of social media channels. Given the shift in demographics that use social media and to engage with younger generations, the continued use of blogs and social media is important to expand the scope of ages who access this information and to disseminate pertinent horticulture research.