Readings and Blog Post:
Here are the readings we will discuss in class on Jan. 29. Please blog about your key takeaways from the readings. Remember — your assignment is not to summarize these articles in your blog post. The assignment is for you to compare and contrast them, analyse them, and share your opinion on the future of our profession. You can use the questions below to help you write it. Your post should be at least 400 words, broken into 3 to 4 paragraphs. It’s due on Jan. 29.
Briggs, Chapter 3, Crowd-Powered Collaboration, pp. 91-100, pp. 102-108
How to Turn Your Social Media Crisis into PR Success
CISION
Real-Time Social Media Creative Marketing and PR
The Huffington Post
Questions to consider: Being a good communicator means forming good relationships. Social media allows PR practitioners and journalists to collaborate in new and meaningful ways, both with each other and with the public. What is the value of collaboration? What are the benefits to collaboration? What are the dangers? How should professionals interact with the public online, especially when comments are negative? What is meant by real-time marketing?
In-Class Assignment: Social Media Task 4 — Crowdsourcing
Part of this Social Media Task is an in-class assignment for Jan. 29. The final assignment is due on Feb. 5.
In-class Social Media Task 3:
Social Media Task 2 is an in-class assignment that must be completed on Jan. 22.
Description:
You will use social media to find ideas for news stories or feature stories, or for PR campaigns by reading Facebook conversations and tweets, and by looking at Instagram and Snapchat. Choose one of the following two ways to do the assignment.
1. To do this assignment from a journalist’s perspective, look for four different story ideas about what’s happening at SHU for Winter/Spring 2019. You should read various SHU organizational Facebook conversations and tweets, as well as student conversations and tweets, and look on Instagram and Snapchat. You should not choose an idea that happened in the past. It must be something you will be able to tweet about later for Social Media Task 4.
2. To do this assignment from a public relations rep’s perspective, look for four different ideas you could highlight in a PR/marketing campaign about SHU as it relates to Winter/Spring 2019. SHU is your client. You should read various SHU organizational Facebook conversations and tweets, as well as student conversations and tweets, and look on Instagram and Snapchat. You should not choose an idea that happened in the past. It must be something you will still be able to tweet about later for Social Media Task 4.
Grading:
This task is worth 20 points and is due at the end of class on Jan. 22. You should pitch your four story ideas or your four PR/marketing campaign ideas to me as soon as you decide on them.
Social Media Task 3:
Set up a Twitter and Instagram accounts for your blog and follow at least 20 Seton Hall organizations, clubs, teams, or people. Also follow at least 4 media organizations that cover Seton Hall news. Please follow the class Twitter account — @Bollshu — and also follow all 17 of your classmates. (That’s a minimum of 42 people and organizations initially.) Be sure to provide a link to your blog on your Twitter profile page. Also, please attach your Twitter feed to your blog on the right side of the homepage. Whenever you tweet anything for this class, please use the class hashtag — #social3422 — so you get credit for the work.
Grading:
The total task is worth 20 points. It’s due on Jan. 29.
— Breakdown: 10 points for setting up the Twitter account, following a minimum of 42 people and organizations, providing a link to your blog, and attaching your Twitter feed to your blog; 10 points for setting up the Instagram account and following the same people and organizations.
Get Started:
— For this crowdsourcing assignment you will use the ideas for stories or PR campaigns you found last week. Use your class Twitter account to ask your readers for any information they may have about your story ideas or your PR campaigns. Be sure to use the class hashtag — #social3422. You can use other hashtags too, just be sure to include that one. You should tweet once during class about each idea, and tweet about each ideas at least three more times during the week. Sometimes it helps with getting responses to do a survey for one of your tweets.
Due Feb. 5: You will present your crowdsourcing results in class
— Write a story for your blog using any information you may have gotten from readers over the week for one of your story ideas, or one of your PR campaign ideas. You can also use any information you get yourself by calling sources, DM’ing or emailing sources who sent you info, or going to an event. Post the story to your blog and be sure to thank your readers for their help.
— Tweet about your new blog post. Be sure to use the class hashtag — #social3422.
— Think like a reporter. Have an eagle eye for the interesting, the important, the relevant, the unique, and the immediate. Double check your facts. When you interview someone, you must get their full names (first and last) and spell them correctly.
— Think like a public relations spokesperson. Show the world what is great about Seton Hall. Promote the college brand.
— Take photos and post them to your blog. Some advice: when taking photos, try to fill the frame. Don’t be afraid to get in close. Avoid taking all vertical photos, unless the scene lends itself to a vertical photo.
Grading:
The assignment is worth 20 points, broken down as follows:
— 10 points for the written content; how well you used the information you got from your readers and how much information you got on your own. Your post should be at least 400 words.
— 10 points for how well you did crowdsourcing. (Even if you didn’t get any responses, I want to see an effort to get some reader input.)
Social Media in Journalism & Public Relations 