The Network

UQ marketing and communications news

March 2018

Woman tutoring class Woman tutoring class

Help improve UQ's diversity and inclusion

As part of UQ’s application for accreditation with the SAGE Pilot of Athena SWAN, a staff survey will launch on Friday 9 March, and close 5pm, Friday 23 March 2018.

The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, and questions cover a range of topics that affect all staff, such as work-life balance, diversity and inclusion, recruitment and promotion, and university values.

The anonymised results will inform a whole-of-university plan to meaningfully improve diversity and inclusion at UQ. 

All fixed-term and continuing academic and professional staff will be eligible to participate. Participation is voluntary, but a large response rate will be vital to provide a meaningful glimpse of broad issues across UQ.

All eligible staff will receive an email from third-party organisation PeoplePulse with instructions about the survey and how to access it. As these emails contain personalised links, it’s important that staff only access the survey through the link in the email that is sent to them.

Can you please help UQ achieve a high response rate in the survey, by:

  • taking the survey yourself
  • encouraging others in your team and organisational unit to take the survey
  • printing and placing this poster in your unit's staff common areas
  • displaying digital screens in staff common areas where applicable – these will be distributed via Comnet next week.

If you have any questions, please contact Workplace Diversity and Inclusion via athenaswan@uq.edu.au.

#UQWomenCreateChange

In the spirit of Women’s History Month in March, OMC and the SAGE Pilot of Athena SWAN team are this month launching a new social media and communications campaign: #uqwomencreatechange

Intended to launch just before International Women’s Day 2018, #uqwomencreatechange will showcase high-achieving women at UQ, and increase awareness of their work and of women at UQ generally. Target audiences include future students and potential staff, but having visible role models is important for raising the profile of diversity and inclusion generally – because it benefits everyone. 

The campaign will feature a number of researchers who have been targeted for coverage as part of the SAGE Pilot, as well as women from all disciplines and age groups at UQ, including ongoing blog posts and multimedia coverage as part of International Women’s Day (and beyond).

We will soon be launching an ongoing repository of stories, profiles, and features related to the campaign on the SAGE Pilot website. If you publish a story, or tweet or share an article about any UQ women who are doing incredible things, please consider using the #uqwomencreatechange hashtag and sending your content to  Katie Rowney for us to add to the site.

Please contact Katie with story ideas or if you have any questions.

Buzz-off!

Buzzwords – we love to hate them, and yet we can't seem to stop using them.

Everywhere we look, there’s a definite buzz in the air as communications gurus from all corners of the globe attempt to scale back and deconstruct our over-constructed language.

Less is more, so if you're looking for a way to hone your messaging and push back on buzzword pressure, then you need to check out the Buzzsaw.

This great tool will keep you entertained for hours while allowing you to score and eliminate hyperbole.

Here’s what happened when Mumbrella road-tested Buzzsaw.

If you're still looking to get your buzzword fix now that you've vowed to remove them from all press releases, have a go at our buzzword bingo scorecard below – great for boring meetings. 

Think twice before using the following terms in any UQ communications.

Download your own copy and try not to shout "Bingo!" too loudly.

2019 UQ Guides update

UQ’s Australian Undergraduate Guide 2019 is now available  online and in print. This central guide leads a suite of guides that promote UQ’s programs and lifestyle to students who will start university in 2019. If you require print copies, contact  Domestic Student Recruitment to discuss your requirements.

The 2019 guides complement and align closely with  Future Students, offering prospective students and their parents a streamlined flow of information about UQ.

All six faculty guides will be going to print in the coming weeks and will be available in April. UQ International's guides will also be available soon.

The 2019 UQ Guides have been created with extensive input from staff at OMC, OPSSE, faculties, UQI, UQ College, Academic Services Division, Admissions, Student Services, and a range of schools, institutes, departments and colleges.

Keeping up with Facebook

Why does it seem that many politicians have missed the boat when it comes to social media sensibilities? Recent posts from Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen have been targeted for an apparent lack of understanding of the use and impact of social media.

This article from  Mumbrella highlights the expectations that most of us have from using social media.

