Social Media for Social Causes: Alex Brown's Passion for the Welfare of Horses
Episode Description
Alex Brown's love of horses started long before he launched the blog, Alex Brown Racing, but it was Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro that pushed the blog into prominence -- and eventually established it as a site dedicated to the welfare of horses. Along the way, Brown learned many things about creating and nurturing an online community using tools, including Wikis, Facebook and Twitter, and following certain principles, such as: Be authentic, be transparent, be consistent and build trust. Brown, one of whose goals is to rescue horses destined for the slaughter house, talked with Knowledge@Wharton about his strategies for bringing attention -- and money -- to the cause. Transcript can be found at: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2225 📂 Technology
Brief Summary
Alex Brown discusses social media strategies and community building for horse welfare through the Alex Brown Racing brand.
Key points
- The Rise of Barbaro's Blog. After Barbaro's injury, the blog saw a surge in traffic, leading to a community-driven movement.
- Creating a Discussion Board. Transitioning from a blog to a discussion board helped facilitate community engagement and fundraising.
- Harnessing Social Media. The adoption of platforms like Facebook and Twitter strengthened community ties and outreach.
- Horse Slaughter Awareness Contest. A contest incentivizing the creation of YouTube videos about horse slaughter to raise awareness.
- Community Growth Goals. Setting ambitious goals for social media engagement and community growth.
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Episode highlights
- The Rise of Barbaro's BlogAfter Barbaro's injury, the blog saw a surge in traffic, leading to a community-driven movement.“Three thousand visits in an hour—the site crashed!”6:06Apr 28, 2009
- Creating a Discussion BoardTransitioning from a blog to a discussion board helped facilitate community engagement and fundraising.“If it wasn't for the discussion board, we wouldn't have been able to start raising money.”8:13Apr 28, 2009
- Harnessing Social MediaThe adoption of platforms like Facebook and Twitter strengthened community ties and outreach.“Facebook allows us to reach out more to people interested in what we’re doing.”13:40Apr 28, 2009
- Horse Slaughter Awareness ContestA contest incentivizing the creation of YouTube videos about horse slaughter to raise awareness.“My goal is simply getting the word out about horse slaughter.”20:51Apr 28, 2009
- Community Growth GoalsSetting ambitious goals for social media engagement and community growth.“I’d like our Facebook group to grow to 5,000 members.”25:22Apr 28, 2009





