Leveraging Social Media for Online Outreach: My Greatest Hits.

In this presentation I will highlight case studies representing some my more successful online-outreach efforts while emphasizing my outreach philosophy and tips and tricks I’ve learned while developing my voice and audience. Twitter (@AlongsideWild), has proven useful for reaching new and expanded audiences. I currently have over 11,000 followers and engage with people to answer wildlife questions. My blog www.LivingAlongsideWildlife.com has provided an outlet to address wildlife myths and counter media portrayals of amphibians and reptiles. Due to a consistent message together with writing over many years, the blog has accumulated over 3.5 million overall views. The blog was a platform to critique an article that appeared in Slate about Anacondas in Florida; this resulted in considerable media exposure as well as a follow-up article in Slate in which I clarified misconceptions about invasive species. The recent Eaten Alive program on Discovery resulted in a lot of interest in snakes. I leveraged this interest to reach people with a snake conservation message, resulting in considerable media exposure to counter sensational information. Finally, by taking advantage of the “viral” quality of many media outlets, I turned an unusual event while turtle trapping (i.e., reviving a drowned turtle via mouth-to-mouth) into an opportunity to reach many people with a conservation message and expand my audience for future outreach.