As the end of the semester comes to the end, we are finalizing the our projects and finishing up the content for the class. However, I am still having several guest speakers come by my social media class and share their experiences and insights with my class. And this past week, we had one truly amazing professional and friend visit our class.
Mark Murdock (SM Director of Cafe Press) is one of my favorite professionals in the field of social media. We met a few years ago on Twitter (that’s the traditional way, right?) and we immediately hit it off. We both realized too we were University of Tennessee grads, which was a bonus factor as well.
Mark came to my social media class last year and was voted actually most favorite guest speaker – and this year, he continued to raise the bar. No other guest speaker has created a Spotify playlist for the class – make sure to check it out! It’s awesome.
Mark shared some great points with the class last week – we got a chance to see tools he is using on a regular basis while also getting some great insights on what to know if you are going to go into the social media profession. Mark was energetic and full of personality, which made him a hit already in the class.
However, what really was a highlight was his mantra for the class (as you can see in Alan’s and Amber’s blog posts), which came from the CEO of Salesforce, Michael Lazerow. It was about bringing weird to the workplace and embracing this. Mark shared a LinkedIn post from Michael as well as quoted him in his presentation.
This really not only resonated with my students, but also with me. I have mentioned to my students and fellow colleagues that I am not your “traditional” professor. My office speaks volumes to this, but also how I approach each of my classes – whether they are in person or online. I view myself as a professor that’s able to balance both theory and practice in my work. While this was a stance that was a bit different when I was still a doctoral student, it’s now being more accepted in academia, which is refreshing.
My view is not only to share insights and knowledge about the subject I am teaching, but also explore and learn from my students. My days are not filled with hours upon hours at my desk. They are spent conversing with professionals, writing and contributing to online discussions, sharing and curating relevant information, researching and brainstorming applied strategies based on this research. I try to go the extra effort in real-time to be an effective social connector online
Why do I do this? Our profession – whether you are looking at social media, PR, or higher education – is changing and evolving. Professors have to of course still do the traditional duties, but we have to also explore what we need to do in addition to enhance our classes, research, and practice.
On another note, Michael responded on Twitter to the class as well – thanks Michael for the kind words!
In summary, to be successful in today’s world in social media, you have to embrace your “weirdness” in your profession. Not everyone is the same and your differences/different takes on situations and the world adds color to the world – which makes you memorable.
Thanks to both Mark and Michael for this inspiration – this will be something I know I will continue to do as a professor, scholar, and professional.
Hope you all are having a great day!