“You lack wisdom if you think you’re smart enough not to seek a second opinion from expert minders. Communications these days is too complex with so many fast moving parts.”

Facebook is 14 years old

Many researchers are investigating how students learn in this digital age. An article in  University World News discusses the extraordinary change that Facebook has brought about, particularly for young people.

The  research revealed that Facebook provided students with a series of 'learning affordances'. Affordances are 'can do' opportunities, some intentional and others unintentional, that technology spaces provide. In this instance, the research revealed that the affordances at play were accessibility, connection, communication, control and construction. These affordances provide valuable insights into how students learn in digital spaces.

UQ Sport 2018 events

Varsity Clubs Clash
2–3 March

Clubs from UQ and QUT will battle it out across a variety of sports, accumulating points to crown a champion university! Team UQ won the inaugural VCC trophy in 2017, with QUT to host the second event in 2018.

Twilight Running Festival
22 April

Australia’s largest twilight run will take place across UQ’s St Lucia campus, with distances to suit runners and walkers of all fitness levels. 

Club and Sports Awards
23 April

The UQ Sport Club and Sports Awards is a celebration of the outstanding sporting achievements of UQ’s athletes and sporting clubs. The event crowns UQ’s Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, as well prestigious club awards – including the President’s Cup and Hulbert Bursary.

Great Court Race
23 May

Inspired by the film Chariots of Fire, The Great Court Race was first held in 1985 to celebrate the University’s 75th anniversary. With races taking place around the state heritage-listed Great Court, this event is one of UQ’s proudest traditions.

1500m Classic
November 1

The 1500m Classic features a range of 1500m events, and attracts some of Australia’s premier middle-distance athletes. Since its inception in 2004, the event has kicked off Queensland Athletics’ track and field season.

UQ Blues Awards
November 2

Blues have been awarded at The University of Queensland since 1912, and are considered one of the highest accolades a university athlete can receive. Each year, Blues and Half Blues are bestowed to sportspeople in recognition of their outstanding sporting achievements, and for enhancing the reputation of university sport. 

For more information on any of these events contact Jamie Mitchell at UQ Sport.

Website tracking scripts

Due to an increase in demand for website tracking to support advertising campaigns, OMC and ITS have developed a centralised process.

Requests are logged via an  online form, assessed and then embedded on the page.

By adopting this central approach we are able to ensure the scripting is set up correctly, maintained, and doesn’t impact negatively on the user experience. 

At this stage the available tracking platforms in place include Facebook Pixel, VersaTag and Eloqua.

For more information and to access the form please visit the  OMC Website.

Queensland Science Communicators Network

The Queensland Science Communicators Network’s first meeting for 2018 was held at QIMR Berghofer recently. UQ’s Professor Matthew Hornsey gave an eye-opening presentation on why people are motivated to reject science, and how we can tackle this as communicators. 

You can view Professor Hornsey’s power point presentation from the meeting.

Firebirds soar at UQ

On the weekend of 17–18 February, UQ hosted two pre-season netball games for the Lorna Jane Queensland Firebirds at the UQ Centre. 

This was a fantastic opportunity to extend the profile of UQ’s partnership with the Firebirds through on-campus events. Around 1500 fans and local community members of all ages flocked to create a sea of purple to support the team – many of whom otherwise may not have had much interaction with UQ previously. The matches ‘sold out’ in under five minutes, and although tickets were free, there was high demand to see the Firebirds in action. Players from the Firebirds attended Market Day to promote the partnership and give away 70 tickets for UQ students to attend the match.

Current UQ student and Firebirds ambassador to UQ, Gabi Simpson, led her team to take on the Melbourne Vixens. Both matches were followed by very popular signing sessions with the players, and the Firebirds also hosted their annual Fan Day at the UQ Centre following Sunday morning’s game.

