Host Gail Buhl caught up with Amanda Nicholson, senior vice president of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Amanda has long been their communications and social media guru, and was eager to share some of the things she's learned, having managed the Wildlife Center of Virginia's social media presence since the earlier days of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Gail and Amanda talk about how and why having a robust, actively managed social media presence can benefit a wildlife organization - both reputationally and financially. They dive into some of the challenges that can arise when using social media to engage with the general public, including the phenomenon of "trolling" and how to address misunderstandings that arise out of wildlife rehabilitators' practice of humane euthanasia.

This episode is part 1 of 2 of Host Gail Buhl's talk with Amanda Nicholson, so be sure to tune in August 4th, 2023 for more about social media best practices, and an exploration of how best to implement livestreaming.

Show Notes:

Nicholson, A. (2021). Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Wildlife Rehabilitation. Wildlife Rehabilitation Bulletin, 36(1), 2–4. https://doi.org/10.53607/wrb.v36.128

Social Media Examiner, a tool for marketers to keep on the latest social media management best practices and trends:
https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

Call of the Wild Conference | The Wildlife Center of Virginia

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).