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COMM 307: Social Media

This course will examine the impact of social media networking in society and how to think strategically about social media platforms. Specifically, this course will provide students with an understanding of a professional approach to using social media tools in their field. We will examine both the technological and theoretical perspectives of social media through the hands-on application of the technologies and through reading scholarly writings. Students will be required to complete significant writing assignments, data collection, and formal presentations.

Course Objectives
  • Identify the types of social media tools that are currently available
  • Understand the differences between specific types of social media applications and their audiences
  • Develop skills in leveraging social media tools for specific industry sectors
  • Develop an understanding of the best practices and review case studies related to the use of social media in public relations
  • Develop knowledge in designing and developing social media strategies and campaigns
  • Demonstrate knowledge acquisition through the completion of case studies and social media strategy
  • Learn how to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in social media
  • Identify ethical and legal issues concerning the use of social media in organizations


Twitter
For this course, students will create an account on the microblogging platform Twitter and complete assignments using Twitter throughout the semester. Students will use the hashtag "#srusm" for your tweets related to the course, including current events and responses to in-class discussions. Students will also be responsible for creating and moderating a one-hour long Twitter chat related to social media using the hashtag "#srusmchat." The instructor will share current events and resources throughout the semester, which students will be responsible for reading and/or responding too. In addition, the instructor will provide in-class instruction on how to utilize Twitter for professional development. 

Follow your instructor: @profstrahler

Assignments
Social Media Platform Presentation [10 points]
There are numerous social media platforms available to you and they all fulfill similar/different functionalities. Students will select a social media platform (or mobile app) and give a 4-5 minute presentation on the platform. The same platform cannot be presented more than once, so it will be first come, first serve by posting your social media tool to the discussion board in D2L. Your final deliverables for this assignment will be:
  • 3-5 slide PowerPoint (not including a title slide)
The PowerPoint should provide a brief overview of the platform and think of it as a presentation you could give someone that can explain the purpose of the tool. You presentation should answer the following questions:
  • What type of tool are you presenting? (Think of the Conversation Prism)
  • What functionalities does it provide?
  • Any other special features to it?
  • Examples of how brands use it?   
LinkedIn Profile [25 points]
LinkedIn is a great social networking websites for building and maintaining professional connections. Students will be responsible for setting up and completing their own profile page on LinkedIn. It is important for you to begin developing your professional identity online and networking with individuals in your industry as you begin pursuing internships and jobs. Beyond the profile and connections, you should begin exploring the different components LinkedIn has to offer, as we discussed in class (Jobs, Groups, etc.).
Case Study Presentation [100 points]
For this assignment, students will focus on a case involving social media and a company/brand. There will be no repeats of cases, so it will be a first come, first serve basis for sign-ups (on the discussion board).

The purpose of the case study is to find articles related to why a campaign/strategy was successful or unsuccessful and write a 3-5 page report on the case. It is important you find at least 3 pieces of literature discussing the case (using the Facebook page does not count as a resource). If you misspell the brand name or social media tool, you will be docked a letter grade – it is important to spell the brand & tools correctly. The paper will be written with correct APA citations (in-text and references page) with page numbers and bold headings (shown in parentheses) for each of the following sections:
  • Title Page – not included in your page count
  • Brief introduction of the company and case (Introduction)
  • Reading and case analysis (Analysis)
  • Reflection, recommendations and conclusion (Conclusion)
  • References page – not included in your page count (References)
In addition, you will be responsible for preparing a five-minute PowerPoint presentation to present your case to the class. The presentation will cover a lot of the major points relevant to the case with appropriate visuals (similar to the Domino’s case study I presented in class).
Twitter Chat [50 points]
For the Twitter Chat assignment, your group will be responsible for organizing a chat for one week this semester. The questions will be created by the group revolving around the topic of discussion for that week in class. You will be responsible for scheduling a time in which you can participate and get others to participate as well. (I recommend starting no later than 9pm) The chat will use #srusmchat, so individuals can participate/follow your chat.

