National eXtension Initiative

A few weeks ago we started collecting a new metric in Google Analytics (GA) that can help explain how users interact with content on the eXtension public site. The new metric tracks outgoing clicks, which can reveal where and why visitors are leaving a page.

Previously, if an article had a link pointing to an external site (i.e. a non extension.org domain) and the page had a high exit rate, there was no way to know if a visitor clicked an outgoing link to leave, or if they left without interacting.

For example, suppose you had a page with a 50% exit rate (this means that half the visitors to that page end up leaving the public site from that page.) We didn’t know if those visitors are closing their browser window, or if they are following the link. But with outgoing link tracking, we could see that the true exit rate is, for example, 20%, and that a majority of visitors actually click on external links. In short, we get a more accurate measurement of how users are interacting with the page.

An Improved Bounce Rate

The bounce rate is a measure of how many visitors visit only one page on the site and leave. Generally speaking, low bounce rates are better because it means the user spends more time on the site, engaged, clicking from page to page. However if your page includes an external link, the page might have a high bounce rate (because they come from Google search, view the single page, and click an outgoing link). Tracking outgoing links will decrease the bounce rate for pages like that because GA now knows when a visitor interacts with the page. The lower bounce rates will more accurately reflect the quality of the visit.

New Profile and Pageviews

To access the outgoing clicks data, you will need to select the new profile we added to the GA start page. The new profile is called “www.extension.org Outgoing links (not for total page views).” The existing, primary profile is “www.extension.org.” We needed an additional profile because this new feature works by creating a virtual pageview for every outgoing click, and that artificially inflates the pageview count for the entire site. These virtual pageviews are filtered out of our primary profile “www.extension.org,” so if you need to count pageviews, be sure to use the primary profile.

Switching Profiles

If you are already logged into GA and viewing the primary profile, you can switch to the other profile using the dropdown at the top of the page.

Comparing Profiles

We compare the data from the two different profiles below so you can see how they differ.

In the following image we can see that the outgoing links are filtered from the main profile, and show up in the “outgoing links” profile. We know that the lower exit rate is more accurate because the outgoing click is captured.

To see this information for your page, you need to visit a Content Detail page in Google Analytics. Click on “Content” > “Top Content” and then search for your page. Once you find your page, click “Navigation Summary” to see what links visitors are clicking to leave the page.

If you are interested in learning more about GA, please join the eXtension Web Analytics Community in People. We’ll give you access to the eXtension GA account and let you know when we have GA professional development sessions.

Just released are changes that integrate communities in the People application
with both new and existing Ask an Expert widgets allowing widget assignees to be members of their widgets’ community and the widget administrators to be community leaders. The assignee pool for any given widget is now taken directly from the members of the widget’s community.

People application administrators and Widget “community leaders” can use the community features to manage the assignee pool, including inviting colleagues to join the widget, and they can create mailing lists and utilize other community features for their widgets. Among other benefits, this opens the door for better communication among a widget’s community by use of the mailing list capabilities and other community management features that now exist because of these enhancements.

On behalf of the eXtension staff, I would like to wish you all a very happy holiday season! 2010 was a year of many accomplishments including the launch of 10 new Communities of Practice, the establishment of 10 additional Communities of Practice, even greater incorporation of eXtension in various NIFA/USDA grant programs, an astounding 14,500 eXtension IDs, steady increases in the number of people being served, the development of important new partnerships with federal agencies and private sponsors, all topped by an amazing National eXtension Virtual Conference in October.

To all of you who contribute to eXtension, I want to say THANK YOU! To those of you who will be part of eXtension in 2011, I want to say WELCOME. And, to everyone, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Let’s continue to work together to serve America and the world through one of the most outstanding organizations ever: Cooperative Extension!

Dan Cotton

eXtension’s Brand Value Community of Practice recently hosted two webinars by the ECOP Marketing and Communications Implementation Team and featured the recommendations from Copernicus Marketing, Consulting & Research.

These webinars can be found here:

November 4, 2010: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p39585864/
December 10, 2010: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p14765246/

For more information on the Brand Value Community of Practice contact Elizabeth Gregory North, e-gregory@tamu.edu. To join the Brand Value Community of Practice go to: http://www.extension.org/people/communities/222

eXtension will conduct four web conferences in 2011 for all who wish to be updated on eXtension’s progress and current activities. The web conferences are held at 2:30 p.m. ET at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/teammeeting on the following dates:

February 9, 2011
May 11, 2011
August 10, 2011
November 9, 2011

For more information contact Terry Meisenbach at tmeisenbach@extension.org.

eXtension’s outstanding Institutional Teams will meet monthly in 2011 at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/teammeeting at 2:30 p.m. ET:

•January 4
•February 1
•March 1
•April 5
•May 3
•June 7
•July 5
•August 2
•September 6
•October 4
•November 1
•December 6

For more information contact Terry Meisenbach at tmeisenbach@extension.org.

