How-to's
The Department of Extension and Experiment Station Communications (EESC) provides communication support to staff and faculty within OSU's Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station. Listed here are some of the services we provide to help staff and faculty with distance education projects.
Visit our Web Help site for Drupal self-paced training tutorials and a quick reference guide.
Distance Education
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This guide provides the basic steps required to create multimedia-rich Adobe Presenter presentations that can be used online.
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Multimedia projects have laid the groundwork for a new way of thinking--and a new way of learning.
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This resource provides basic guidelines for those seeking to create multimedia deliverables.
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A tour of the most common social media and some advice for users.
Graphic Design
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Web-published photos are copyrighted just as if they were published in a book. If you plan to use a photo from the Web in a printed piece, be sure it is at least 300 ppi.
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Oregon State University has a unique stationery system that carries the OSU logo. Extension offices and departments identify themselves by including a specific statement and using local addresses.
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Multimedia projects have laid the groundwork for a new way of thinking--and a new way of learning.
Impact Reporting
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Positive media coverage attracts grant money and legislative support. It may be easier to ignore the mainstream media, but expanding our audience is essential for the success of the OSU Extension.
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Find out the key elements to impact reporting.
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Quick guide for finding Web statistics for OSU Extension Web sites.
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Impact is the difference your programs are making in peoples' lives. In more technical terms, impact is the reportable and verifiable difference a land-grant program makes in the lives of citizens.
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A step-by-step process for organizing your thoughts and powering up your prose (originally presented at the 2007 OSU Extension Spring Training program).
Multimedia
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There’s no such thing as a bad shot--just one that isn’t close enough.
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Not all camera gear has to be expensive or high tech. Sometimes something as simple as a clothespin can make all the difference in what you capture with your camera.
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An important decision for every digital photographer, besides selecting a camera, is deciding what software to use in the digital darkroom.
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The success of a blog depends on the same elements that make for successful writing, successful websites, and successful conversation. Before launching your blog, learn what to include to ensure its success.
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This guide provides the basic steps required to create multimedia-rich Adobe Presenter presentations that can be used online.
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Use a camera long enough, and eventually slides, prints, and negatives start piling up all over your office. If your photo file consists of the back half of a dusty file drawer, consider upgrading your storage system.
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Multimedia projects have laid the groundwork for a new way of thinking--and a new way of learning.
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This resource provides basic guidelines for those seeking to create multimedia deliverables.
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EESC provides a form for you to use to get permission from subjects of your photos.
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Messages delivered via video are most effective when supported by compelling visual images.
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Plants make interesting pictures. The colors, textures, shapes, and form of plants present all kinds of possibilities to the eye of the photographer.
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The personal interview is perhaps the most powerful tool for video storytelling both online and off. Here are some basic technical production tips for producing more effective and watchable video interviews.
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Built-in flash can be a powerful tool in bright light. Some camera models have controls that allow the photographer to use the flash to fill in, highlight, or balance exposure.
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Writing for the web is very different from writing for print media.
Photography
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You’ve heard it said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But often in our business of education and information, it’s a few words that add value to a good picture.
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Web-published photos are copyrighted just as if they were published in a book. If you plan to use a photo from the Web in a printed piece, be sure it is at least 300 ppi.
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There’s no such thing as a bad shot--just one that isn’t close enough.
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Not all camera gear has to be expensive or high tech. Sometimes something as simple as a clothespin can make all the difference in what you capture with your camera.
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A few tips to remember when selecting and providing digital images for a publication.
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An important decision for every digital photographer, besides selecting a camera, is deciding what software to use in the digital darkroom.
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Use a camera long enough, and eventually slides, prints, and negatives start piling up all over your office. If your photo file consists of the back half of a dusty file drawer, consider upgrading your storage system.
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Multimedia projects have laid the groundwork for a new way of thinking--and a new way of learning.
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If you want to use text, photos, illustrations, tables, charts, or graphs from another publication or Web site, note that most material is copyrighted and using it without permission is illegal. Therefore, EESC requires that you submit written documentation (email is acceptable) that you have obtained permission to reproduce anything from another source.
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EESC provides a form for you to use to get permission from subjects of your photos.
