SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES
RTVF 4450.001/5660.001 - Topics in Industry Studies
Spring 2014
The Department of Radio, TV, & Film
The University of North Texas
Dr. Jacqueline Vickery, Ph.D.
Class meets: Tuesday/Thursday 12:30 – 1:50 p.m. in RTFP180F
Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:00-4:00 & by appointment / RTFP 237
Email:
Course Description
This course will give future media and communications professionals the tools and experiences to successfully utilize collaborative and social media for strategic endeavors. The class considers the various strengths, limitations, ethics, uses, and effects of various collaborative and social media tools. Students will work individually and in teams to create, analyze, and evaluate collaborative and social media tools and strategies. The course incorporates digital media theories with practical applications.
Objectives
At the end of this course, students will:
· Know how to effectively communicate specific messages via social media
· Be able to connect with readers and viewers in different ways
· Know how to publish real-time updates and community engagement
· Know how to collaborate on research, content, and analysis
· Be able to use a variety of tools for communication and engagement
· Be able to evaluate the ethics, privacy, and intellectual property policies of social media companies
Required Texts
1. Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofitsby Heather Mansfield; Publisher: McGraw Hill;ISBN-10:007177081X
2. Content Rules: How to create killer blogs, podcasts, videos, ebooks, webinars (and more)by Anne Handley, C.C. Chapman, & David Meerman Scott; Publisher: Wiley;ISBN-10:0470648287
3. NetSmart: How to Thrive Onlineby Howard Rheingold; Publisher: The MIT Press;ISBN-10:0262017458
4. Other readings will be made available online or on Blackboard throughout the semester.
Recommended: Likeable Social Mediaby David Kerpen; Publisher: McGraw Hill;ISBN-10:0071762345
Course Assignments & Evaluation
Individual Case Study (150 points)
On your own, select a company, service, product, non-profit, filmmaker, producer, or business and examine how they use social media as a tool for promotion, networking, and engagement. You will use Storify to present your case. See separate handout for more information.
Midterm Exam (175 points)
The purpose is to make sure you have a foundational understanding of concepts, theories, tools, and ideas so you can begin working on your final presentations. The exam will primarily be short answer questions that will be completed in class.
Lead Class Discussion (100 points)
As a team, you will prepare to lead class discussion for one class period. Your team will be responsible for covering at least one of the readings from the week, incorporating outside examples, and posing 3-4 discussion questions for the class. Presentations will be 30 minutes. All materials must be submitted to Dr. Vickery by 5:00pm the day before your presentation in order to offer feedback and suggestions.
Participation (75 points)
This course is largely discussion and activity based, therefore participation is expected. All students start with a “D” for participation and must earn points towards their desired grade. Points are earned by( a) contributing during class discussions, (b) contributing to in-class group work & assignments, (c) and regularly participating on Twitter. Alternatively, points will be deducted for arriving late/leaving early, sleeping or not paying attention in class, or other disruptive behavior.
We will hold an ongoing conversation about our observations of social media in contemporary culture in the form of a class Twitter feed, which counts towards your overall participation grade. You may either use your current Twitter username or create one specifically for this course. Tweets should be personal thoughts, insights, questions, responses to readings or lectures, and/or links to relevant material on the web, and should include the course hashtag #CASMS. To earn full credit you must be Tweeting weekly throughout the semester.
Some weeks you will break into your group to discuss the course readings for that week. As a group, you should be prepared to summarize the main points, share what you learned, and raise at least one question related to the reading. We will do this as part of in-class discussions that will count toward your participation points.
Final Project: Social Media Campaign (500 points)
As a team, you will launch a real-time social media-driven campaign for a local charity, fundraiser, community organization, political campaign, business, film, or non-profit. Alternatively, you can decide to host your own fundraiser for an organization (e.g. food drive for a local food bank). The topic is up to you, but you MUST get approval from Dr. Vickery. We will work towards this in class and break it down into manageable steps.