Dec. 7 – Understanding Poultry Processing, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/2027
Dec. 7 — Using Winter-Killed Cover Crops to Facilitate Organic No-till Planting of Early Spring Vegetables, 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/2024
Dec. 8 – Depression, Deployment and the Holidays, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/2025
Dec. 9 — Innovation Engineering — Knowledge, Tools and Inspiration for Young Entrepreneurs, 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/2025
Dec. 10—Indoor Air Changes, Chemicals and Tighter Homes, 12:00 noon Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/1968
Dec. 14 — Optimizing Facilities for Transition Cow Success, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/1793
Dec. 14 — Assessing Nitrogen Contribution and Rhizobia Diversity Associated with Winter Legume Cover Crops in Organic Systems, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/2026
Dec. 14 — How Green is Your Farm? 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/2001
Dec. 16 — Grant Opportunity: Enhancing the Competitiveness of Specialty Crops, 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/1989
Dec. 17 — Managing Information for Dairy Teams, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/1816
Dec. 17 — Controlling Ammonia and Air Emissions in Poultry Facilities, 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, http://www.extension.org/events/1996

January 2011 Webinars from eXtension

Jan. 19 — College and Horses, http://www.extension.org/events/2002
Jan. 20 — America On the Move, http://www.extension.org/events/1987

November saw news releases in 38 Communities of Practice:

26 each–Personal Finance; Gardens, lawns and landscapes
24–Families, food and fitness
14–Corn and soybean production
12–Parenting
10 each–Horses, Beef cattle
9–Food Safety
8 each–Family Caregiving, Entrepreneurs and Their Communities
7 each–Home energy, Farm energy, Cooperatives
6 each–Organic agriculture, Community planning and zoning, Blueberries
4–Pest management in and around structures
3 each–Wildlife damage management, Wildfire, Geospatial Technology, Dairy, Cotton, Bee health, Animal manure management, Agrosecurity and Floods
2 each–Wood energy, Small Meat Processors, Goats
1 each–Science, Engineering, and Technology for Youth; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Child Care

Releases for CoPs not yet released on eXtension
7–Companion Animals
3–Rangelands
2 each–Freshwater Aquaculture, Grapes, Plant Breeding Genomics
1 each–Swine; Climate, Forests and Woodlands

Thirty-two universities provided more than 240 news releases in November.

26–University of Missouri
18–University of Illinois
17–Louisiana State University
12 each–Kansas State University, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, University of Georgia
10–Texas AgriLife Extension
9–Ohio State University
8 each–Michigan State University, North Dakota State University
6 each–Iowa State University, Mississippi State University, University of Arkansas, University of California, University of Wisconsin
5 each–Oklahoma State University, Oregon State University, Purdue University
4 each–Colorado State University, University of Arizona, University of Minnesota, Utah State University
3 each–Alabama Cooperative Extension, University of Florida, University of Nebraska
2 each–Cornell University, University of Kentucky, University of Connecticut
1 each–Montana State University, Penn State University, Washington State University, West Virginia University
27–Other sources
2–Original releases

241 TOTAL news releases

eXtension recently awarded start up funds to three new Communities of Practice (CoPs). These newly awarded CoPs went through the Community of Practice application process and were reviewed by the eXtension review panel. The three new CoPs are:

Enhancing Rural Capacity Community of Practice will focus on enhancing rural capacity by partnering with the four RRDCs, various stakeholder groups and a national team of Extension professionals to plan, develop, and deliver top-quality education in leadership and capacity-building to benefit rural communities throughout the country. Mary Peabody from the University of Vermont is the primary contact for this CoP. Others on the leadership team are:

• Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (Co-PI);
• Bo Beaulieu, Southern Rural Development Center;
• Don Albrecht, Western Rural Development Center;
• Scott Loveridge, North Central Rural Development Center;
• Mary Emery, Land Grant Tribal Colleges Liaison, Iowa State University;
• Paul Lachapelle, Extension Community Development Specialist, Montana State University;
• Michelle Craig, UNH Cooperative Extension, Community Planning & Training Coordinator;
• Deborah Tootle, Community and Economic Development University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service;
• Will Andersen, Community Resources Program, University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension;
• J. Caroline Williams, Rural Development Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension;
• Lorie Higgins, Rural Communities Specialist, University of Idaho;
• Jane Haskell, Extension Educator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension;
• Walt Whitmer, Community Economic Development Associate, Pennsylvania University Cooperative Extension;
• Ellen Rowe, Community and Leadership Development Specialist, University of Vermont Extension;
• Sally Ward Maggard, Institute for Youth, Family, Community;
• Rod Howe, Executive Director, Community and Regional Development Institute (CaRDI) , Assistant Director, Community and Economic Vitality, Cornell Cooperative Extension; and
• Betsy Newman, Publications Specialist, Utah State University.