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Tips for selecting and providing digital images for an EESC publication.
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Messages delivered via video are most effective when supported by compelling visual images.
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By planning ahead, you will have quality images to choose from, and you won’t be disappointed with the prints
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Plants make interesting pictures. The colors, textures, shapes, and form of plants present all kinds of possibilities to the eye of the photographer.
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The personal interview is perhaps the most powerful tool for video storytelling both online and off. Here are some basic technical production tips for producing more effective and watchable video interviews.
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Built-in flash can be a powerful tool in bright light. Some camera models have controls that allow the photographer to use the flash to fill in, highlight, or balance exposure.
Publishing
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Use one of these statements on any publication that announces your services, programs, or events.
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Web-published photos are copyrighted just as if they were published in a book. If you plan to use a photo from the Web in a printed piece, be sure it is at least 300 ppi.
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A few tips to remember when selecting and providing digital images for a publication.
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Knowing how to avoid writing mistakes likely to send an editor scrambling for the “delete” key is a good way to smooth having your submission accepted for publication.
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Writing a useful publication is more than choosing words. Much of the work occurs before you begin writing and after you finish the first draft. Here are some tips for getting from idea to published piece, whether printed or online.
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Is there something you want the public to know? Writing a letter to the editor is one way to express yourself. Follow these tips to increase the possibility of your letter being published.
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In Extension, we often are called on to explain tasks ranging from applying correct amounts of fertilizer to preparing roses for winter. With a little effort, we can leave our readers satisfied rather than cursing the instruction writer. Here are some tips.
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Here's an easy method to help you organize your writing without doing an outline.
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This resource provides basic guidelines for those seeking to create multimedia deliverables.
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By including a nondiscrimination/affirmative action statement on your published materials, you meet USDA Civil Rights requirements.
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If you want to use text, photos, illustrations, tables, charts, or graphs from another publication or Web site, note that most material is copyrighted and using it without permission is illegal. Therefore, EESC requires that you submit written documentation (email is acceptable) that you have obtained permission to reproduce anything from another source.
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EESC provides a form for you to use to get permission from subjects of your photos.
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Tips for selecting and providing digital images for an EESC publication.
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A tour of the most common social media and some advice for users.
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There are several things you can do that will take a few extra minutes of your time, but they will increase the usability of the PDF file.
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Your lead paragraph can be a grabber, your quotes pithy and your prose perfect. But if you allow errors--even little ones--to creep into your copy, they'll damage your credibility.
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A step-by-step process for organizing your thoughts and powering up your prose (originally presented at the 2007 OSU Extension Spring Training program).
Spanish Language
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Use one of these statements on any publication that announces your services, programs, or events.
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If you work with Spanish-speaking clients in agriculture, check out these resources the next time you’re stumped by an agricultural term.
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The best-written text in the world will fail to serve its purpose if the reading level is too high for the intended readers.
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By including a nondiscrimination/affirmative action statement on your published materials, you meet USDA Civil Rights requirements.
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EESC provides a form for you to use to get permission from subjects of your photos.
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If you want to offer educational programs to Hispanics, begin by forgetting the program. Instead, think people. Only with a system of healthy relationships in place can you begin to deliver educational content.
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Extensión en Español is a great site for anyone looking for educational materials in Spanish, help with translation, or information about Hispanic culture.
Web Help
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Use one of these statements on any publication that announces your services, programs, or events.
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What's a wiki? The short definition is "collaborative online workspace," but a wiki is really a new--some might say anarchistic--way of cooperatively generating information content.
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Multimedia projects have laid the groundwork for a new way of thinking--and a new way of learning.
-
This resource provides basic guidelines for those seeking to create multimedia deliverables.
-
By including a nondiscrimination/affirmative action statement on your published materials, you meet USDA Civil Rights requirements.
-
EESC provides a form for you to use to get permission from subjects of your photos.
-
A tour of the most common social media and some advice for users.
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There are several things you can do that will take a few extra minutes of your time, but they will increase the usability of the PDF file.
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Quick guide for finding Web statistics for OSU Extension Web sites.
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Writing for the web is very different from writing for print media.