I. Designing a Strategy (75 points)
Prior to launching your campaign you will design a strategy you intend to implement throughout the semester. This involves (a) conducting research on similar organizations/businesses and compiling the information as case studies for comparison, (b) determining concrete & measurable goals for the campaign, (c) deciding which platforms and tools to use you and why, (d) deciding specific content you will generate and resources from which you will curate information, (e) deciding on a tone and feel for the campaign and (f) assigning roles to everyone in the group and managing a schedule for the campaign.
II. Mid-campaign update (25points)
Based on the original plan and the success of your campaign thus far, you will update and revise your goals, strategies, platforms, content, management, and approaches. You will submit the updates along with the justifications and explanations as well as a revised plan for moving forward.
III. Metrics & Measuring Success (25 points)
You will submit the metrics and analysis used to determine the success or failure of your campaign. This can include reports, statistics, graphs, testimonies, etc. The purpose is to demonstrate your ability to monitor success and to respond to what has worked or has not worked throughout the duration of the campaign.
IV. In-Class Pitch (75 points)
Think of the class as a company looking to hire you to run our social media, why should we hire your company? You will show off what you have done for your “client” while demonstrating your knowledge of networks, content creation and curation, platforms, audiences, metrics, and engagement. You should come professionally dressed with professional handouts/visuals that will aid your presentation.
V. Campaign (150 points)
I will grade the actual campaign efforts as demonstrated to me via your presentations, write-ups, analysis, and sharing the actual content and platform profiles/pages with me. This is where I assess what you actually did for the organization, what content you generated and curated, how well you networked and engaged, and the extent to which you used platforms and resources appropriately and effectively.
VI. Write-up & Analysis (100 points)
You will analyze the success or failure of your campaign and explain what worked and what did not. You should demonstrate to me your own understanding of networks, content creation and curation, engagement, appropriate and effective use of platforms and social spaces, as well as the limitations and setbacks you encountered. This is also the opportunity to explain what the next steps would be were you given more time, money, and resources. The analysis goes beyond metrics to also include the “invisible” reasons things did or did not work.
VII. Individual Contribution to Group Work (50 points)
This class is largely assessed based on group work. However, individuals do not always contribute equally to projects. You will be given the opportunity to evaluate your group members at the end of the semester. These evaluations will determine your individual grade. If your group is struggling to work together, I encourage you to come see me so we can work together to solve the problem.
Evaluation:
A = 900-1000
B = 800-899
C = 700-799
D = 600-699
F = 0-599
Course Policies
Attendance Policy: I do not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences. Everyone is granted two “free” absences during the semester, no questions asked. Each additional absence will result in a loss of 10 points from your participation grade. Additionally, you will lose points for arriving late or leaving early. If you experience extenuating circumstances during the semester (e.g. extended illness, death of a close family member, etc.) talk to Dr. Vickery ASAP.
Late Assignments: You will lose a full letter grade on the assignment for every day your assignment is late. Assignments more than 3 days late will NOT be accepted; this means you will receive an automatic “0” for the assignment. Assignments are considered late if they are not turned in by the dates and times provided on the syllabus.
Extra Credit: No extra credit opportunities will be offered on an individual basis, so do not ask. If you are struggling with the course materials then talk to the instructor for additional guidance and resources. Do not wait until the end of the semester to try to salvage your grade.
For Graduate Students Only: Graduate students have different requirements concerning the grade. The Professor will share these requirements and options for the course.
ODA Notification: The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.
Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is defined in the UNT Policy on Student Standards for Academic Integrity. Any suspected case of Academic Dishonestly will be handled in accordance with the University Policy and procedures. Possible academic penalties range from a verbal or written admonition to a grade of “F” in the course. Further sanctions may apply to incidents involving major violations. Categories of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, forgery, fabrication, facilitating dishonesty, sabotage, turning in the same assignment for more than one class without permission, and any act designed to give a student an unfair advantage on an assignment or in the course. You will find the policy and procedures at: http://vpaa.unt.edu/academic-integrity.htm.
Religious holy days sometimes conflict with class and examination schedules. If you will miss a work assignment or other project due to the observance of a religious holy day you will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence. If you are going to miss an assignment, please let me know at the beginning of the semester.