Feral Pig Community of Practice. People continue to release wild pigs despite negative consequences. Public awareness of this behavior and education may help build support for efforts to reduce wild pig populations. Additionally, greater awareness of the negative consequences of wild pig populations may substantially influence future policy decisions regarding allowable techniques for control, as well as regulating legal means and procedures for sport hunting of wild pigs. Jim Cathey of Texas AgriLife Extension Service will serve as the primary contact for this CoP. Others on the leadership team are:

• Gary San Julian, Professor of Wildlife Resources, Penn State University;
• Pete Gibbs, Associate Director for Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Community Economic Development, Texas AgriLife Extension Service;
• Amy Hays, Texas AgriLife Extension, Program Specialist;
• Jack Mayer, Fellow Scientist/Group Manager, Savannah River National Laboratory;
• William Giuliano, Professor & Extension Specialist, University of Florida;
• Mark Smith, Assistant Professor/Extension Specialist, Auburn University;
• Billy Higginbotham, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist; and
• Becky McPeak, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service.

Farm and Ranch eXtension Safety and Health Community of Practice will focus on the health and safety of individuals involved in agriculture. An aging population of principal operators, limited experience of younger operators entering production agriculture and off-farm work stressors are just a few of the challenges this community will help their uses deal with through the creation of multi-level, multi-interactive content and community spaces. Aaron Yoder of Penn State University will be the primary contact for this CoP. Other on the leadership team are:

• Marshall Martin, Purdue University;
• Bradley Rein, USDA-NIFA;
• Dee Jepsen, Ohio State University;
• Michael Pate, Utah State University;
• Robert Aherin, University of Illinois;
• Connie Baggett, Penn State University;
• Roberto Barbosa, Louisiana State University;
• Bobby Grisso, Virginia Tech;
• Dennis Murphy, Penn State University;
• Larry Olsen, Michigan State University;
• Mark Purschwitz, University of Kentucky;
• Glen Rains, University of Georgia;
• Chuck Schwab, Iowa State University; and
• John Slocombe, Kansas State University.

Many eXtension Communities of Practice are very active in social environments online. They use the various social networks to engage and have conversations with those consuming their content.

CoPs with the highest YouTube involvement. You should subscribe to these channels.

HorseQuest

Total Views: 718,237
Subscribers: 1,400

Demographics:
Female 61%
Male 39%

Discovery:
YouTube Environment – 93%
External Web Site – 4%
Google Search – 3%
Mobile devices – 1%

Selected Age Range:
55 – 64 19%
45 – 54 43%
35 – 44 15%

Subscriber Countries:
United States
Canada
Netherlands
Australia

eOrganic

Total Views: 258,088
Subscribers: 367

Demographics:
Female 18%
Male 82%

Selected Age Range:
55 – 64 23%
45 – 54 45%
35 – 44 19%

Discovery:
YouTube Environment – 93%
External Web Site – 3%
Google Search – 3%
Mobile devices – 1%

Imported Fire Ants

Total Views: 181,163

Bee Health

Total Views: 35,450
Subscribers: 211

Demographics:
Female 20%
Male 80%

Selected Age Range:
55 – 64 32%
45 – 54 37%
35 – 44 18%

Discovery:
YouTube Environment – 91%
External Web Site – 5%
Google Search – 4%

Companion Animals

Total Views: 2,784
Subscribers: 10

Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Centers

Total views: 1,243
Subscribers: 11

Consumer Horticulture

Total Views: 1,003
Subscribers: 13

Youth SET

Total views: 902
Subscribers: 6

Those CoPs most involved in Facebook. Remember the numbers change on a daily basis so by the time you read this the numbers would have increased.

Families, Food and Fitness
600 Likes

eOrganic
495 Likes

All About Blueberries
272 Likes

Extension Disaster Education Network
179 Likes

Cooperative Extension Second Life
169 Members

Here are the Communities with the most followers in Twitter. Create a Twitter account and follow the community of your interest.

Just In Time Parenting
JITParenting – Twiiter name
Followers 964

Livestock Poultry Environmental Learning Center
LPELC – Twitter name
Followers 841

Families, Food, & Fitness
FFFCoP – Twitter name
Followers 615

eOrganic
eOrganic_CP – Twitter name
Followers 497

Family Caregiving
FamiliesCaring – Twitter Name
Followers 356

Consumer Horticulture/Gardens Lawns and Landscapes
eXGLL – Twitter name
Followers : 273

Many other eXtension communities are involved in social networks than are listed in this post. These are just the top Communities of Practice in the different social networks. All continue to grow daily. Find them in the different social networks and follow them so you can engage in their conversation and see what exciting content they are publishing.