Digital Communications Support Hours Series (April 15-May 22)

• Wed. 4/15/20 Focus on: Social Media (20 mins) - How to create and publish content using Facebook and Instagram. 
• Wed. 4/22/20 Focus on: Build your own video setup (20 mins) - How to set up for basic video streaming and create videos with mobile devices
• Wed. 4/29/20 Focus on: Canva.com (20 mins) - How to use and setup Canva for quick social and other designs 
• Wed. 5/6/20 Focus on: Email (20 mins) - How to select an email CRM, set up a mailing list and start collecting email addresses from your website.
• Wed. 5/13/20 Focus on: Wild card (tell us what you want to learn) - We want to hear from you. Complete this form and help define the final event in this series.
• Wed. 5/20/20 Focus on: Data collection (20 mins) - Collecting data and telling your story with maps and visualization.

       Learn more at houstoninaction.org/supporthours 

Apply to be a 2020 Content Co-creator (Google Form)

Learn more about becoming a Houston in Action member (coming soon)

Request temporary Houston in Action Zoom video conferencing/webinar account access

Request temporary Houston in Action StreamYard streaming tool Account Access

Request hardware needs:

• If you have any specific tech/hardware needs (like iPads, laptops, microphones, etc) please email a detailed request to oscar@houstoninaction.org or ana@houstoninaction.org with a Subject: Tech Request.
• In your email, please include specific details and/or a link to the product that includes its details (for purchasing purposes).
• Please allow 2 business days for response.
• If your request is approved, we'll follow up with a timeline for each request.
• Any hardware purchased by Houston in Action will granted as a loan to the organization and will have to be returned at the end of the campaign.  

Submit a story or content idea for the Houston in Action team to document (coming soon)

• Update your newsletter with this sample language (coming soon) and graphics
• Update your email signature to look like this one we created
• Host an online event, and don’t forget you can:
  • Submit your in-person/online event for county-wide promotion 
  • Request to temporarily use Houston in Action Zoom Video Conferencing/Webinar account
  • Review some of our guides for making video for online platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram
    • Video Checklist for Setup + Tips for making video for online
    • Video Equipment & App/Software List
  • Ask us for event ideas, or borrow some of these
    • Have a musical guest open up a Google Hangout where you answer tough questions about the Census or just hangout and complete your Census on live video, share stories, or share recipes. Be in community with your members.
    • Organize parents to print the We Count Kids Census coloring pages or watch the Count tell kids about the importance of the Census while they join a Zoom meeting and complete the Census together while the kids color.
    • Host your own cooking show and talk about the food that represents your community while you talk about WIC, federal school lunch programs and the other food that’s put on our tables based on Census response.
    • Have your team join a Zoom call all wearing yellow while each talks about their favorite reason that the Census matters to them, and how easy it was to complete. Have someone use the sample Census site to demonstrate the questionnaire.
    • Use the practice Census self-response questionnaire to have attendees talk about how to complete the questions of race and/or ethnicity, gender, or “same-sex” marriage.
  • Register your organization and events to recruit community volunteers for FREE at volunteerhouston.org

• Update your profile picture on Facebook:
  • 1) click the link: https://www.facebook.com/profilepicframes
  • 2) Search "Houston in Action"
  • 3) Pick your frame! (there are 4 (Eng/Spanish))
• Make a Facebook live or pre-recorded video, where you:
  • Share your Census completion
  • Talk about your own experience completing the census
  • Have your team join a Zoom call all wearing yellow while each talks about their favorite reason that the Census matters to them, and how easy it was to complete. Have someone use the sample Census site to demonstrate the questionnaire.
  • Have a watch party to invite people to watch something you’ve pre-recorded. It helps to advertise these in advance.
  • Try a new app: https://be.live/
• Start a social media challenge
  • Have your team or audience take a picture with their completed census screen or update their Facebook profile picture and tag 10 friends (don’t forget to use #HtownCounts) to tag 10 more who will post a pic of them completing the Census or changing their profile picture to the Yes! to the Census Facebook filter.
• Join the Digital Advertising Houston in Action Coordination by contacting chris@houstoninaction.org
• Share content on social media
  • Check out the Fresh Content section of our website
  • Say Yes! To The Census Campaign Materials 
  • U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Census Partner Social Media Content
  • Find more in our Census Online Toolkit here

Not sure how to pull any of this off? Join our team during office hours to get direct technical support every Wednesday at 1pm at our Digital Communications Support Hours Series

Visit houstoninaction.org/covid-19 to learn more about the ways in which Houston in Action members and partners are responding to the effects of COVID-19 on the 2020 Census.

Request EveryAction Account Access from Houston in Action (Process)

Meeting notes. training presentations, and worksheets 

Internal Basecamp

Houston in Action Internal Announcements (Basecamp)

Need Basecamp access? Houston in Action members and partners can request invitations to Basecamp by emailing ana@houstoninaction.org.