Writing and Media Relations
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Here are nine of the worst mistakes when writing press releases or otherwise dealing with the media.
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Use one of these statements on any publication that announces your services, programs, or events.
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What's a wiki? The short definition is "collaborative online workspace," but a wiki is really a new--some might say anarchistic--way of cooperatively generating information content.
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A call from the media can be a good experience--if you are mentally prepared.
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A suggested checklist of tasks that not only will identify and solve common writing problems, but could reduce the amount of time you spend rereading, tinkering, rewriting, and re-editing.
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"The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do". -- Thomas Jefferson. If you want to be quoted as often as Thomas Jefferson, a good way to start is to tighten your writing.
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The success of a blog depends on the same elements that make for successful writing, successful websites, and successful conversation. Before launching your blog, learn what to include to ensure its success.
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Positive media coverage attracts grant money and legislative support. It may be easier to ignore the mainstream media, but expanding our audience is essential for the success of the OSU Extension.
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How to overcome the task of sorting through the volumes of information we gather before we actually write a popular science article about someone's research.
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Knowing how to avoid writing mistakes likely to send an editor scrambling for the “delete” key is a good way to smooth having your submission accepted for publication.
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Find out the key elements to impact reporting.
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Suppose you are the one chosen to spread the word about your organization's latest accomplishment, plan, or upcoming event. You need to get the word out in your local newspaper.
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Writing a useful publication is more than choosing words. Much of the work occurs before you begin writing and after you finish the first draft. Here are some tips for getting from idea to published piece, whether printed or online.
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Skillfully blending the passive voice into your prose lends it variety and spice.
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Is there something you want the public to know? Writing a letter to the editor is one way to express yourself. Follow these tips to increase the possibility of your letter being published.
-
In Extension, we often are called on to explain tasks ranging from applying correct amounts of fertilizer to preparing roses for winter. With a little effort, we can leave our readers satisfied rather than cursing the instruction writer. Here are some tips.
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Journalism professors like to extol the virtues of a punchy, lean, and clear writing style because it keeps readers interested.
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The best-written text in the world will fail to serve its purpose if the reading level is too high for the intended readers.
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Take a 4-year journalism course in 5 minutes.
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Here's an easy method to help you organize your writing without doing an outline.
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Even on the slimmest budget, your newsletter can be a useful, reliable document of record that tracks the events, accomplishments, membership, and goals of your group.
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This resource provides basic guidelines for those seeking to create multimedia deliverables.
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By including a nondiscrimination/affirmative action statement on your published materials, you meet USDA Civil Rights requirements.
-
If you want to use text, photos, illustrations, tables, charts, or graphs from another publication or Web site, note that most material is copyrighted and using it without permission is illegal. Therefore, EESC requires that you submit written documentation (email is acceptable) that you have obtained permission to reproduce anything from another source.
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Working with your local media is essential to share your research, teaching, and Extension successes.
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A tour of the most common social media and some advice for users.
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You'll stand tall in your readers' eyes if you replace long words with shorter ones whenever you can.
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Many sins of poor writing are lumped under the heading of “wordiness.” Among them are redundancy; overuse of adverbs, adjectives, and prepositional phrases; and use of big words when a small one will do.
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Your lead paragraph can be a grabber, your quotes pithy and your prose perfect. But if you allow errors--even little ones--to creep into your copy, they'll damage your credibility.
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Adverbs are misused so often, it's hard to know how to use them correctly.
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Parallel structure arranges words, phrases, clauses, or sentences in a series of two or more grammatically equivalent structures.
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The explosion of information systems seems to be speeding up the rate at which misuse of words is overtaking proper use.
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Impact is the difference your programs are making in peoples' lives. In more technical terms, impact is the reportable and verifiable difference a land-grant program makes in the lives of citizens.
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Are you tired of being quoted out of context in the newspaper? Want to build public awareness about an issue important to you? Take charge and write an “in my opinion” piece.
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What makes a column interesting?
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Make your county newsletters more appealing to readers by writing better headlines.
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Writing for the web is very different from writing for print media.
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A step-by-step process for organizing your thoughts and powering up your prose (originally presented at the 2007 OSU Extension Spring Training program).
