The relevance of images in user generated content. A mixed method study of when and why major brands retweet

This paper develops unique new insight for business practitioners and academic researchers into the interaction between consumers and brands on social media platforms, principally where brands choose to interact with, and amplify, user-generated content (UGC) by retweeting it on their own brand channels. Despite increasing research into social media in general, there is a relative lack of available academic research on major brands engaging with consumer content, which may, be in part due to the pace of change and exponential growth in this emerging area. This mixed method study develops insight conducted over an 18-month period with leading social media practitioners, concluding that primarily a brand's social media team opportunistically seek out and retweet organic image-led UGC to convey specific messages across multiple platforms. Content containing imagery lends authenticity to brand storytelling; brands with tangible products are more likely to receive organic UGC which contains images than intangible brands

Sticky stuff: creating engaging VLE content

Building on research presented at a previous Blackboard Conference combined with ongoing teaching and implementation, this interactive session will introduce you to the concept of Sticky Content for your VLE. Employing proven strategies from business, the idea of 'sticky content' explores ways to make your course VLE a place that students will want to come back to. This practical session will expain how sticky content has been used at The University of Northampton to enhance student engagement with Blackboard VLE's. You will learn how to create professional course-level site banners, magazine style content and visually appealing reading lists that link directly to online libraries and booksellers. Furthermore, we will share the lessons we have learned when disseminating this training to the student-facing teaching staff