Lauri M. Baker

0000-0002-4241-6077

Don’t Fake It, Make It! Technology and Tools for Virtual Hosts

Jarred A. Shellhouse, Lauri M. Baker, Anissa Zagonel, Phillip Stokes, and Cheryl R. Boyer

The “Don’t Fake it, Make it!” series assists virtual conference and meeting hosts in creating an engaging program to benefit their participants. This new 6-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication gives an overview of common features hosts look for in virtual conference software platforms before committing to one. Written by Jarred A. Shellhouse, Lauri M. Baker, Anissa Zagonel, Phillip Stokes, and Cheryl R. Boyer.

Don't Fake It, Make It! Best Practices for Attending Virtual Events

Jarred A. Shellhouse and Lauri M. Baker

Am I Ready? Competencies and Skill Sets Needed for Virtual Conference Hosts

Lauri M. Baker and Matt Benge

This new 3-page article is the third publication in the Don't Fake It, Make It! series. Implementing a virtual conference or meeting can be a challenging task. Whether hiring staff or recruiting colleagues to assemble a team, it is necessary to ensure your team is built based on the specific competency needs for hosting a virtual conference or meeting. Written by Lauri M. Baker and Matt Benge, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication.

Don't Fake It, Make It! Thriving in Virtual Conferences and Meetings

Lauri M. Baker, Matt P. Benge, Anissa Zagonel, Jarred Shellhouse, Cheryl R. Boyer, and Phillip Stokes

Our ways of working, meeting, and networking have become more virtual than ever before. This series dives into the preparation needed to host a successful virtual experience, as well as steps participants can take to get the most benefit from a virtual conference or meeting. This series will also help hosts understand the value of online conferences and meetings and demonstrate how to create engagement in an online format.

Getting the Most out of Social Media: What Is Social Media?

Caroline R. Warwick, Lauri M. Baker, Jessica C. Fernandez, and Joy N. Rumble

This EDIS publication is written for Florida agriculturalists, Extension agents, agricultural organizations, and other individuals interested in successfully using social media to connect with their stakeholders, potential customers or other individuals. This 3-page publication focuses on describing social media and examples of different social media and each’s use. Minor revision by Caroline R. Warwick, Lauri M. Baker, Jessica C. Fernandez, and Joy N. Rumble.

Talking Local: Florida Consumers' Reasons for Purchasing Local Food

Caroline R. Warwick, Valentina Castano, Meredith M. Oglesby, Olivia K. Doyle, Lauri M. Baker and Joy N. Rumble

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Farm Economics, entrepreneurship, and management

Talking Local: Florida Consumers’ Food Buying Decisions when Given Local Food Information

Caroline R. Warwick, Valentina Castano, Meredith M. Oglesby, Olivia K. Doyle, Lauri M. Baker, and Joy N. Rumble

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Citizen awareness of food systems and the environment

Talking Local: Florida Consumers’ Local Food Purchasing Behaviors

Caroline R. Warwick, Olivia K. Doyle, Valentina Castano, Meredith M. Oglesby, Lauri M. Baker and Joy N. Rumble

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Farm Economics, entrepreneurship, and management

Getting the Most out of Social Media: Strategic Practices When Using Social Media

Caroline R. Warwick, Lauri M. Baker, Jessica C. Fernandez, and Joy N. Rumble

This EDIS publication is designed for Florida professionals, agriculturalists, organizations, and producers looking to develop a better understanding of social media platforms and get the most out of their social media usage. This publication specifically focuses on 15 practices for strategic social media use. Minor revision by Caroline R. Warwick, Lauri M. Baker, Jessica C. Fernandez, and Joy N. Rumble; published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication; 3 pp.

Selling Safely: Cybersecurity Best Practices for Small, Rural Ag Businesses

Lauri M. Baker, Cheryl R. Boyer, and Russell Boyer

Cyberattacks are a continued and growing threat for all businesses. Small businesses, like agricultural and rural businesses, should not think they are immune to this threat: obscurity is not security. This new 6-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication includes some cybersecurity best practices and links to resources for further education. Written by Lauri M. Baker, Cheryl R. Boyer, and Russell Boyer.

Talking Local: Florida Consumers’ Fresh from Florida Perceptions

Lauri M. Baker, Caroline R. Warwick, Meredith M. Oglesby, Olivia K. Doyle, Valentina Castano, and Joy N. Rumble

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Citizen awareness of food systems and the environment

Glossary of Site-Specific Nutrient Management Terms

Lauri Baker, Jay Capasso, Osvaldo Gargiulo, Lauren Geiss, Emma Matcham, Kelly Morgan, Ricky Telg, and Lincoln Zotarelli

This glossary provides clear, unified definitions for terms and is intended to help aid communication with nutrient management professionals across the state, especially when sharing new site-specific nutrient management recommendations. This glossary should help lessen confusion on how the listed terms are defined and interpreted, thereby helping to improve communication within and across disciplines. Written by Lauri Baker, Jay Capasso, Osvaldo Gargiulo, Lauren Geiss, Emma Matcham, Kelly Morgan, Ricky Telg, and Lincoln Zotarelli, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agronomy, April 2025.

