This decade went by FAST. It seems like yesterday I was just a doctoral student over the holidays, preparing for my comprehensive exams, and thinking about what this decade had in store for me.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined all of the things that happened these past ten years.
Lots of memories, big changes, and opportunities came this decade, with a lot of good lessons to takeaway and bring forward in the next decade. If I had one word for this decade, it would be: impact. I was motivated to make in impact in my work, professional and personal life, and in and out of the classroom.
Here are some of the things I have learned.
I started this decade as an underdog, and I am still one to this day. I was just about to start my comprehensive exams at the University of Tennessee for my PhD program, and I did not know where I would end up in my first tenure track position. The economy and job market were pretty intense during this time – many jobs and positions were being cut or frozen due to the budget cuts many universities were facing.
As I was finishing my PhD and working on my dissertation, I was active on the job market. Many programs would look at me and say – we do not get this “social media interest” or they couldn’t “place” me into a specific category. Meaning, I was not a pure academic or a pure practitioner – but somewhat in the middle. I fully embraced this view and still do to this day.
2011 marked the moment I became Dr. Freberg 2.0 (Mom will always be the original Dr. Freberg!) and got a job at the University of Louisville. I am extremely grateful to be at UofL. Great colleagues, students, community, school, and area. I’ve felt right at home in Louisville and it’s been the best decision ever.
I have always viewed myself as the underdog because that’s how I have felt generally speaking in the academic field. For years, I had people say I would never get a job teaching social media, that social media was a fad, and you can’t get tenure through teaching research.
I became a social media professor in this decade. I started getting actively involved in researching in social media back in 2008, but the first time I had the chance to teach social media was back in 2011. This class marked a huge milestone and opportunity for me as a professor. This decade allowed me to fine tune, evaluate, and creatively execute assignments and opportunities for my students over the years with some amazing clients, such as The Louisville Bats, The Breeders’ Cup, and most recently Facebook.
I would have never imagined this would become one key part of my brand and reputation in the industry and academy. It’s been a whirlwind of exciting opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations. I am forever grateful to brands like Hootsuite, HubSpot, Meltwater, Adobe, and Facebook for their investment and friendship over the years.
This class also was the foundation for my social media book. If you would have told me not only I would have had a book out in this decade, but several (self published and two w/ TopHat), I would have been really surprised. This has been a true highlight for me this decade to be able to call myself a published author.
While this has been great, there is still more work to come. This is just the beginning. I am excited for what is in store in the future.
Professors DO have real world experience. Can we say this louder for the people in the back?! Professors are not individuals who are locked in their classrooms. They are actively trying to stay connected with the industry and making an impact in the classroom.
This decade marked this new addition to what I am doing as a professor where I able to work with some incredible brands on some fun and exciting projects. Each experience taught me so much and was immediately applicable to what I am doing in my research and teaching.
I am super excited to continue working and building upon my real world experiences for the next decade and beyond.
Some of my favorite collaborations over the years include:
- Colorado Ski Association (2011). Got a chance to present in Aspen for one of my very first paid speaking gigs after I graduated from Tennessee.
- Hootsuite (2013 – Present). Hootsuite was the first program that I used in my classes, and has been a longstanding supporter over the years. Honored to still be a #HootAmb.
- General Motors (2015). Worked with the PR and social media team on influencer marketing, crisis communication, and social media measurement. This was part of the Plank Fellowship for educators.
- Adobe (2016-Present). Opportunity to collaborate in a variety of different ways from guest blog posts, being part of #AdobeInsiders, and much more!
- HubSpot (2018-Present). Got a chance to work with the team on their social media marketing certification. This was a blast and had so much fun!
- NASA (2018). Got to be part of #NASASocial down in Florida. So fun to be able to create content and share this w/ other professionals for the SpaceX launch!
- Facebook (2019 – Present). Loved working with FB Blueprint on their latest certification as a subject matter expert! This partnership was one of the most rewarding in my career so far. Very grateful!
Bypassing gatekeepers has been key to my success. This past decade marked a lot of achievements for me professionally, but I always had to go 200% beyond what was expected to get the same respect as someone from a “legacy” program.
In fact, some colleagues in the field have shared w/ me that I have garnered attention from certain organizations to be included in their group or even be nominated for their board of directors based on the work I have been able to do OUTSIDE of the field without the help of certain gatekeepers in the field (trust me, there are those who want certain work, research, programs, and educators to be front and center as leaders in the field).
