Missouri | Iowa | Nebraska | Kansas

Women in Computing
Social Media Plan

Jayde Balentine | Dalton Vitt | Halley Hill | Natalie Fry | Taylor Mothershead

Table of Contents
About 1
Mission 1
Conference History 1
University Participants 1
Competitor 2
Social Media Footprint
Social Media Goal

2-3

Strategies

3-5

Measurement Strategy

5-6

Measurement Tool

6-7

The End Goal

About
The Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas Women in Computing (MINK WIC) conference is a regional
meeting influenced by the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. The conference gathers
students, faculty and leaders in technology from the Midwest to share experiences, successes
and exploration concerning the role of women in the modern field of technology and computing. Young
women have the opportunity to examine areas in computing and to network with other women interested
in the technology and computing fields.

Mission
To nationally address the decline of women pursing professions in fields related to computer science.

Conference History
The Women in Computing Conference is a conference held every two years that has been held at the
Kauffman Foundation Conference Center. The most recent conference, held in October, 2013, had 275
attendees. The conference includes guest speakers from the industry, presentations from students and a
career fair.

University Participants

Central College, Pella, IA

Creighton University, Omaha, NE
Emporia State University, Emporia, KS
Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS
Graceland College, Lamoni, IA
Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
Hannibal-Lagrange College, Hannibal, MO
Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO
McKendree University, Lebanon, IL
Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO
Newman University, Wichita, KS
Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO
Ozark Technical Community College, Springfield, MO
Park University, Parkville, MO
Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS
Simpson College, Indianola, IA
Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO
University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE
Washburn University, Topeka, KS
Wichita State University, Wichita, KS

Competitors
Kansas City Women in Technology (KCWIT)
The Facebook page for KCWIT is updated almost daily with posts of different types of content for users,
and has 394 likes. While the likes and comments arent totaling high amounts, the page does receive
activity from visitors. The fact that new content is posted daily surpasses Women in Computing out of the
water. To compete with KCWIT, Women in Computing must also post content daily on Facebook.

Link: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KCWomenInTech

However, the Twitter page is essentially nonexistent. Its difficult to find because the name is KC Women
in Tech rather than Kansas City Women in Technology. It has just six followers and one tweet. Although
Women in Computing seems to be more successful with Twitter than Facebook, there is room for
mprovement in order to succeed KCWIT.

Link: Twitter https://twitter.com/KCWomeninTech

Association of Computing Machinery - Women (ACM-W)

The Facebook page for Association for Computing Machinery Committee on Women has 1,322 likes.
They share articles and statuses about once a week and have a few shares and comments for each
post.

Link: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/women.acm.org

The organization also has a LinkedIn page which allows them to connect with members and potential
sponsors to network and branch out.

Link: LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/groups/ACMW-ACM-committee-on-Women

Although ACM-W is doing fairly well on Facebook, they do not have a Twitter account. This is an
advantage to Women in Computing: MINK because they already have an account created.

Social Media Footprint

Facebook

The Facebook page for Women in Computing was fairly strong while it was active in November.
However, no new edits or posts have been made since then. During the groups conference in October,
the page had a great presence, posting updates and photos multiple times per day.

Facebook
Page Launch
2011
Last Activity
Nov. 24, 2013
Likes 211

Link: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/minkwic

Twitter

The Twitter page for Women in Computing has the same problems as the Facebook page. When it was
in use last November, the tweets always linked back to Facebook posts. No original tweets were ever
made. Although it wasnt used in the best way possible, it was still utilized to connect viewers to another,
more active form of social media. The profile information on the page is also out of date. It states that the
upcoming conference is set for Oct. 18th and 19th, 2013.

Twitter
Last Activity
Following
Followers
Tweets

Nov. 24, 2013

63
67
218

Link: Twitter https://twitter.com/MINK_WIC

Social Media Goal

To increase a female interest in the field of computing by connecting with college students and high
school students through various social media outlets.

Strategies
Reach more high school students
Interact with high school students in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas who are interested in
studying the field of computing through social media that includes Twitter and Instagram. Engaging with
the students by posting about computing and using hashtags about computing will potentially influence
them to decide to study computing in higher education which will increase the number of women who
pursue computing as a career.
1.

Engagement Action Plan: Tweet-a-long sprees. Tweet-a-long sprees can be used to engage
students who may have questions regarding the computer industry or women in computing.
They may start the tweet a longs by asking followers to tweet the questions and then answering
to them.

