1. S OCIAL M EDIA F ORUM ARCHIVES 360º: 75TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS Thursday, August 25, 2011 Hosted by SAA’s Communications Technology Working Group

2. W HY ARE WE HERE ? We want your input! How can communications technology help SAA communicate better with its members? Which communication technologies should SAA use? How well is SAA currently using communications technologies?

3. W HAT ARE WE DOING TODAY ? Introductions (5 minutes) Orientation (10 minutes) Open discussion (1 hour) Our goal is to conduct an informal SWOT analysis

4. W HO IS CTWG? Rebecca Goldman, Digital Archives Technician at Drexel University; author of the web comic Derangement & Description Brad Houston, University Records Officer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, home of the SAA Archives Elizabeth Skene, Curator and Archivist at the Arab American National Museum Eliot Wilczek, University Records Manager in the Digital Collections and Archives Department at Tufts University Elizabeth Yakel, Associate Professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan Brian Doyle (Chair), SAA Director of Member & Technical Services

5. “W HAT IS YOUR QUEST ?” CTWG’s official charge is: “To investigate, evaluate, and recommend strategies for the effective management of online content created and/or maintained by the Society.”

6. W HY DO WE CARE ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY ? SAA’s Strategic Plan includes the following desired outcome: “SAA will make increasingly effective use of current and emerging technology in order to enhance communication with internal and external audiences and stimulate collaboration among its constituents.”

7. W HAT IS CTWG DOING ABOUT IT ? The SAA Council asked CTWG to conduct an environmental scan of communication technologies currently in use by the Society and assess their effectiveness: Create an index of existing technologies, projects, and procedures in use by SAA, by official component groups, and by ad hoc member groups; Convene a public forum to present preliminary findings and solicit input to identify what resources and capabilities members need. Compile and disseminate online the information received.

8. W HAT IS CTWG GOING TO DO ABOUT IT ? This coming fall, CTWG will use your input to: Analyze functional gaps; Identify priority areas; and Submit recommendations to the Council for consideration at its Winter 2012 meeting.

9. W HICH TECHNOLOGIES IS SAA ALREADY USING ?

10. H ERE ’ S A PARTIAL LIST : Drupal content management system Component group microsites SAA list server Archives & Archivists List Student Discussion List Component group discussion lists SAA Facebook page Twitter LinkedIn

11. W HAT ’ S A SWOT ANALYSIS ? SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats involved in a venture. It involves: Specifying objectives Identifying internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve those objectives. Source: Wikipedia

12. F ROM QUEST TO QUESTIONS … Restatement of objectives: 1. Enhance communication with internal and external audiences. 2. Stimulate collaboration among SAA constituents. Discussion questions: What STRENGTHS in SAA’s communications technologies help foster a sense of community among constituents ? What WEAKNESSES impede fostering of community? What OPPORTUNITIES can the Society leverage: To enhance communication between internal and external audiences? To stimulate collaboration among constituents? What THREATS may undermine or decrease the effective use of communication technology now and in the future?

13. O PEN DISCUSSION

14. W HAT ’ S NEXT ? Continue the conversation online at: www2.archivists.org/ctwg Invite your friends and colleagues to participate. CTWG members will analyze feedback, identify priorities, and draft recommendations for the SAA Council’s Winter 2012 meeting.