Puget Sound Forest Stewardship Facebook Page

A Facebook page was developed to incorporate social media tools into the WSU Extension Puget Sound Forest Stewardship program: http://www.facebook.com/pages/WSU-Extension-Puget-Sound-Forest-Stewardship/148183126376

The target audience for this page is small forest landowners in the north Puget Sound area of Washington State. Fresh content was distributed to landowners via this site regularly throughout 2010. Use of this social media tool allows a variety of content to be distributed in a timely and efficient manner using minimal resources (no fees, and only a few minutes per week time investment by one Extension agent).

Content delivered via this page in 2010 included program updates, event announcements, event photos, demonstration videos (via YouTube links), news articles, forest policy changes, news and announcements from partner agencies, and practical tips, tidbits, and research updates. Participating landowners were also permitted to post their own (moderated) content such as photos, questions, success stories, and feedback.

Evaluation of the use of this site through interactive feedback ("likes" and comments) and page visit statistics (which are tracked weekly) show regular interaction and positive response to the page and posted comments. The number of users has grown rapidly, and feedback posts indicate that users are finding the information relevant and engaging. The Facebook page is also being used to guide current and future programming, as it is being used as a forum to solicit program topics and ideas, several of which have been successfully implemented following interactive discussions on the Facebook site.