UMaine Extension videos gaining international attention via social media
A University of Maine Cooperative Extension video on bedbugs has gained international attention more than five years after it was posted online.
The “Experts on Demand” video features Jim Dill, a pest management specialist with UMaine Extension, demonstrating “How to Look for and Avoid Bedbugs in Hotel or Motel Rooms.”
In the video, Dill advises people to place luggage in the bathtub before they check the bed, mattress, luggage rack and bureau drawers.
Recently, the video, which was posted on the UMaine YouTube channel in October 2010, was picked up by Lifehacker, a daily weblog that recommends downloads, websites and shortcuts to help people work smarter and save time. The video was then cited by Yahoo and Fox News, and has been circulated through Facebook, bringing its views to more than 1 million.
Another UMaine Extension “Experts on Demand” video has gained international attention after Bujqësia Moderne (Modern Agriculture) in Kosovo translated and posted on Facebook the “Planting Raspberries” video featuring David Handley, a UMaine Extension specialist of vegetables and small fruits.
UMaine Extension began posting to YouTube in 2009 and currently has 169 videos uploaded.