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100 Days, 100 Tweets from Cooperative Extension

As Cooperative Extension approaches the centennial of the Smith-Lever Act signing on May 8, 1914, Extension professionals and their clients nationwide are using social media to share their insights into the organization’s history and its impact.

With that date 100 days from today, the Extension system launched the 100 Days, 100 Tweets campaign, encouraging Twitter users to add the hashtag #Ext100years to share their stories. For stories about North Carolina Cooperative Extension-related tweets, use the hashtag @NCExt100 to allow for easy searching and placement on the state Centennial website. Extension in North Carolina will be adding to that conversation through its Twitter account.

The #Ext100years campaign will culminate from noon to 3 p.m. May 8, when Extension educators and others are encouraged to contribute tweets with the hashtag #CE100. Each state is expected to contribute five history-related tweets an hour during that time. It’s a great time for North Carolinians to share their pride in Cooperative Extension and its ability to extend life-changing knowledge.

The national Extension centennial committee urges folks not to use the #CE100 before May 8, as using it early will make it difficult for the tag to trend. The campaign’s goal is to establish the depth and reach of Cooperative Extension, share the Cooperative Extension network with newer and younger audiences who may be less familiar with Cooperative Extension; give our academics an opportunity to connect to the larger Extension Community and building some esprit de corps and pride in their organization that can pay dividends far into the future.

The committee also recommends engaging as many followers as possible in the #Ext100Years amd #CE100 conversation tweeting to them directly and asking for retweets. Hootsuite and other social-media site schedules can help schedule tweets in advance, so there’s no need to set aside that time solely for tweeting.

Here are examples of tweets that would be appropriate to make during the #CE100 campaign:

  • “Please share your stories – how has #UCCE helped you? Use #CE100 in your answers and we’ll share.”
  • “What’s your favorite thing about #UCCE? Use #CE100 in your answers and we’ll share.”
  • “Happy 100th Birthday Cooperative Extension: Learn all about Smith-Lever and what the #CE100 buzz is about: http://bit.ly/19XSe1E”
  • I’m proud to be a #NC #CoopExt agent for Halifax Co – Happy 100th. #CE100″

For more information about Twitter, how to use it and trend topics, see the how-to guide from the University of California. Social media resources for Cooperative Extension’s Centennial are available nationally and in a toolkit for North Carolina agents. You must have a unityid to access the N.C. agent toolkit.