Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1512793
Let's get started! Okay, so you're ready to start featuring members on your social media channels. How do you start col- lecting content about your amazing members? I've found that the easier you make things for the people you want to feature, the more people will actually participate. Based on the forms I've used in the past to collect content for CTA's social media features, here's a template you can use to create a Google form for your social media features: bit.ly/socialfeaturesform. You'll get all the info you need to start creating member profiles and keep it organized. My inspiration comes first and foremost from you, our mighty CTA members. If you're not already following other chapters on social media, check out cta.org/social for a list of social media links for chapters from across the state. I love highlighting your work in this space, so if you've seen any memes for union educators that make you lol or member profiles that you love, send them to ebarcelos@cta.org. I might even feature them in a future column! Elizabeth Barcelos is CTA's social media editor. You can keep it as simple as a photo and short bio or fun fact. If you're up for it, get fancy and put together something fun (and easily replicable) in Canva. Here are a few examples from chapters across the state that I think are great as inspi- ration if you're thinking about doing this with your chapter 's social media. But really, this is about so much more than figuring out what to post each week. This is about our members. Every- one deserves a chance to shine. Everyone deserves to feel seen and heard and a part of their union. This is a small but powerful way to help folks, especially rank and file members, feel a stronger sense of belonging and ownership of their union power. In their own words When you're trying to get your message out, there is no stronger messenger than a real person speaking from the heart. If you want to step up your game of featuring your members, use your chapter 's platforms to uplift their voices by sharing their own words. Whether your member spotlights are about evergreen issues like community schools or more timely things happen- ing on the school board, people are far more likely to stop scrolling for a second and read what you have to say when it's coming from a familiar face. 41 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 24