Here I am on Facebook!
It seems that wherever you go, social media is a topic of conversation. Some people use it to network with their friends and family, while others use it for research and interests in study. I can say that I have been using social media for years, and it’s been great! For many years, social media was a tool for me to manage my reputation online while I was competing in track and field. I had my own web site and blog, and I wrote several journal articles for track and field web sites Dyestat and Trackshark (I guess you could have called it early blogging.) 🙂 Now,I have been able to use this in the classroom with teaching and research in Public Relations.
It seems that colleges are jumping on board with social media in classes, but is this the case for all universities? Also, are colleges really providing students the tools and knowledge to fully understand what social media is and how to use it? Well, I found this blog post from Robert French, a public relations professor at Auburn and writes the public relations blog InfOpinions, and it was very interesting. His post was about how one PR professional made the statement after visiting one school and class that colleges are failing students when it comes to social media. I believe that universities, especially public relations and other communication disciplines, are not only using social media in the classroom– but they are embracing it!
That is one of the things that I have really liked about the University of Tennessee and the Communications program. All of the professors encourage the students to explore new technologies and ways to use them whether they are in Adverting, Public Relations, Communication Studies, or Journalism. For example, some of the professors are using Facebook to discuss and share articles about public relations with their students in the class, while others are communcating which chapters and assignments students are supposed to complete before class by using Twitter. We have dedicated class lectures on social media and other related topics as well– for example, I will be guest lecturing for a couple of classes this semester on how to manage your reputation online.
Social media is a new way of communicating in an innovative and interactive way, and I think that the universities that do not embrace this new form of communication, they will be missing out on many opportunities. For Public Relations professionals and researchers, social media is becoming a part of our lives. We even have social media and networking sites just for PR professionals, students, and practitioners. This is great! What a great way to meet fellow professionals and students to discuss the issues and latest trends in the Public Relations field. 🙂
So in other words– I believe that universities like the University of Tennessee are doing a great job in incorporating social media into the classroom and interacting with their students and fellow scholars. Social media, especially in PR, is becoming part of how we practice and research– and it is going to be interesting to see how it shapes the communications fields. 🙂
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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