The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University utilizes Meltwater Social in their Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership to further their goal of educating the public about agricultural issues.
Meltwater Enables The Ohio State University to
Monitor conversations from a single platform
Utilize the social insights to inform the stance they planned to take
Keep their community informed and engaged
Challenge
Understanding the perception around the issue
The Ohio State University utilizes Meltwater Social in their Department of Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership to further their goal of educating the public about agricultural issues.
Assistant Professor Dr. Annie Specht understands the unique intersection between media, technology, and agriculture, and sees value in monitoring social conversations around important food and agriculture issues.
OSU's use of Meltwater Social began in 2015 during a major water quality crisis in Ohio along Lake Erie. Toxic algae blooms contaminated the water affecting thousands of people, especially in a large agricultural area in northwest Ohio.
Dr. Specht and her team of graduate students wanted to understand the perception around this issue and create a social engagement plan for the university.
"While researching the water crisis, the team was also able to surface collateral issues that they were previously unaware of. This allowed them to understand the role of the crisis within a larger conversation and better educate themselves on the broader landscape."
Annie Specht, Assistant Professor and Agricultural Communication Program Coordinator
Solution
Best-in-Class Monitoring, Outreach, and Analytics
With Meltwater Social, the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership was able to understand how a large agricultural issue was impacting individuals and communities throughout Ohio. They utilized the social insights to inform the stance they planned to take on specific issues and surfaced opportunities for education and engagement.
Dr. Specht explains that moving forward, they will continue to monitor another year of conversation around toxic algae blooms and water contamination. They plan to follow up the social research with traditional surveys and focus groups.
Summary
Meltwater Helps The Ohio State University
Spot Engagement opportunities
By understanding the key conversations taking place, the team identified specific topics and communities they wanted to engage with to build understanding and share their department's expertise.
Surface related issues
While researching the water crisis, the team was also able to surface collateral issues that they were previously unaware of. This allowed them to understand the role of the crisis within a larger conversation and better educate themselves on the broader landscape.
Identify Key Influencers
The team was able to identify key influencers in the water-quality discussions and learn about their main beliefs. Understanding these influential figures was important for Dr. Specht's team, as they could start dialogues directly with the individuals and utilize their influence to shape larger conversations.
Monitor Conversations
With Meltwater Social's ad-hoc search abilities, the team could surface all conversations pertaining to the water crisis and drill down into specific peaks in chatter.
