As I have shared with my students all the time, blogging and social media can open up some amazing opportunities you would have never imagined. Each year, I share a story of how this helped former students, but also I share my own experience. When I am back from my sabbatical, I will be sharing another story.
I have been blogging now for nearly 13 years (WOW!), and it is still to this day one of my main channels to share my insights, perspectives, and stories. My blog has been a way to also share some exciting news, like my sabbatical.
I first wrote about my experience a few months ago, and I shared my blog post across all of my channels. Little did I know how this would open up a great opportunity to meet a fellow researcher I’ve been connected with for years and be able to do an invited talk.
I first met Dan Laufer, who is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand via LinkedIn. We have similar interests and connections in the crisis management field. When I shared my blog post about my sabbatical, Dan asked me if I would be willing to come out to Wellington for an invited talk to Victoria University and do a presentation on my work in social media and crisis communication.
What did I say? Of course!
And, the rest is history! Fast forward a few months and I have had the chance to visit Wellington for the first time. I have been to New Zealand, but it’s been nearly 26 years since I was here the last time (was here as part of my first family international trip!)
I was able to fly into Wellington from the Sunshine Coast via Sydney – which was very easy to do. Wellington is GORGEOUS! I got to play tourist for part of my first full day in the city and the weather and views were amazing! I had a chance to finally meet up with Dan and he was able to show me around the city (thank you Dan!)
I love exploring new cities and areas to get a feel and overall vibe of a place. Wellington is definitely a beautiful place and you can totally tell the influence of Lord of the Rings here!
I presented my seminar talk all about the different challenges and issues that need to be discussed and reviewed by crisis communication researchers and professionals. It was great to hear the questions from the faculty and PhD students in the audience.
What was very cool was the discussion related to my work on influencers. One of my very first papers was focusing on the personality traits for influencers, which was published back in 2011. This article was super hard to get published during the time since it was still ahead of the curve for social media – no one really knew who these individuals are.
Now, fast forward to 2019, and it has been the most downloaded article for Public Relations Review. Dan shared this point to the group of researchers and students and noted that it was impressive due to the fact it’s an article that’s nearly eight years old. It was fun to be able to see my work in practice and helping researchers who want to go into this area. I had a chance to chat with a few students who were interested in my research work. It’s so rewarding to see your work have an impact on the field!
I was honored to have this opportunity and do this invited talk. I had a marvelous time here in Wellington and meeting everyone at Victoria University. Each trip and professional experience brings forth great lessons and takeaways, which I can say I am able to take a lot out from this trip to Wellington.
What were some of the major takeaways? Here are some I’d like to share with you all:
Your work can have a huge impact. We sometimes forget in our day-to-day activities about the impact our work can have. We wonder if any one will read our work and say – hey, this is cool!
This experience showed me not only that is true, but it can open new doors to networking and professional opportunities.
Social media truly opens doors. With all of the things that are said about social media, it does truly opens doors and opportunities you could never have imagined.
If you are not blogging right now, start. Not engaged on social media, drop everything and talk with your community. Social media does open opportunities. I would have had this chance to come to Wellington, meet and learn from Dan and his colleagues, and share my experience and ideas with fellow researches in another country,
This has been an incredible experience!
Invited talks are a great way to share your insights and learn more about the field from your global colleagues. Academics are changing in many ways, and one of the things to keep in mind is with working on research, building your personal brand, and engaging with others online, great opportunities like invited talks come up. It’s an opportunity to share your perspective insights with a new global audience, and learn from them about their research, and what we can do together. It’s all about building a better foundation and help grow our field of understanding and practice.
This has been a tremendous experience and I hope in the future to do more invited talks!
This trip also marks a significant moment for me as well. I can now say for every country I have been to, I have done some sort of professional activity from working, teaching, and presenting research.
Special thank you to Dan Laufer for this incredible opportunity. It’s a true pleasure meeting you and your fellow colleagues. I hope to be able to visit you all again in the future! Thank you for making my first visit to Wellington amazing!
Hope you all are having a great day.
Best Wishes,
