Your Last Post

Hello bloggers! Well, our time in COMM 373 is coming to an end. It's the last week of class, and most of us are super ready for a break. For your last (required) blog post, tell me how you feel about blogging after having a whole semester of coming up with content (with some hopefully helpful prompts from me). Consider the following:

• Why is blogging part of a class in social media? Isn't it ... old?
• How has this blog contributed to your digital footprint?
• Will you continue your blog and will you move it to some other platform? Or is it not really your thing?

Posts are due by end of day Friday. I hope you've enjoyed the semester and continue to learn more about what platforms are the best for your professional and personal needs!
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I encourage you to keep blogging either here or somewhere else. Make yourself marketable as you get ready for the future. For many of you, graduation is days away. For others, you're pursuing internships. Be thoughtful of your online presence as you begin/continue on your career paths!

SPARC Festival

Since the Mount cancels classes on Thursday of SPARC week so students can attend presentations and support their peers, this week your blog post is going to be SPARC-related.

There are several presentations that are Communication-related, and those are listed below along with their times, locations, and whether or not there is a virtual option. 

9:00 a.m. - Honors Presentation on Podcasting, Laughlin Auditorium (no virtual option)
9:30 a.m. - Honors Presentation on Instagram, Laughlin Auditorium (no virtual option)
10:00-11:30 a.m. - Panel Presentation on Gender & Stereotypes, AC 220 (no virtual option)
12:30 p.m. - Lighted Corners magazine release, Library Main Floor (no virtual option)
12:30-2:00 p.m. - Poster Session - Find Cara Davis's poster on Instagram, GatherTown - Access online here
2:30-4:00 p.m. - Panel Presentation on Gender & Media Industries, AC 220 (no virtual option)
6:20 p.m. - Lightning Talk (Rhetorical Analysis), Library Main Floor - Access online here
6:40 p.m. - Lightning Talk (Media Criticism), Library Main Floor - Access online here

For more information and to access a full schedule, visit the SPARC page on the Mount's website. Here are a couple of options for how to handle this week's post:

• Attend a presentation. (It would be even better if this presentation was about social media.) Provide the name, title of the presentation, subject area, and a summary of what you learned.
• Go to the Lighted Corners release and look at the publication, stories, and photos. Find their social media presence (they do have one), and evaluate it. (You do not necessarily need to go to this presentation to do this one.)
• Check into how SPARC has been marketed to you. Is there a social media presence? Is it good? Could it be better?

If you were a SPARC participant, you can also talk about the process you went through to submit your work, prepare yourself, and present.

Blog posts are due by end of day Friday. 

Branding and Content Creation

Now that we've had several weeks of learning about content and branding, this week I'd like you to think about your blog presence for our class. 

Image Courtesy of Oktopost

Given our new material on content creation and the intro to Canva we had last week, try your hand at creating a logo for your blog that is consistent with the content you've been sharing this semester. Think about your theme, color scheme, and your overall presence. Share your logo and describe the creative process you underwent in creating it for this week's blog post. 

Happy creating! As always, blogs are due on Fridays.

Writing, Content...Adventure Time!

Recently, our discussions in class have been about Strategic Writing for Social Media, Audience Segmentation, and later this week, Content, so it seems appropriate to make this week's post another choose your own adventure so that you can flex your creative muscles and try your hand at written content creation all on your own! Plus, I really enjoyed what you came up with for your last adventure and want you to feel empowered to talk about the things that matter to you.

 

Meme courtesy of 55 Totally Awesome Travel Memes

So, your post can be about anything this week but make sure that you relate what you write about to the theme you've established and that whatever you write is appropriate, of course.

So have fun! Be interesting, authentic, and you. Make sure to include a photo, gif, or some visual element with your post. Posts are due by end of day on Friday.

Past, Present, and Future

The content of our class is starting to get "real"... the reality of finding jobs is upon many of you, or thinking about what your future career is becoming more and more of a reality, even if graduation isn't looming in the not so distant future.

If you don't have ideas for a post for this week that aligns with what we've talked about so far in class, here are some thoughts to inspire you.

What do you want to be when you grow up? That may seem like a silly, even juvenile question to consider give that you're all young adults in college, but it's something I still ponder even in a career line today. So I challenge you to think through it: What do you want to do?

Illustration by Raj Verma. Courtesy of Business Today.

Beyond thinking about your future career, also think about how social media can impact your future line of work. This takes us to reflecting on the past a little bit too. Maybe you won't be pursuing jobs in social media management and maybe you don't aspire to be a director of communication or a content strategist, but it is very likely that social media will have some impact on your career, both positively and negatively. Begin to think through this and explain what you think in this week's post.

Another option is to make it a little less personal to your specific career and think about how social media is being used in the industry you want to go into: For example, if you're interested in food or sports or event planning, how can someone in those industries leverage social media?

As always, posts are due on Fridays. Happy Blogging!

Is that on Brand?

This week we will focus a good bit on representing ourselves professionally in online spaces which has become an ongoing theme this semester. As always, if you've been inspired by something we talk about in class this week and have a topic in mind to blog about, go for it! However, if you're struggling this week, here are a couple ideas to consider: 

What would you call your top 10 tips for presenting a professional image online, especially as college students? Think Letterman's top 10 style! You can approach this as helping to educate high school or middle school students about the importance of presenting a professional image online if that helps.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

We've also talked about personal and professional branding and how important it is to maintain a positive impression online. However, sometimes we say and do things that end up getting us into trouble. In light of this, how important do you think it is to be authentic and true to yourself online? Had you ever considered the importance of a personal brand being about both your online and offline selves? Some would say that your online reputation is your most valued possession. Do you agree or disagree with that? Why is maintaining an online reputation important?

Include at least one photo along with your blog post this week. And, as always, blogs are due on Fridays.

Choose Your Own Adventure - Spring 2022

This semester has gotten pretty busy so this week, what you post is up to you! (Yes, you still have to post something...)

Image courtesy of Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Feel free to post something related to the themes you've already begun. Really you can talk about anything this week; just make sure it relates to your theme and is (obviously) appropriate.

Have fun; post something interesting. Be you and be authentic. Posts are due by end of day Friday.