2.

Engagement Action Plan: Create Instagram Scavenger Hunts that use hashtags related
to computing class work and or Women in Computing. Connect with the students that use the
hashtags by commenting on the photos and liking them.

Increase interaction and engagement

Share articles related to women in technology related fields to increase interaction and engagement
between Women in Computing and female students interested in attending the conference. Posting
articles will also keep past attendees interested in attending the next conference.
1.

Engagement Action Plan: Share a minimum of one article each week on Facebook related to
technology.

2.

Engagement Action Plan: Share a minimum of three articles each week on Twitter.

Reach more college students

Interacting more with female college students who are studying the field of computing through the use of
social media will benefit Women in Computing, because it will increase the amount of Facebook likes
and Twitter followers. Interaction can lead to an increase in the amount of women who attend the
bi-annual convention.
1.

Engagement Action Plan: Frequently post interesting facts, questions, photos and conference
updates about the computing field to various forms of social media.

2.

Engagement Action Plan: Reply to or retweet students tweets about the field.

3.

Engagement Action Plan: Follow students who are already involved

in Women in Computing on Twitter.

Measurement Strategy
Instagram
To measure engagement on Instagram, measure the number of likes, comments and other hashtags
paired with the women in Computing hashtag.
To start the journey have five people involved in Women in Computing add the hashtag #minkwic to their
photos. Creating a simple hashtag related to Women in Computing will create a wave of visuals that
illustrate what women in high school and higher education are doing in the field on computing. Using a
hashtag will allow students to easily engage in the proposed scavenger hunt and create easy tracking for
the Women in Computing account.
The goal is to see an increase in this activity as you build your audience. We suggest building a table
like this where you can track this information over a period of time.

Instagram timeline
First Month
Sixth Month
Twelveth Month

Likes
5
15
30

Comments
5
10
15

You can see which pictures got the most engagement, see how the pictures
differed from one another, then adjust your future pictures to match.
5

Facebook

To measure engagement on Facebook, measure the number of likes and comments.

To increase engagement with followers be sure to post at least one article a week related to the
technology field. Keep in contact with your followers by commenting or liking posts they create. Continue
conversations generated from your posts by replying within 24 hours of your followers initial contact.
The goal is to see an increase in this activity as you build your audience. We suggest building a table
like this where you can track this information over a period of time.

Facebook timeline
First Month
Sixth Month
Twelveth Month

Likes
10
15
20

Comments
1
10
15

You can see which posts got the most engagement, see how the posts differed from one another in likes
and comments, then adjust your future posts to match.

Twitter

To measure engagement on Twitter, measure the number of retweets and favorites.

Posting a minimum of three posts related to Women in Computing and industry-related articles weekly
will generate an interest in the technology community on Twitter and increase the amount of followers.
Set a goal to double your followers by the next conference, this will increase the number of conference
attendees. Make sure to continue conversations by replying within 24 hours of initial contact from your
followers, this creates trust and stronger client relationships.
The goal is to see an increase in this activity as you build your audience. We suggest building a table
like this where you can track this information over a period of time.

Twitter timeline
First Month
Sixth Month
Twelveth Month

Retweets
1
10
15

Favorites
1
5
10

You can see which posts got the most engagement, see how the posts differed from one another in
retweets and favorites, then adjust your future posts to match.

Measurement Tool
Facebook Insights

Utilizing Facebook Insights, a feature integrated into Facebook will allow Women in Computing to see
features such as how many people your posts reach, how many people visited your page, and how
many people have liked your page in the past few months on Facebook.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/help/search/?q=insights

TrueSocialMetrics

Creating an account with TrueSocialMetrics will allow Women in Computing to measure interaction with
social media and the interaction received from social media. With this tool Women in Computing can
track which topics posted are receiving the most interaction, compare interactions to industry standards
and track the amount of followers gained and lost on social media. With TrueSocialMetrics Women
in Computing can detect problems and assets within social media interaction which will increase
communication and popularity on social media.

Link: http://www.truesocialmetrics.com/

The End Goal

We predict that connecting with college students and high school students through the use
of social media and frequently posting industry-related articles, photos, facts and conference
updates will provide Women in Computing with the tools necessary to overall better establish
the conference. Following these recommendations will increase the amount of conference
attendees and could lead to measurable opportunities for Women in Computing.