Guidelines
  • 1 hour long
  • 3 Questions (related to that week’s topic)
  • 3-4 sentence paragraph describing what your chat will discuss (due via email to me by the Friday before the week of your chat) – think of it as a chat abstract and intrigue individuals to participate

Promotion
As a group, you will be responsible for promoting your chat throughout the week to build awareness and invite participants to join. This can be done through Twitter or other social media platforms.

Chat Reminders
  • Begin with opening welcome statement with title of chat and ask for all participants to introduce themselves
  • Formatting of question tweet [Q1: What is the question? #srusmchat; A1: This is my answer #srusmchat]
  • Ending the chat [With 5 minutes left, ask for closing remarks; End chat with a closing statement thanking everyone for participating]


Participation
This is based on quantity and quality of participants. I give more weight to your grade for groups who bring in alumni or outside business professionals for the chat. It is easy to ask friends to join and encourage you to bring them into the conversation to educate others, but try to strive to bring in someone who is considered an expert in the topic area.
Client SM Campaign [50 points]
For this campaign, you are going to develop a social media campaign for a real-life client selected by the instructor. The client will come into class to provide students background information about their company/organization and the reason they want to pursue social media as an outlet, as well as answer any questions the students may have in order to develop your campaign. 

Students will have three weeks to produce a campaign to meet one or a few of the goals the client is trying to accomplish using social media. This includes identifying: goals/objectives; target audience; content strategy; and content calendar.
Social Media Strategy [150 points]
For the final project, each group will put together a social media strategy for a real client or fictional brand created by the group. In a typed paper and PowerPoint (or Prezi) presentation, you will provide your findings and strategy for your brand. You will be required to take the knowledge you have obtained from class and apply it in practice. This will require you to research what other related brands/businesses in surrounding cities are doing, and deciding how to best use each of the technologies. The final document and presentation should describe the process from beginning to end.

Here is a list of things you want to take into consideration:
  • Introduction
  • Identify Goals/Objectives
  • Brand your campaign (name, colors, etc)
  • Identify what research will need to be done
  • Identify potential audiences and how these tools will benefit them & the content (remember: benefit & value)
  • Identify who will be responsible for maintaining this presence. Current staff members or a firm?
  • How will these tools be integrated with the current web presence?
  • Identify and define a social media campaign for your brand
  • Provide relevant facts and statistics to support why this would be an effective strategy
  • Do you have different launch phases?
  • What are the metrics & ROI?

This is not all of the things you need to include. As the semester progresses and you research, you will begin to notice other trends and considerations to include in your campaign. You will NOT be setting up accounts for anything! You will only mention the website and details on how it will be implemented.

Report (140 pts.)
The report will be a 15-25 page paper (APA style) describing the entire campaign from start to finish. The paper should include a title page, table of contents, introduction, clearly defined sections (getting started, timeline, graphs, charts, etc.) and a conclusion. Any visuals you deem appropriate should be included. Note: The title page, table of contents, references and appendix does NOT count as your 15-25 pages. Also, you will need to include a bibliography of research and sources & about page (which do not count in the 15-25 pages). The about page will include each group members name, short bio and their contribution to the campaign.

Presentation (10 pts. – based on each person)
For the presentation, your group will provide an overview of your campaign and findings. The presentation should be at least 10-15 minutes long and have accompanying PowerPoint or Prezi presentation, which you will use during your presentation. PowerPoint slides or Prezi link should be submitted to me electronically prior to the start of presentations.

PowerPoint slides should include any information you deem appropriate to explain your campaign and may include graphs, charts, etc. Again, if you created a brand, it should be represented in the design of your slides. Each person in your group will be responsible for presenting a portion of your campaign.

The presentation should be treated as if you are giving a professional presentation, so please dress accordingly.

As for the grading, each student will be graded separately for his or her contribution to the final presentation. With this in mind, make sure to divide the presentation up as evenly as possible. This will put accountability into account for each student, so each group member can finish with different final project grades.

#srusm

The Social Games from #SRUSM

This blog will make the connection between the concepts taught in my course and the use of social media during the Olympics.