A Review of Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture

Book review: Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture by Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green

Midsummer Standing Crops of Wetland Sedge Meadows Along a Transect from Forest to Prairie

Midsummer standing crops of wetland sedges have been measured along a transect from forest to prairie in northwestern Minnesota. The eight forest stands, all but one on waterlogged fibrous peats, are dominated by Carex lacustris (4 stands), C. lasiocarpa (2), C. rostrata (1) and C. atherodes (1). They exhibit above-ground standing crops ranging from 425 to 738 g dry wt/m2, with a mean of 606 g/m2. The five prairie stands on well-drained silty peats are all dominated by Carex atherodes, and their standing crops range from 679 to 1248 g dry wt/m2, with a mean of 941 g/m2. Above-ground standing crop in the prairie sites is therefore 55% greater than in the forest sites

Midsummer Standing Crops of Wetland Sedge Meadows Along a Transect from Forest to Prairie

Midsummer standing crops of wetland sedges have been measured along a transect from forest to prairie in northwestern Minnesota. The eight forest stands, all but one on waterlogged fibrous peats, are dominated by Carex lacustris (4 stands), C. lasiocarpa (2), C. rostrata (1) and C. atherodes (1). They exhibit above-ground standing crops ranging from 425 to 738 g dry wt/m2, with a mean of 606 g/m2. The five prairie stands on well-drained silty peats are all dominated by Carex atherodes, and their standing crops range from 679 to 1248 g dry wt/m2, with a mean of 941 g/m2. Above-ground standing crop in the prairie sites is therefore 55% greater than in the forest sites

Exploring Perspectives of the Student Competencies Needed to Advocate for Agriculture

The agricultural and natural resources industries are increasingly faced with remarks and skepticism from consumers and activists alike. Equipping those in industry as well as college graduates with skills to effectively share agriculture’s story through a variety of mediums continues to increase in importance. This qualitative study sought to explore learning objectives and curriculum goals that agricultural advocates have for an undergraduate agricultural advocacy course. Phone interviews with individuals involved in agricultural advocacy revealed two-way communication skills were important when communicating with the public. Active listening, communicating with an open mind, communicating at a level of understanding, and equipping oneself with an arsenal of industry knowledge and contacts were found to be key learning outcomes for a course such as this. Further, role-playing activities, professional experiences, and online media communication abilities were also found to be important class assignments, activities, and skills that would allow students to perfect these two-way communication skills. From the findings of this study, undergraduate educators may have a better understanding of the importance of incorporating two-way communications into their curriculum as well as have a guideline for developing a course for agricultural advocacy within their agricultural education, communications, and leadership programs. The findings of this study may also help communications practitioners and Extension personnel as they prepare for agricultural advocacy efforts within their organizations

Making a Case for McDonald’s: A Qualitative Case Study Examining the McDonald’s “Our Food Your Questions” Campaign

In the last decade, a trend of consumer skepticism toward the agricultural industry has emerged. The consumer is demanding to know how food is grown, processed, its origin, and its content. At the same time, these same consumers are increasingly voicing their concerns and fueling the fire of misperception through the use of social media. Many organizations are counteracting these misperceptions by developing food campaigns detailing the food production process from the farm to the table. In this qualitative case study, McDonald’s social media video campaign, “Our Food, Your Questions” was analyzed to determine how a specific corporation provided content in particular frames to meet consumers’ demand for food-based information. Findings from this study suggest user-generated content helped develop the content for the social media campaign in terms of video topics and specific content addressed. Further, content in these videos were framed to help viewers connect to the video content and messages and to show that the company participates in socially responsible behavior. The recommendations and implications provide suggestions on how agricultural communicators could incorporate multimedia content into their campaigns to better facilitate communication

Political Change in the Digital Age: The Fragility and Promise of Online Organizing

We conclude that policymakers and scholars that have been most optimistic about the impact of digital tools have over-emphasized the role of information, specifically access to alternative and independent sources of information and unfiltered access to the Internet. We argue, in contrast, that more attention should be paid to the means of overcoming the difficulties of online organization in the face of authoritarian governments in an increasingly digital geopolitical environment