Before completing this class assignment my exposure to social media was limited to only Facebook. I have over time came to think of Facebook as a very useful tool for finding out the latest news as related to agriculture and also for meeting and conversing with people in the industry. When I explored some of the recommended blogs, I enjoyed seeing how each was personalized and appeared different from the next. The blogs appear to be more individual related than business or media related, which provides a more personal viewpoint and opinion. When I joined twitter it was very confusing at first, but then easily guided me through the process of finding agriculture related accounts. The pages I followed were very informational about the industry and many provided links to outside information. Twitter seems to be a great site for keeping up with industry related businesses and government agencies.
The blog www.kidscattle.com impressed me because it was not trying to support a movement or draw interest to a cause, but instead just showed how this family maintains its beef cattle operation. The USDA Ag marketing service twitter page is very informational about changes in the food and the farming industries. The most interesting page I came across was Trent Loos's Facebook page. Mr. Loos is a radio personality who speaks about agriculture. Listening to his broadcasts on his page were very eye opening and provided a many alternative ways of explaining agriculture to the general public.
All three sources of social media present a professional value for myself as a follower of the pages and also for those who make and edit the pages. The organizations who present themselves on Facebook and Twitter appear more modern and on the cutting edge. The individuals who follow the pages value them for their information.
