The SCN Encourager – Thursday, February 21, 2013

7 Ways to Groom Your Kids for Online Stardom.

This headline is worth stealing. It’s that solid.

It sure attracted me to the “Geekless Tech” blog written by marketer Steven Hughes.

And what really grabbed me by the throat is that we are already doing all seven of his recommended focus areas in our schools!

Of course, in education, we like to package and market our wares in our own unique fashion (which usually means editing out everything that could be seen as “sales copy” and replacing it with language and terms familiar only to about a dozen people), but take a brief look at the seven areas that Hughes promotes as needed for success in our ever-growing online world:

#1)  Reading
#2)  Writing
#3)  Public Speaking
#4)  Photography (Visuals/Graphics)
#5)  Relationship Building
#6)  Sharing with Each Other
#7)  Using Technology

If Hughes was creating a new headline directed to young parents for a school district’s website, he’d probably write something like:

Future Success for YOUR CHILD – Online and Offline!
It’s here. Right now. Just click.

I may be all wet, but I think – thanks to you – that our schools are already leaders and innovators in these seven areas. Yet somehow we trip over our own communications clutter and mess up our messaging. Too often we allow the “simple” words and phrases to be pushed aside by our chase for the trendy, edgy, sexy, and glitzy.

You should read the article for yourself. Hughes expands on all seven areas, and I think he’s given us something worth pondering, particularly as we “package” our own schools and programs to young parents.

You might see it differently, though. (Most do!)

Tom Page, SCN managing editor