One of my favorite parts about using social media to represent FGIA is getting to share “behind the scenes” moments with our followers. Many of our followers are our FGIA members. First and foremost, they are the ones we are working so hard for every week, bringing them the benefits of FGIA membership through dedicated service. But in addition to that, they are the people we look forward to seeing at conferences and catching up with every few months. While they see us hard at...

A funny thing happened on the drive to the FGIA Summer Conference. I was in a car heading from the airport to the beautiful Le Westin Montreal, our host hotel for the event. The driver of the car spoke only French, and I speak only English. I knew we were traveling to French-speaking Canada, so I had studied the travel-size copy of Rick Steves’ French Phrase and Dictionary my dad loaned me before my trip. And, of course, the second I needed some common French...

It has been a little over 10 months since the release of Threads, Meta’s answer to “X” (formerly Twitter). I thought it might be a good time to check in with how things are going at the text-based app, intended to become the premiere “X” replacement. The company seems to know it has a long way to go before it can fully compete, but they are making strides. Plus, I sat in on a webinar this week about some best practices for building a community...

It is time, once again, for another round of “Marketing Recommends,” in which the FGIA Marketing Department shares what we are getting out of in the world of social media, design and other marketing needs. The three of us have curated several tools and resources from which we’ve gained insight – plus some fun stuff, too. Take a look at our recommendations for this spring and see what you can bring back to your own team.Lori Benshoof, Web and Online Technology Specialist:A “Dream Scenario”I recently...

Even though it has been a mild winter where I am in the Mid Ohio Valley, I am ready for warmer weather and the start of youth soccer season! With warmer weather comes this reminder to parents: Screens are meant to keep bugs out, not to keep kids in. This is just one of many pieces of advice offered by the Window Safety Task Force. This industry group takes the time each year to share resources and tips every spring to commemorate Window Safety Week,...

Are you going to be in Amelia Island for the FGIA Annual Conference? Even if you can’t be on site, you can still keep up with highlights on social media. The Annual Conference is our biggest event each year, and it’s when we get the chance to recognize our members for their contributions, their tenure with the organization and more. Here are five things to watch out for on social media during the event, taking place February 19-22.A Tribute to Rich Walker: During Opening General...

While several competitors have stepped up to fill the void left by Twitter, now “X,” since Elon Musk purchased the platform in the fall of 2022 and began making radical changes. But while Mastodon and BlueSky made waves around that time, the surprise drop of Threads in July was welcome news to many still looking for that Twitter-like magic. Threads is owned by Meta and, for all intents and purposes, looks and feels more like Twitter than anything else. However, it still has some issues...

The end of the year is a great time to prepare for the new one, whether that means getting together your editorial calendars or mapping out plans for how you hope to reach your next set of goals. It is also an ideal time to look back on what you did for the last 12 months to see what worked and what didn’t – and where you might choose to focus your energies. This can also mean deciding where it might make sense to spend...

A common piece of advice I give to companies in our industry is often something they don’t always want to hear. Even if you don’t plan on using a specific social media platform, you should still secure your company’s username on it so no one else can. Now, there is a bit of follow-up to this advice: if your company has a Twitter (now “X”) account you’ve snapped up but are not using, begin posting there now. Read on to learn why.In the wake of...

Almost 10 years ago, the internet stopped what it was doing and watched the Wendy’s corporate Twitter account roast everyone from Burger King to complete strangers. This unexpected yet hilarious behavior from a major corporation sparked the great debate: can brands be fun online?The results were mixed. There were two main schools of thinking: your company could either be traditionally professional on social media, or you could be fun and get attention for your brand. The path you picked depended on a number of factors,...