Social Media Stretegy Gets Personal!

Our students have been working through HootSuite Academy on Social Media and have been introduced to the basics of Social Media Strategy, noting that

Social Media Strategy is simply the strategic plan for how a company will incorporate social media into it's business.

Students have examined the major components of a social media strategy, such as:

1. Social Media Audit – Why?
2. Social Media Goals
3. Budget, tactics, and tools
   
4.   Content Strategy
5.  Brand Persona and Voice
6. Calendar of Key dates
   
7. Roles & responsibilities
8. Social Media Governance Plan
9. Crisis Management Plan
   
10. Measurement and Reporting

Now students will apply the first component (Social Media Audit) to their own personal social media presence. As a step in this process, students will sign-up and complete the Free Online Reputation Manager profile on BrandYourself.com 


But, first... Students will consider just what the internet already knows about them - and the implications!  In the class website, students will log into their Gmail accounts, and then click this link.

Whoa.

Students will read these two articles over the weekend, and post comments in preparation for a lively discussion in Tuesday's class:

1.  London's Daily Mail article on China's Dystopian Scorecard System.
2. WIRED magazine's article on China's Experiment in Social Ranking.

HootSuite Academy and Museum Field Trip

For the Weekend, students will continue to work in the HootSuite Academy, completing sections 1-4 of the "growing guide" that can be found at the bottom of the class website: https://limestonedigital.weebly.com/digital-communication-1.html

On Tuesday, students will join the CM103 class for a field trip to the Earl Scruggs Center (http://earlscruggscenter.org/)  in Shelby, where they will explore a digitally-enhanced museum space that has much to offer in visual design and information design. Cost is $8.00 for admission, plus money for on-your-own lunch at one of the local downtown dining spots in Shelby - http://bit.ly/2BN6ls6. We will return to campus by 1:50pm. 

On Thursday, we will debrief on the Museum Trip and chapters 3 & 4 in HootSuite Academy, as well as preview the "meat" of social media strategy.

Here's a pic of previous Digital Comm students visit: https://theta360.com/s/nqHqXaxiTEsrSHbTHTo7EW3CC

World's Easiest Hyperlinked Mid-term!

After reviewing the initial student website designs, members of the class will post a "Mid-term Blog Post" containing links to the following:

1. Link to (your favorite) blog post on images - photo composition, freegal resources, etc.
2. Link to (your favorite) "thought piece" blog post - on articles, process, etc.
3. Link to HootSuite Certificate for completing HootSuite Platform Training.
4. Link to Brand Guide/Style Sheet (11x17 document) 
5. Link to one Social Media profile you have revised.
6. Link to Student Website (with bio, thoughtful organization, and design that reflects personal brand guide, space for your Portfolio, Social Media Links, and an external page link to your blog.)
   

Hoot Suite Training for Social Media (Parts 1 & 2)

For the weekend, tackle the first 2 Units in our Social Media Marketing Training Plan for your HootSuite Certification! 

Complete directions and links are in the attached document:
HootSuite Academy
- Units 1 & 2

No tests for the materials, but work through the materials thoughtfully and carefully - paying attention to the in-chapter reviews. Also - see the recommended reading selections I've highlighted in the pdf.

Web Building Resources

The link to your Weebly web-building portal:
https://students.weebly.com/

A friendly helpful guide to Weebly:
https://www.weebly.com/app/help/us/en

A detailed "walk-through" of creating a site in Weebly:

The student websites will reflect the student's' personal brands by being guided by their style sheets. Their functionality will be built to reflect the intentionality and purpose of their navigational maps.

Each Student website will contain these basic elements:

• Portfolio
• About Me
• Resume
• Social Media Links
• Blog (external page)

Using our Brand Guides to Update Our Social Media Profiles

Students have reviewed their personal brands and have revised their style sheets, as well as articulated their personal and professional vision and goals. They will now apply this work to creating quality social media profiles. 

The article linked below from HootSuite Academy shares numerous templates to spur on ideas for shaping the profiles for each of the student's social media profiles (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) There is also a link at the end of the article to a Google Doc with editable templates.

Students will re-write the profile/bio/about me sections using these guidelines, and will post a blog entry with links to each of their social media profiles.

https://insertlearning.com/v1/lesson/5d95f2136dde503b29f6e0e4 

class code: z1ygdy

Personal Brand: Reflections and Revisions

Students will work through the interactive article "Personal Branding 101" by Lisa Quast (interactivity layers by Dr. Nichols) via the InsertLearning Link below. (Keep in mind that the "discussion questions" are shared among all colleagues for collaborative learning benefits.)

http://bit.ly/CM410-PersonalBranding

class code: z1ygdy

After completing the interactive article assignment, students will reflect on their findings, and will apply their design skills to creating a composite image in the tradition of Robert Weingarten's "Portrait Unbound" (see videos below) - using original photos and other images to create a collage/montage that reflects their own "brand." They will post these images on their blogs with reflections on the process.

Students may use design programs like PhotoShop, Illustrator, Indesign, etc. to create their "Portraits unbound."
AFTER completing the project, students will use web-based collage makers from Adobe Spark or Canva to make a representative collage.

Begin Refining Your Research Topic in the Area of Social Media

Student in Digital Communications class will begin refining their research topics in the area of Social Media. Ideas the students are investigating range from identity and catfishing to the impact of social media posts on careers. There are a plethora of potential connections to social media, including privacy, advertising, safety, marketing, education, etc.

Students will use search engine tools, as well as tools like Flipboard, Pocket, or News360. Students will sort through articles of interest, and will put the most relevant articles in a Pinterest Board to share their research.

Refining the subtopic will allow students to find a focus for a term-end presentation on their findings at the Student Symposium or other venues.