My favorite summers by far are those I spent at camp as a boy. From the crisp crackle of a hickory log campfire at my grandparents’ cabin, to the mellow call of a loon across Bear Pond in the Adirondack Mountains, my camp memories remain blissfully sharp at a time when most of my other memories are fading.
Erica Rohrbacher, a dear friend, is Executive Director of the Southeastern chapter of the American Camp Association. We talked this weekend about what role, if any, social media could play for camps. Here are just some of the ways camps could use social media:
How could camps use online social networks (MySpace, Facebook, Ning, etc.)?
- Answering parents’ questions
- Explaining camp policies and procedures
- Preparing campers for camp
- Easing parent/child separation anxiety
- Establishing trust & confidence in the camp and camp staff
- Introducing parents, campers and staff to one another
- Keeping staff connected after the camp season ends
- Recruiting and training camp staff
How could camps use blogging?
- Provide tips for a safe and enjoyable camp experience
- Explain different types of camps (sleep-away, day camps, adventure camps, etc.)
- Showcase new experiences/adventures at your camp
- Share campers’ stories of their camp experience
- Take campers and parents on a virtual excursion to see what it’s like
How could camps use Twitter?
- Engage in conversation about best summer camp memories
- Build relationships with journalists and bloggers who write about the outdoors
- Connect with “blogger moms”
- Drive traffic to blog/website with TwitterFeed
- Advertise job opportunities
- Monitor online conversations about camping
- Communicate transparently in the event of negative publicity
How could camps use YouTube/Flickr?
- Create a video montage of the camp experience
- Introduce camp staff and leadership to parents and campers
- Take parents/campers on a video tour of your facility
- Let campers tell their camp stories
- Give parents an almost real-time snapshot of their kids’ time at camp
- Exchange stories with campers at other camps
- Create an online summer camp scrapbook
How could camps use wikis?
- Collaborate with other camping industry professionals on policy manuals
- Engage campers in a summer-long collaborative project
- Create a brochure or website via remote collaboration with marketing pros