The Last (required) 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 on the horizon. For others, you're pursuing internships. Be thoughtful of your online presence as you begin/continue on your career paths!

Your Second to Last Required Post

In class over the past several weeks, we have talked about how being creative on demand is difficult and creating content for a social media account isn't as easy as it seems. A couple weeks ago, you created a branded image for your blog and explained your creative process. 

Gif courtesy of Giphy

We've also begun talking about how social media is used in different industries. So now, we have a pretty complete picture of what professionals in social media do - it's a little bit of writing, it's a little bit of creativity, and it's also a little bit of math (shocking!) For your blog post this week, give me a little bit of feedback (oh hey, it's an evaluation...)

• What have your favorite topics been so far? 
• What's been the most boring topic to cover?
• How do you think you'll be able to apply what you've been learning so far to the real world?
• Is there anything you thought you'd learn in class that we haven't covered yet?

I plan to take tips from your posts this week to help tweak the class for future students, so be honest in your responses. And don't forget: Blog posts are due by end of day Friday.

Gif courtesy of GIPHY Studios

Social Media Analysis Projects

The last assignment of the course is one of my favorites because you can see how all of the things we've talked about all semester come together AND you get to flex some of your creative muscles by making suggestions for a client that you select. You can read all about the Analysis Project on the assignment sheet posted to Canvas. 

For this week's blog post, you're doing the first small part of the Analysis Project, which is to select a local (to you) small business or organization and do a little background research on them. Specifically, the assignment sheet says: 

Choose a small organization or business (non-profits, local/home churches, student organizations, businesses in Emmitsburg/Frederick/Gettysburg with which you have familiarity, or businesses local to you in your hometown). Preview your “client” in your blog post (this will be blog post #10) due on Friday, November 19. Your preview should include basic information about your client and a SWOT Analysis (see handout on Canvas.)

The business can and should be in an area that interests you because you'll probably feel more passionate about completing this last project for an organization or cause that you care about. 

As you begin look into their online presence, complete a SWOT (analyzing their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and provide a little background information about them. 

Image courtesy of Word Stream

This will help you to start thinking more about the analysis paper you have to write and potentially even give you some inspiration for creative suggestions.

Blog posts are due on Fridays. 

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 (class on Thursday), 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! Since I'm not talking about Canva until Thursday, blogs should be posted by end of day Sunday, 11/14 this week. 

The Power of Influencers

Our blog post for the week is going to be a little different than what we've done in the past, but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same!

Choose your favorite social media influencer and write a profile/review of their social media space. These can be DIYers, YouTubers, even well-known celebrities. 

Graphic Courtesy of Scepter Digital Marketing

In your profile/review, consider: 

• What platforms are they using? 
• Who are their followers? 
• What is their brand voice? 
• Do they support any specific products or causes? How do you know?

 If you've been following them for a while, think about these questions too: 

• How did you find them? 
• Why do you follow them?

If you do not follow a specific influencer or are having trouble thinking of one to review for this week's post, a simple Google search of the most popular influencers will reveal a variety of results. Cole Sprouse is listed as having one of the most influential presences on social media, alongside Selena Gomez and Cristiano Ronaldo. If you choose to review someone who is also a well-known celebrity or athlete, consider the questions above and how they use their platform and fame to highlight causes that are important to them.

As you conclude your post this week, reflect on the overall impact of influencers in today's world. As always, posts are due on Fridays. 

Surprise! It's ANOTHER Choose your own Adventure!

This week our discussion in class is about Strategic Writing for Social Media, so it seems appropriate to make this week's post another choose your own adventure post so that you can flex your creative muscles and try your hand at written content creation! 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. Posts are due by end of day on Friday.

Choose Your Own Adventure - Fall 2021

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. But if choosing your own adventure isn't your thing, here are some thoughts to guide you if you'd like more structure:

• We've covered alot already this semester, so what have you learned? Do you still have any questions about any of the topics we've covered?
• How was it keeping your social media log for a week? Did you notice anything in particular emerge from your usage?

Really you can talk about anything this week; just make sure it relates to your theme and is appropriate.

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