Course Schedule & Readings
Week 1: Introduction & Social Media Tools
January 14
Introductions, Group Assignments
January 16
Ø “Introduction: Why You Need Digital Know-How – Why We All Need It” (p. 1) – Howard Rheingold
Week 2: Information Seeking & Collective Intelligence
January 21
Ø “Chapter 2 – Crap Detection 101: How to Find What You Need to Know, and How to Decide If It’s True” (p. 77) - Howard Rheingold
January 23
Ø “Chapter 4 - Social-Digital Know-How: The Arts & Sciences of Collective Intelligence” (p. 147) - Howard Rheingold
Week 3: Participatory Culture
January 28
Ø “Chapter 3 - Participation Power” (p. 111)- Howard Rheingold
January 30
Ø “How Media Spreads” (Blackboard) - Jenkins, Ford, and Green
Week 4: Social Networks
February 4
Ø “The Social Network Revolution” (Blackboard) - Rainie and Wellman
February 6
Ø “Chapter 5 - Social Has a Shape: Why Networks Matter” (p. 191) - Howard Rheingold
Week 5: Designing Social Experiences
February 11: **SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL DUE**
Ø “Getting Started with Social Media” (pp. 46-69) - Heather Mansfield
Ø “What’s Your Social Media Strategy?” (Harvard Business Review, bit.ly/kM5jRC)- James Wilson et al.
Ø “26 Tips to Create a Strong Social Media Content Strategy” (Social Media Examiner) http://bit.ly/JNShBj - Debbie Hemley
Ø “10 Steps to Kickoff a Social Media Campaign” (Business Insider, read.bi/PKaWxp) - Susan Gunelius
February 13:
Ø “Chapter 1 & 2” (Case for Content & Content Rules) (pp. 3-20) - Handley & Chapman
Ø “Chapters 19, 20, & 22 - Case Studies” (pp. 221-230; 235-238) - Handley & Chapman
Week 6: Social Media Campaigns
February 18 **INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDY DUE**
Ø “Designing for Spreadability” (Blackboard) - Jenkins, Ford, and Green
February 20: “Chapter 4 - Who Are You?” (pp. 31-47) - Handley & Chapman
Ø “Personal v. Professional Social Networks – Infographic” (Econsultancy, http://bit.ly/Swt2Wb) - Patricio Robles
Ø “Chapter 5 - Engage” (pp. 63-74) - Kerpen
Ø “Chapter 8 - Be Authentic” (pp. 95-106) - Kerpen
Week 7: Platforms, Tools, Resources
February 25
Ø “The Beginner’s Guide to HootSuite (Mashable), http://on.mash.to/1a7oXzq - Marissa Cetin
Much of this will be familiar to you so you can skim it for new information
Ø “Chapter 3 - Facebook & Facebook Apps” (pp. 71-90) - Mansfield
Ø “Chapter 4 - Twitter & Twitter Apps” (pp. 91-114) - Mansfield
Ø “Chapter 11 - A Blog as a Hub for Your Online Content” (pp. 143-154)- Mansfield,
February 27
Much of this will be familiar to you so you can skim it for new information
Ø “Chapter 17 - Podcasting: Is This Thing On?” (p. 207-210) - Handley & Chapman
Ø “Chapter 5 - YouTube & Flickr” (pp. 115-136) - Mansfield
Ø “Chapter 16 - Video: Show Me a Story” (pp. 197-210) - Handley & Chapman
Ø “Chapter 18 - Photographs: The Power of Pictures” (pp. 211-217) - Handley & Chapman
Week 8: Remix Culture & IP Policies
March 4 **CAMPAIGN STRATEGY DUE**
Ø “From Shakespeare to DJ Danger Mouse: A Quick Look at Copyright and User Creativity in the Digital Age” (http://bit.ly/TlOjxo) - Gasser and Ernst
March 6:
Ø “Social Media and Copyright Law in Conflict”, http://bit.ly/1d8l2DV - Glenn Manishin