Indirect Activities Reporting

What to report

An Indirect Activity includes instances when educational information is disseminated, but when you do not know whether or not the target audience received the message. Examples of indirect activities include blogs, articles,  fact sheets, videos, TV or radio spots, podcasts, newsletters, and social media posts. 

How to report

  • Reported under PEARS/Track/Indirect Activities
  • Always create a separate intervention channel entry for each output, e.g. each article, blog post, podcast, video, social media. The intervention channel entry is the main level of detail we are aggregating to count output. 
  • Use the intervention channel description field to provide info. Include title/topic and date of release. Do not leave this field blank.
  • Organize indirect activity entries by channel or by specific content provides additional information for organizing (see examples).
  • For recurrent activities such as blogs, use the reporting year start and end dates as the indirect activity dates.
  • "Site" information on indirect activities is not used on a statewide basis for AAB/NREE program areas.  However, it's a required field in PEARS. An Extension office or other location may be used.
  • “Reach” numbers are understood to be estimates often.  Enter 0 if unavailable. Don’t spend a lot of time searching for these numbers.

Indirect activity examples

 

Type of indirect activity/examples
 Activity name Channel Description
SERIES of regular dispatches, e.g. blog, regular TV or radio appearance, newspaper articles SERIES name or description Select channel from list detail on date and topic. For date, list year/month/day
Down the Garden Path blog Down the Garden Path blog blog 2018/4/2--Early Spring Garden Questions
  (same indirect activity entry) blog 2018/5/15--Three grassy weeds in the lawn
Series of educational tweets Education tweet Social media 2018/5/18--Anaerobic digestion
First light radio appearances First Light radio segment Radio interview 2018/5/23--Growing interest in community gardens
Gardeners Corner Gardeners Corner Articles 2018/4/18--Backyard grapes
MidAmerica Farmer Grower articles MidAmerica Farmer Grower Articles April 2018-Watch those first-calf heifers
WIFR TV segments WIFR Green Thumb segments TV interview 2018/7/11--Sunscald on fruits and vegetables
ARTICLE or output that appears several places Article topic Separate channel entries for each outlet detail on date and outlet
Thinking about cover crops Thinking about cover crops Articles 2018/8/1--Article in Chrisman Leader
  (same indirect activity entry Articles 2018/8/2--Article in Arthur Daily Leader
ONE TIME activity such as a fact sheet, curriculum development, or special video Item name Select channel from list Date and additional description

FAQ

How should I report video/blog/podcast reach?  Some indirect activities, such as videos, podcasts, and blogs, produce resources that reach audiences over an extended period. Currently, we only report reach for the year in which the resource is produced. Recommended practice is to report the maximum number available during the reporting year. Record reach data (e.g. video views, podcast listens or downloads) in September at the end of the reporting year.

I can't find reach data for my indirect activity. What should I enter as reach?  Enter "0" which indicates to us that the reach data was not available.

Should I enter my activities as separate indirect activities or as separate intervention channels under a single indirect activity?  One time, stand alone indirect activities should be entered as separate indirect activities with a single intervention channel. For series of activities in a single outlet, such as a blog, podcast, newsletter, or video series, each item can be listed as separate intervention channels under a single indirect activity. However, organizers with many guest speakers or presenters may prefer to list items as separate indirect activities so that they can link specific collaborators to each.

I was a guest on an Extension podcast or other indirect channel. Do I make a separate entry? Typically the organizer would make the entry and list you as a collaborator. To avoid duplicate entries, check with the activity coordinator to see if they are making an entry, and ask to be added as collaborator where applicable.

Should I group my indirect activities by month?  No. When PEARS was first launched, guidance suggested reporting indirect activities by month. We've since learned that this approach does not work as well as listing specific indirect activities.