For me, I knew the connections and traditional opportunities that were available to most junior faculty were not available to me. This was perfectly fine with me because – why stay in the same circles where everyone talks and does the same thing year after year – when you could explore new opportunities, connections, and make an impact on the field?
If you don’t see the world doing what needs to be done, you sometimes have to do it yourself. The Cannes Lions Educators Summit is one example of this – along with the #SMprofs community. I am proud to see these communities come together so well.
Always go with your gut instinct in your work. Similar to what I said above – always go with your gut on what you feel is right for you. I would say – use the Force!
What I mean is simply – if you have people tell you to do one thing, evaluate it with a critical eye and see if it is really the right thing to do. Or, if you are being told you have to research one thing versus another – think about it.
I have learned this lesson this decade when it came to my research. I knew influencers and research into social media strategy was going to be a big thing, but the first article that I wrote on social media influencers 1) got rejected from a conference in Florida based on the feedback “why are influencers important to research in PR?” 2) got rejected from three journals for the same reason and 3) got immediately published in PRR, one of our main journals.
This was the story of my work – and it was important to publish in order to get tenure at the University of Louisville. I did persist in my work and tried to make it where I was contributing to the body of knowledge in PR and social media, but also made sure my work could be applied in the industry. I took this approach in each project and collaboration, which resulted in my work getting published and cited from other scholars all over the world.
What about this first article? I am proud to say – in 2019 – It is *still* the most downloaded article from PRR.
If I have any advice to give you – it is this. Trust your gut, and research areas you are passionate about and that will impact both the academy and industry. This is the way. I have spoken.
Some of your best friends and colleagues are people you meet online. This is the thing I love about social media – it’s social and you are able to meet some incredible people online.
I am forever grateful to Twitter for this very reason. I have met some of the best people online, who are now dear friends and colleagues of mine.
You never know who may follow you or chat w/ you on this platform. Like having Ryan Reynolds follow you on Twitter.
Of all of the things I have done in my career – I have gotten more praise from my students for this (well – and having The Rock calling me Dr. K and Dr. Karen!) than anything else.
Bucket list item for the new decade: Get Ryan Reynolds and The Rock to Louisville for a guest lecture!
Take every opportunity to travel, learn, and grow. I’ve spent more time in the airplane than ever before this decade. I did this for a few reasons. One, I love to travel and see new places and cultures. Second, this would help me better understand my field in PR and social media. And third, it would give me a competitive edge.
You see – when I was on the job market, I had a professor at Tennessee who told me I was “not international enough” to be competitive on the job market. This professor defined being international as being someone who was born outside of the country. This was after I had talked to my class about working in South Africa, and just got back from a presentation trip to Brazil.
I made a promise to myself that I would take every opportunity to learn, grow, and expand my network each year. I am proud to say I have presented, worked, or collaborated on a professional project on 6 continents (still need to figure out what to do in Antartica). Got to save something for the new decade, right?!
I did not have any international trips where I just went on vacation. I did of course make time after I completed my trip to play tourist and explore new cultures and cities, but there was always a professional purpose in mind. This past decade allowed me to visit some incredible places, taste amazing food, and work on some incredible projects. In fact, I traveled internationally each year except 2011 (graduated from Tennessee w/ my PhD) and 2016.
I was able to go to:
- Brazil and Spain to present at the Reputation Institute’s Conference
- London for EUPRERA
- Slovenia for BledCom
- Greece for COMGR
- Denmark and Sweden for Crisis4
- China for an International Technology conference
- Ireland for a Cyberbullying research conference
- Monte Carlos and Cannes for Cannes Lions (2)
- Australia to work with Karen Sutherland and Lisa Tam on projects and collaborations
- New Zealand to speak to Dan Laufer’s department on social media and crisis communication
Family is EVERYTHING. It really is, and our family faced lots of new changes, opportunities and challenges. We welcomed a new member in Scott in 2012 when Kristin got married (finally have a brother!) and Marcus came into the world in 2018, giving me one of the most important titles of my life: Auntie.
I love my family – we are all so close and we are there to support each other through moves, promotions, and new chapters in each of our lives. I am forever grateful to each member of my family.
So, what is next for the new decade? Lots! There are lots of exciting things in store already for 2020, and I am aiming to continue my goal in making an impact on the field with my work. Stay tuned!
Wishing you all a happy new year! Let’s make 2020 the best year yet!
Best Wishes,