Getting the Most out of Social Media: Successfully Using Social Media

Lauri M. Baker, Caroline R. Warwick, Jessica C. Fernandez, and Joy N. Rumble

This EDIS publication is written for Florida agriculturalists, Extension agents, agricultural organizations and other individuals interested in successfully using social media to connect with their stakeholders, potential customers or other individuals. This 3-page publication focuses on describing successful ways in which an organization can use social media and getting the most out of their social media usage. Minor revision by Lauri Baker, Caroline Warwick, Jessica Fernandez, and Joy Rumble.

Getting the Most out of Social Media: Creating a Social Media Plan

Lauri M. Baker, Caroline R. Warwick, Jessica C. Fernandez, and Joy N. Rumble

This 3-page publication on how to create a social media plan is part of the Getting the Most out of Social Media series, created for Florida professionals, business owners and individuals interested in understanding how to strategically use social media. The following sections will outline how to develop a plan to successfully adopt and maintain social media platforms for agriculturalists and Extension personnel. Minor revision by Lauri Baker, Caroline Warwick, Jessica Fernandez, and Joy Rumble.

Relying on Research for Effective Response: A Survey Tool for Measuring the Impact of COVID-19 to Create Extension Resources

Lauri M. Baker, Ashley McLeod-Morin, Shelli Rampold, Anissa Zagonel, Ricky Telg, Angela B. Lindsey, Michaela Kandzer, Sandra Anderson, Sydney Honeycutt, Phillip Stokes, Valentina Castano, and Alena Poulin

The UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (PIE Center) conducted a series of national public opinion surveys to examine the perceptions of Americans related to COVID-19. The PIE Center shared the survey data using Extension and outreach communication pieces, including issue guides, kinetic typography videos, webinars, and communication toolkits. Data collected from the PIE Center on Americans’ perceptions related to COVID-19 also informed two communication toolkits developed for Extension. This new 5-page article, published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, describes the instruments used to collect public opinion data related to COVID-19. Written by Lauri M. Baker, Ashley McLeod-Morin, Shelli Rampold, Anissa Zagonel, Ricky Telg, Angela B. Lindsey, Michaela Kandzer, Sandra Anderson, Sydney Honeycutt, Phillip Stokes, Valentina Castano, and Alena Poulin.

Talking Local: Florida Consumer Definitions of Local Food

Caroline R. Warwick, Olivia K. Doyle, Valentina Castano, Meredith M. Oglesby, Lauri M. Baker, Joy N. Rumble, Yiqian Ma, and Tracy A. Irani

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Farm Economics, entrepreneurship, and management

Choosing the Right Visual for Social Media: Comparing the Engagement of Stock Photos Versus Natural Photos

Anissa Zagonel, Lauri M. Baker, Jarred Shellhouse, Cheryl Boyer, Hikaru Peterson, and Aly Morrison

Social media is an important piece of Extension outreach efforts. Across many different platforms, photos or graphics accompanying social media posts have repeatedly yielded greater results, in terms of engagement and success. Thus, it is imperative to include a visual element with each social media post because it would be considered a missed opportunity without one. This publication explores the question of whether stock images are as effective as natural images. Facebook posts from the Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement (CREE) team were analyzed to determine differences in engagement rates for stock images and natural images taken by the CREE team. Results indicate natural photos had significantly higher engagement rates than stock photos. Thus, it is recommended that content creators strive to create and use their own photos for posts; although, in times of need, a stock photo can produce better engagement than no photo at all.

Shifting Focus: Collecting Focus Group Data Online

Anissa M. Zagonel, Audrey E. H. King, Lauri M. Baker, Angela B. Lindsey, Sandra Anderson, Ricky W. Telg, and Ashley McLeod-Morin

This new 5-page publication of the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication presents what focus groups are, the differences between in-person and online focus groups, potential platforms for hosting online focus groups, advantages and disadvantages to online focus groups, and best practices for conducting your own online focus groups. Researchers and practitioners alike can use this document to guide their process of conducting online focus groups. This article only discusses conducting online focus groups through online videoconferencing software.

Talking Local: Florida Consumers’ Flexibility with the Term “Local”

Lauri M. Baker, Caroline R. Warwick, Meredith M. Oglesby, Olivia K. Doyle, Valentina Castano, and Joy N. Rumble

This EDIS publication is the fifth of the Talking Local series, a six-part EDIS publication series about Florida consumers and their perceptions of local food. This series focuses on ways Extension agents can assist Florida farmers and ranchers in the labeling, sale, and promotion of locally produced products. This series provides information about Florida consumers’ perceptions of local food to Extension faculty who are interested in local food programming or who work with local food clientele. This 4-page publication focuses on Florida consumer flexibility with the term “local.”