Emerging and Social Media in the Marketplace

ADPR 4300, Spring 2011, Marquette University Dr. Daradirek Gee Ekachai Office: JH 304 Twitter: @fvrythingPR Phone: 414.288.3450 E-mail: gee.ekachai@mu.edu Office hours: T/TH: Noon 2; 3:30-4:30 Text Alerts: Text ADPR4300 to 41411 Class web site: http://adpr4300.wordpress.com Class Wiki: http://adpr4300.pbworks.com

Course Description
Social media is best understood as emerging online media that share most or all of the following characteristics: participation, openness, conversation, community, and connectedness. With these new media, the consumers are often also the producers who engaged in viral customized production and consumption. We have moved from one-to-many communication to many-to-many one. Social media can be powerful when people create content and share it as well as their opinions or experiences online. The most common forms of social media are: social networks (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn), blogs, podcasts, wikis, content communities (flickr, YouTube, delicious, etc.) and microblogging (Twitter). Emerging media in mobile and location-based platforms such as foursquare, Yelp, or Gowalla will also be examined and discussed. In this course, we will explore the evolution and impact of social media and emerging technologies and study their applications in todays advertising and public relations practice. We will also examine and apply social media concepts, strategies and tools and attempt to integrate them into an organization's overall communication strategy.

Learning Outcomes
It is expected that by the end of this course, students should: Know different features and capabilities of different social media platforms. Be familiar with a range of social media and emerging technologies, understand their features, analyze and discuss their uses and implications. Know how to strategically integrate appropriate social media platforms into the existing, established communication channels in an attempt to reach and engage diverse audiences. Know how to monitor and evaluate different social media platforms and create an audit. Be able to critically discuss the uses and effects of the new media in cultural, social and technological contexts.

Expectations
The class success and your learning depend on your active participation, both online and offline. We believe that if you want to really understand how social media works, theres no better way than to take part in it, actively. And that means at least spending more than 5 hours a week outside class time to work on class assignments. Throughout the semester, you are expected to engage in several hands-on projects. You will learn how to use several social media tools such as blogs, social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn), audio podcast, Web video, document sharing (Slideshare or Scribd), wikis, social bookmarking (Delicious), and microblogging (Twitter), to name a few. Also, in a team of 4, you will develop a social media campaign plan for a client. In addition, class discussions, presentations by students, readings, guest speakers, and case studies of social media and emerging technologies will help us better understand the issues and practices of social media. To complete this course successfully, you are expected to be current with assigned course readings, participate in discussions, and work independently and in a group outside of class time to work on class assignments and projects. The average study time for this class is 5 hours a week.

Required Texts:
Solis, B. (2010). Engage!: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Available at Amazon.com. Also available in e-reader version. Also, there are additional online readings on D2L and the class web site (white papers, how-to articles, professional tips) on various topics. Check your D2L regularly.

Class Activities, requirements, policies

Class activities involve lectures, discussions, student presentations, guest speakers, and several individual and team projects (i.e., social media case studies, blogging, book review, social bookmarking, Facebook Page, social media resume and social media plan). You will need to prepare for class by reading the course materials and planning to share your ideas. Your contributions will play an important part in what we all learn. Be prepared to discuss the assignments, and expect to be called on in class for your inputs. Plan to spend at least 5 hours during the week to cover the reading material and complete weekly assignments. 2

Attendance and participation are as critical to your success in this class as they are on a job. Class participation is expected and will be considered in borderline grade decisions. More than two unexcused absences and/or repeated tardiness will adversely affect your final grade and could result in your being dropped from the class. Each unexcused absence (beyond the allowed two absences) will result in a deduction of five points from your 30 participation points. For an excused absence or a delayed deadline, contact me by email BEFORE the start of a class or a deadline you must miss. If you miss a class, you are responsible for obtaining lecture notes and assignments from another student, and you have the same deadlines as the rest of the class. This course will use both the course web site (http://adpr4300.wordpress.com) and D2L. I will mostly use D2L as a course content depository, while at the course website, I will post course updates, discussion topics, videos and supplemental readings. You are responsible for checking both web sites on a regular basis. The class wiki (http://adpr4300.pbworks.com) will be the space where we share information, collaborate, and for you to store and organize all your required assignments (in links format). We will spend sometime learning how to use pbworks. Participation: This upper-level seminar requires your full and active participation both in class, outside class and online. You are expected to participate actively during each class and on the various social media tools integrated in the class. Participation is earned through class attendance, contributing to class discussions (both in class and on class site), and team work collaboration. You are expected to treat your classmates, guest speakers, and the professor with respect. You should plan on staying the entire class session until the class is released. Dont text message, surf the web, tweet (except during live tweet sessions), read newspaper or talk to other people while the professor or a guest speaker is speaking during class. Be engaged, active and respectful. Inappropriate language or other negative discourse will not be tolerated.

Grading
The following breakdown explains how the grade is to be computed: Points Individual** SM case study analyses (2 cases) 40 Blogging and comments (5 posts, 20 comments) 70 Social Media Resume (draft due before midterm) 50 Social Bookmarking 30 Facebook Page 30 Foursquare 30 Class attendance/participation 30 3

Class Wiki participation

30

Team** Twitter Conversation (Team of 2) 30 Book Review/presentation (Team of 3, midterm project) 50 Social media policy (Team of 2) 40 Social media monitoring (Team of 2) 40 Social Media Plan/presentation (Team of 3, final project) 80 ______________________________________________________ 550 **Separate handouts will be later provided on the assignments and instruction. All grades on assignments, projects and quizzes are based on the following +/- grading scale: 94 100% = A; 86 93% = AB; 80 85% = B; 75 79% = BC; 70 74% = C; 65 69% = CD; 60 64% = D; below 60% = F

Special needs
Please inform me during the first week of class if you have any conditions that may limit or affect your ability to participate in this course so that we can make necessary arrangements. You may also contact the Office of Student Educational Services for additional information. For more information see: http: //www.marquette.edu/oses/PoliciesandProcedures.html

counseling center
Sometimes personal issues, such as stress, anxiety, depression, career uncertainty, and/or relationships, can interfere with your ability to function as a student. If you feel that this is happening to you, please contact the Counseling Center. The Counseling Center offers free, confidential counseling services for all full time students. For more information or to make an appointment, call 414-288-7172, or visit their website at www.marquette.edu/counseling.

Academic Dishonesty
In accordance with the high standards of excellence set forth by, and for, all members of the Marquette University community, the Diederich College of Communication finds it imperative that each student understand that the responsibilities associated with high standards of excellence include ensuring that all class work undertaken in this College is performed in an environment that promotes serious scholarship and moral rectitude. Therefore, the College herein delineates a zero-tolerance policy for acts of academic dishonesty. All acts of suspected academic dishonesty will be thoroughly investigated in a manner that is fair, timely, and efficient and done so in a manner that protects the rights of both the faculty member and the student. Any individual that is found to have committed an act of academic dishonesty may receive a penalty, up to and including expulsion from Marquette University. For further information, please read the Academic Honesty Policy on pp. 42-46 of the 2010-11 Undergraduate Bulletin or visit the following link. http://www.marquette.edu/mucentral/registrar/policy_honesty.shtml