Marketing and communications staff update

Laura Atkinson is one of two new starters being funded by the CX program to help progress the implementation of our marketing automation (Eloqua) activities. Laura has worked in digital marketing for the past eight years, most recently as Senior Marketing Automation Executive at Pearson Education in the UK.  At Pearson she was responsible for leading the strategy and execution of marketing automation, primarily in lead nurturing.  She also developed the training programs and guides for Pearson marketing and operational staff.  Laura’s experience also extends across social media, web content management and graphic design. She will be located at OMC.

Charlotte White is another new starter for CX. She is a CRM specialist and has most recently worked as the CRM Manager for the University of the Arts London (UAL). She worked collaboratively with the university’s six colleges to support and improve the prospective student experience across various markets, including the process and functionality for capturing event data. Charlotte will also be located at OMC.

Wendy Kovacs has joined the Institute of Continuing & TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) as a Communications Manager. She is responsible for managing the communications strategy, maintenance of the website, publicity, development of marketing collateral and internal communications. Wendy has over ten years marketing and internal communications experience and has previously worked for an international company in the Netherlands, and also at HASS and most recently at UQ Advancement. Contact Wendy at w.kovacs@uq.edu.au.

Ellie Price has joined UQ Sport in the role of Content Marketing Coordinator. Ellie previously worked as a Marketing and Events Coordinator for FUEL – a Brisbane start-up that specialises in delivering skill development workshops for teenage girls. Her focus is on delivering engaging media content to UQ students and UQ Sport members. Contact Ellie at elliep@uqsport.edu.au  or on 334 56046.

New to UQ? Just moved to a new unit, or leaving us soon?  Let us know for next edition.

March event alert

External events:
1–31 March:  Epilepsy Awareness Month
1–31 March:  The Water Challenge
4 March: Clean Up Australia Day
5–11 March: Kidney Health Week
8 March:  International Women’s Day
8 March: World Kidney Day
11–17 March:  World Glaucoma Week
13 March: Commonwealth Day
13–20 March: Coeliac Awareness Week
14–18 March: World’s Greatest Shave
16 March: Close the Gap Day, National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence
17 March:  St Patrick’s Day
20 March:  International Day of Happiness
21 March: Harmony Day, World Poetry Day, World Down Syndrome Day
22 March: World Water Day
24 March: World Tuberculosis Day
24 March: Earth Hour
26 March: Purple Day
30 March: Good Friday
31 March: Transgender Day of Visibility

UQ events:
21 March: UQ Careers Fair

Other dates to watch:
The Federal Parliament is sitting on 19–22 and 26–28 March. Queensland Parliament is sitting 6–8 and 20–22 March.

Parliament sucks up media oxygen, which is worth considering before issuing media releases in sitting weeks.

A range of events across Queensland is detailed at  Events Queensland and  Our Community. Check the calendar of internal  UQ events here.

Please advise  communications@uq.edu.au of any dates or events you think should be added to the next monthly calendar.

New photos on UQ Images

The following photo sets have been added to UQ Images in the past month. The list includes the OMC set number, which you can use to search for images.

5989 –  EAIT's First Year Project Day 2018

5975 – Professor Rongyu Li, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Future Students). Request permission before use.

UQ Written Style Guide

The online guide to written style at UQ is an authoritative guide for staff when writing any internal or external communications and marketing materials across all print and digital media.

To ensure the guide remains current, usable and relevant, a  working group of staff members from units across UQ meets regularly to discuss style issues and queries that arise in their day-to-day work.

If you are interested in joining the working group, email the Publications team – new members are encouraged.

Further reading

The comms lessons to be learned from the media’s cycle of uprisings: Mumbrella

How to Successfully Utilize Brand Elements Within Creative Assets: Higher Ed Marketing Journal

Top Marketing Design Trends for 2018 [Infographic]: HubSpot

Think Twitter Automation Is the Answer to Efficiency? Think Again: HubSpot

Here’s some Twitter options for Mac users now that the official app is going away: The Verge

Facebook’s new Lists feature is yet another way to post personal updates: The Verge

View previous editions of The Network on the  OMC website.

OMC welcomes your feedback on The Network. Send your comments or suggestions to  publications@uq.edu.au. Send any stories or ideas by the second Thursday of each month.