WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

GETTING (YAHOO) SERIOUS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA

Guest Lecture - University of Kentucky

ND Bowman, Ph.D.

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

TODAY’S OBJECTIVES

• Social media, what is it? • Social media careers • Social media and You

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA, WHAT IS IT? • Discussed as “public displays of connection”

(Donath & boyd, 2004)• Defined (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010) as:

– Internet-based applications– Based on Web2.0– Generation and exchange of user-

generated content

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA, WHAT IS IT?

Internet-Based…

• Social technology as a base

• Shared Space

…Web2.0…

• Interacting with content, rather than receiving it.

• Create + Collaborate

…with UGC

• Not just creating, but sharing it around!

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA, WHAT IS IT?

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA CAREERS

• In general, we’re in the Age of Information• No “One” career, but: “I think it’s a great time to find a

job in social media. Every brand and company wants to have a

strong social presence, so there are endless opportunities.” ~ Hayley Saltzman, social media editor at

Seventeen

“[Employers are] looking for people who know how to create online buzz.” ~ Carol Tice, Aol Jobs

“It's not tied necessarily to one particular industry. The keyword growth for 'social media' is really occurring across sectors.” ~ Michael Werch, Indeed.com

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA CAREERS

1. Communication

2. Collaboration

3. Education

4. Entertainment

All geared at supporting CONVERSATON

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA CAREERS

• Consider the notion of branding, or “the process through which products obtain some kind of value

Brand: Salience + Image

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA CAREERS

1. Social media is about enabling conversations among your market

2. You cannot (should not?) control conversations, but you can influence them

3. Influence is the bedrock of an “economically-viable” relationship (think social capital)

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU

• boyd (2007) and Public Appearance

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU

• boyd (2007) and Public Appearances– How do we keep folks out? – Can we keep folks out? – Do we want to keep folks

out?

boyd’s tips:

1. Create a public Internet identity2. Say NO! to Facebook’s public

search option3. Expect unexpected audiences4. Write blog comments as though

you’re writing your own blog5. Treat video and audio just like

text

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU

• Social media is a shared space of technologies for connection

• Data is not stolen, it is shared (often whether you know it or not)

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

MORE QUESTIONS?

Nicholas David Bowman, PhD

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

REFERENCES• Carter, T. (December 5, 2012). Is social media marketing a game or serious business?

Business2Community.com. Retrieved from: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/is-social-media-marketing-a-game-or-serious-business-0349793

• Donath, J., & boyd, d. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT Technology Journal, 22(4), 71-82. • Grant, A. (2010, December 28). Rise in social media jobs means opportunity. US News and World Report.

Retrieved from: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2010/12/28/rise-in-social-media-jobs-means-opportunity-for-job-seekers

• Her Campus (2012, September 17). A guide to careers in social media. USA Today – College. Retrieved from: http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/career/a-guide-to-careers-in-social-media

• Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenge and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53, 59-68.

• Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons, 54, 241-251.

• Safko, L. & Brake, D. K. (2009). The social media bible. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons. • Tice, C. (2010, May 2). Emerging social media jobs. Aol Jobs. Retrieved from:

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/05/02/social-media-jobs/