The document outlines a social media course led by Dr. Matthew J. Kushin, emphasizing essential web worker skills such as content creation, social media savviness, and media literacy. It discusses the evolution of blogging from amateur expression to a mainstream format that challenges traditional media, enabling individuals to share news and engage in conversations. The course will focus on strategic blogging as a means of establishing expertise and promoting collaborative projects, including event coverage and podcasts.

1. Social Media CourseDr. Matthew J. KushinAssistant ProfessorDepartment of CommunicationUtah Valley Universityprofkushin.wordpress.commkushin@uvu.edu@mjkushin

2. Web Workers; Blogs; ConversationsDr. Matthew J. KushinCourse: profkushinsocial.wordpress.com

3. You know… Skills

4. Web WorkersYour textbook, Journalism Next states:“We’re all web workers now”

5. Web Worker Must-Have SkillsContent creationAudio, visual, online publishingContent-managementSocial Media savvyWeb media literacySocial Data AnalysisOptimizationPhoto: jason a samfield

6. Beginning somewhere…We’ll establish basic must have skillsOnline publishing, content creation& build on these towards more in depth

7. The impact of Blogs

8. What is a web log?BlogUpdated regularlyDisplayed in reverse chronological orderCan be tracked with RSSContain:HeadlineBodyCan contain links, images, video, etc.Promote interactionComments, links to other blogs, etc.

9. What Blogs WroughtPlaced media production & exchange in the hands of everyday individualsOpened doors for many social media platforms todayPhoto: Wesley Fryer

10. ShiftShifts person/media relationship From media dissemination by Media CorpsTo media interaction among individualsGraphic: Mike Licht

11. ChallengesChallenge journalists’ ability to break newsChallenge media control(see next slide)Graphic: Mike Licht

12. ControlMedia ControlTraditional News OrgA few “gatekeepers” decide what is newsBlogosphereReaders decide what is news:linking, commenting, social bookmarking, etcGraphic: agahran

13. Role ReversalMedia turn to blogs & microblogsTo inform their reporting: gauge public opinion & popular discussionBlogs reported as sourcesJournalists often cite blogs as fact/info sources

14. Blogs: A Frontier No MoreBegan as amateur expressionAbility for amateur to produce influential blog decliningNow a standard format for mainstream mediaNew media elites rival mainstream outlets and receive millions of viewers a year

15. Lasting ImpactIntroduced change to our orientation to newsChanges that followed stem from blog revolutionMore optionsNiche newsNews media as an “information hub”**Will discuss later in semester when talk about journalism

16. Blogs & youBlogs have much to offer if done strategically

17. Blog Advantage

18. “Today, if you aren’t on the web, you aren’t anywhere.”

19. Social Media is about…ConversationsPhoto: search engine people blog

20. And…Conversations are built on relationshipsSo, simply put, social media are tools forBuilding relationships through conversationsPhoto: search engine people blog

21. What a social media convo looks like…ConversationsAre exchanges of ideas, thoughts, opinions, etc.Social media conversations take place via multimediaVideosTweetsImagesTextsound

22. BloggingBlogging is a great way to get into the conversation…p.s. so is micro-blogging, but 1 step at a time!

23. Why Online Self-Publishing MattersCentral space to display & share your workImprove writing skillsExpress your knowledge & enthusiasmEstablish yourself as a thought leaderShow your social media savvyNetwork & communicate with like-minded

24. Content-ManagementMany blogs rely on “content management systems”“point and click” online publishing systemsNo need to be an HTML expert!

25. How will we use blogs in this class?

26. Strategy“A blog for the sake of blogging is a wasted blog.”

27. Your team’s Wordpress blogCollaborative bloggingCentral location to display your team’s work publically

28. The How We will not blog just to blogWe will publish our work which will be professional content qualityThis content may be used for your personal portfoliosWe will seek to establish ourselves as expertsWe will seek to drive traffic to our site using social media strategy

29. In other words…You are engaging in online self publishingYour Wordpress is your Team’s (e.g., your pseudo media company’s) home on the webGrpachi: etringita

30. I thought it was all about conversations?Your blog is your conversation pieceIts where people to go find your contentIts what people know you byIts your credibilityIt’s only the beginning…

31. What will we focus on?Throughout the semester your team will work on a number of projectsE.g.,Live coverage of eventPodcast and podcast promotionThese projects will be promoted via your blog

32. #Utalk integrationurl = http://utalk.posterous.com/#Utalk = a weekly Twitter chatYour content on #UtalkTop quality work in this class will be solicited for publication on #Utalk’s blog