Comments on: Why learn social media at university

By: How to get a First in PR : Behind the Spin

How to get a First in PR : Behind the Spin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:07:00 +0000

[...] Reflect on your experiences. I used a blog to reflect on what I’d learnt and talk about the theory and my experiences. Taking the time to critique your work helps you to see how you can improve, and to set what you’ve learned in your long term memory. You can reflect on paper, but there are countless other benefits to having a blog as Stephen Johnson explains in ‘why learn social media at university’. [...]

By: Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter)

Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:08:59 +0000

Thanks Andy,

I’m pleased you enjoyed reading my article.

By: Andy Rogers online music marketing

Andy Rogers online music marketing — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:33:01 +0000

this is a great article and very interesting to read. it is indeed important to learn social media for it helps students learned on how to cope with the reality when they get outside the school premises.

By: Social Media weekly round up « Social Web Thing

Social Media weekly round up « Social Web Thing — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:09:28 +0000

[...] Why learn social media at University? The creation of Web 2.0 has changed the way people view and receive content online. It has given all internet users the power to self-create content which other users can view and contribute to. Disclosure: Ben & Jerry’s and Domino’s Pizza are both Edelman clients. [...]

By: Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter)

Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:08:34 +0000

Thanks for your comment Michelle. I think just about everyone who has read and commented on this article feels that learning social media at an under-graduate level is crucial.

Similarly to you, my social media course has helped me gain work where I otherwise might not have.

I am also familiar with that look of confusion when mentioning popular social channels such as Twitter to clients. After being asked twice in the same day what Twitter and social networks were I began writing and memorising concise, easy to understand answers.

The best one I heard was: “Why would I want to promote my brand on Facebook? Everyone just uses it to sleep with each other and cheat on their wives or husbands.”

By: Michelle Allison

Michelle Allison — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:42:29 +0000

Great post Stephen, and a very timely subject.
I’m happy to say that I took a social media module as part of my Public Relations MA at Leeds Met, way back in academic year 2008-2009! Which is a long time in social media!
The module was called PR and New Media (it’s perhaps not so new anymore); and I am eternally grateful for taking it. I blogged for the duration of the module and as part of the assessment, and learned a lot of things I would never have known anything about such as Twitter, Digg, Flickr, Stumbledupon, pingbacks, trackbacks, SEO….etc.
You are also right in suggesting that some businesses don’t ‘get’ socia media; explaining social media to my sceptical employers has been something of a challenge, but is finally achieving some ‘buy in’. I have to say, I do rather enjoy the slightly perplexed look I get when I mention SEO, Radian6, Xobni etc, and I enjoy subsequently explaining it!
I firmly believe this is where new PR graduates/practitioners can make the difference in already established business. I firmly emphasised my academic and practical skills in this area in my interview with my current employers, and despite the raised eyebrows and confused faces, I got the job, and now run a ‘one-woman’ PR department for the business!
Keep blogging Stephen – good stuff.

Michelle
@m_allison

By: Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter)

Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:25:28 +0000

Firstly, sorry for typo on there their on my last comment.

In reply to Janey, it is definitely true that you shouldn’t forget old techniques just because there are now new ones. My university, like yours, teaches traditional PR as well as what many would now call “New PR.”

In the last few years I have seen so many advances in technology – Ipod, Ipad, Iphone, online gaming, social networks, micro social networks, unlimited broadband at little cost and the huge rise of Google and the big deal around SEO.

People still buy the odd CD or even vinyl! I still know a lot of people with desktop computers and not everyone spends their entire life updating Facebook. Even though we have email people still send letters.

New things don’t replace old things they’re just another choice. It’s the same in PR – it just means that there is more to learn.

By: Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter)

Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:54:10 +0000

Thank you for commenting David and thank you for writing Online Public Relations. Reading this book helped me an awful lot when it came to writing essays and getting my placement for a company which specialised in SM.

I have never given much thought to a person who isn’t directly affected by the internet because I have grown up with a generation who had computers in there bedrooms. All of my friends have an Iphone and if I meet someone who isn’t on Facebook I feel something is amiss.

I realise that the internet is bigger than social media and wonder what the world would do if it was suddenly taken away.

It was a long time ago but I remember reading the opening page of the book you wrote with Philip which said something along the lines of….. It is hard to avoid saying the internet changes everything but for PR nothing will ever be the same again.

The biggest change is that PR now needs to be more focused on building more relationships more often and that the balance in power between the elite and their publics is shifting.

By: Janey Spratt

Janey Spratt — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:02:42 +0000

I am a PR student from the University of Lincoln and find it comforting to know that my lecturers are keeping up to date with the changing world of PR and teaching the students the newest material. I think it is shocking that a marketing tutor does not use youtube – have they heard of viral PR! I know that my marketing module used numerous clips from youtube.
I think that while we learn this new revolution of SM we cannot forget the traditional PR techniques and a good PR will incorporate both traditional and mordern techniques into their strategy. I think SM can only be used to a certain extent before the PR needs to go into real life, face to face.
I think tutors need to teach both modern and traditional techniques.

