Hello to The Connectory Exchange (TCE) Community Coordination group, It's back-to-school time and we hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer. Here is the latest news and updates for our TCE Community. NEXT MEETING: The next TCE Community meeting will be October 4, 2018 at 11:00 AM Pacific (2:00 PM Eastern). Please send along any agenda items. We are meeting via Adobe Connect here: http://connectpro35337274.adobeconnect.com/tcexchange. You will also need a phone line to participate: US (Toll): 1-719-387-8317, US (Toll Free): 1-866-642-1665 Participant Code: 596741 AUGUST METRICS (see attachment) things to note: * Programs and opportunities continue to climb each month. * States with highest increases in opportunities: CA (+33) NC (+30), WA (+14) * Users and pageviews are up. * Top Channels: Since Feb 2018 the percentage of "Referral" users continues to increase each month. (Referrals: Feb 2018=26.2%, Aug 2018=41.1%) * Added Instagram tracking. * Facebook engagement rate continues to drop. This is in line with reports that there has been a marked decline in Facebook user engagement. * Facebook Engagement Sharply Drops 50% Over Last 18 Months<https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanerskine/2018/08/13/study-facebook-engagement-sharply-drops-50-over-last-18-months/#3622e0d194e8> - Forbes, Aug. 13, 2018 * Americans are changing their relationship with Facebook<http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/05/americans-are-changing-their-relationship-with-facebook/> - Pew Research Center, Sept. 5, 2018 ASTC ANNUAL CONFERENCE: The Connectory will be at the ASTC Annual Conference<http://www.astc.org/conference/> and will be participating in a poster session on Saturday, Sept 29th at 2:00 PM (Connecticut Convention Center, Exhibit Halls AB). If you are attending please stop by to see our poster and say high to Erin Hogeboom our Director of Strategic Partnerships. EDUCATION AND CAREER NEWS ARTICLE: Recently Jolene Gustafson, Director of The Connectory, wrote an article for the Education and Career News entitled How Blending Literacy and STEM Improves Students' Educational Experience<http://www.educationandcareernews.com/stem/how-blending-literacy-and-stem-improves-students-educational-experience>. The article discusses pairing STEM activities with children's books and non-fiction as a proven way to accelerate language and cognitive development. Please distribute to your network. TWITTER CHAT REMINDER: The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) is celebrating its 16th birthday this month and The Connectory will be participating in a Twitter Chat co-hosted by NGCP and the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) on September 12, 2018 at 11:00 AM Pacific (2:00 PM Eastern). The topic is Girls in STEM and The Power of Micromessaging using the hashtag #AltSweet16 as a nod to NGCP's "sweet 16" birthday. We invite you to join the conversation and hone your Twitter Chat skills. If you are hosting or participating in a Twitter Chat that you feel we would be a good fit for, we encourage you to invite us (@the_connectory). Kathy Thomas The Connectory Program Manager Pronouns: she/her National Girls Collaborative Project<https://ngcproject.org/> | The Connectory<https://theconnectory.org/> | FabFems<https://fabfems.org/>