By: David Phillips

David Phillips — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:10:45 +0000

I am not one of the ‘Social Media’ set. My interests in internet mediated society and PR goes a lot further into the effects of neo-ubiquitous, interactive communication in a completely (if not comprehensively) internet mediated society.

All I ask, is that you look wider than social media. Look at who is not directly affected by the internet and wonder what it means.

My blind, 93 year old invalid mother-in-law is absolutely dependent on appointments, meals, care and communication delivered by internet-enabled capabilities.

My latest software gig can take almost any content from the ‘visible’ internet and find its relationship with any other content. There is every opportunity to connect and there is no hiding place.

I cannot imagine how one could deliver effective CSR without the internet, or media relations, a conference or an event or … well any PR activity. Such activity would, at best, be half the job done.

All of this is about public relations as you know it. But it is sometimes a big leap to see the connection. The sort of connection universities should be teaching as a matter of routine.

By: Janey Spratt

Janey Spratt — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:04:29 +0000

I think some academics are careless to overlook SM, I think it is important that anyone interested in PR needs to consider all the modern aspects of the industry as well as the traditional. Students learning SM need to remember that traditional PR can be just as effective as the modern PR and neither can be neglected! A good Pr should incorporate both traditional and modern PR techniques into their strategy. Consequently, universities need to cover both areas.
As a PR student I am learning both traditional and modern PR, a tutor should also keep up-to-date so that they can effectively teach up-to-date PR.

By: Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter)

Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:58:42 +0000

Thanks for commenting Kathrin.

From my experience, when it came to Facebook a lot of the class probably did know more about it than our tutor. However, when it came to all of the other channels it was evident that we all had a lot to learn.

The majority of what we were taught wasn’t just how the channels worked but how we could use them to meet the overall strategic objectives of a campaign.

I agree with everything that you have said – Some academics may not be as interested in SM as others and some might simply believe that SM isn’t worth teaching.

I think that’s a shame.

By: Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter)

Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:47:57 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts Paul. I completely agree with you and that’s why we need to look at getting some new clients to do SM for. We can start at Holts Yard then expand to Walker and from there who knows.

By: Kathrin Schallenberg (Miss Undutchable on Twitter)

Kathrin Schallenberg (Miss Undutchable on Twitter) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:24:21 +0000

When Philip Young introduced this topic at the Euprera conference, I was one of the lucky students that were allowed do support his discussion and introduce the student point of view of the integration of Social Media classes in universities. And, as you can imagine, nearly everyone agreed that it would be important to integrate new media in the curricula but it was also obvious that nobody knew how.
It is difficult to revise the content of a course every few months and especially somewhat older academics seem to still not be used to this everchanging “social media market” and therefore might not be able to teach such a course. As you pointed out alreay, there are quite a few obstacles to overcome and points to consider when (re-) designing the course. And it is also dependent on the student; there are many who never had such a course but are as good or even better as you and your fellow students when it comes to social media in PR.
So it depends on both, students and academics, whether such a course will give you a headstart…and reading your article definitely shows how (and why) it can give you one

By: Paul The Boss

Paul The Boss — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:57:55 +0000

Nice one Stephen. Nobody has written the rules on SM, and a lot of people are running around like headless chickens, spouting crap. If SM is not part of your module people, get a new module. And get a haircut.

By: Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter)

Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:12:05 +0000

Thanks John, I appreciate you taking the time to give me some feedback. I hope to come across you again in another Commschat.

By: links for 2010-07-13 « Fear and Loathing in Glasvegas

links for 2010-07-13 « Fear and Loathing in Glasvegas — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:03:21 +0000

[...] Why learn social media at university : Behind the Spin I have just finished the second year of my Public Relations degree at Sunderland University. This was one of the first universities to include a social media module in the syllabus. [...]

By: John Cloonan

John Cloonan — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:00:38 +0000

Well written, Stephen! Thanks for pointing out this post to me on Twitter. You’ve captured some of the essence of why this is important.

I’ve actually taught a section on social media as a guest lecturer at Rollins College, and I frequently try to find ways to work it into the marketing curriculum I teach at Shorter University. (@ShorterUniv).

By: Clare Callery

Clare Callery — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:51:40 +0000

Thanks for the recommendation Stephen I will definitely be checking it out.

And I forgot to say before, well done on the fantastic post! it’s attracted a lot of attention!

By: Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter)

Stephen Johnson (Jonk87 - Twitter) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:26:10 +0000

Hello Clare, I have also read similar articles stating that some PR employers don’t favour students with a PR degree and believe that a degree in another subject will bring more variation to their business.

Social Media is definitely a subject we need to know about. If you don’t feel like you’re learning at university check out Online Public Relations – the book at the top left of the article.

Everything I learnt in my social media module was taught in that book. It was very helpful.