Pamela Seiple is a PR student at Boston Universities College of Communications. In this guest post she discussions Social Media in the education system and her experiences at Boston College.
Julia Roy’s blog post yesterday and the subsequent Twitter conversation (pictured below) that developed between Julia; your blogger, Steve Spalding; and myself sparked some passionate thinking on my part that begs the following question: “Why aren’t more public relations and marketing students understanding and engaging in social media?”
New Media And Public Relations
As a senior in Boston University’s College of Communication and a social media enthusiast, I am personally attuned to new media’s increasing and powerful role in the communications industry. To supplement my preexisting passion, I am also lucky enough to be enrolled in a course at BU entitled “New Media and Public Relations,” taught by esteemed professor, Stephen Quigley. This course has proved an invaluable contribution to my education as a PR practitioner in the new, digital age of communications. As a class, we interact via Facebook in a group appropriately named “Media Socialites,” and we take trips to social media savvy agencies such as SHIFT Communications. Our “textbooks” aren’t very textbook-like either – we dive into the likes of The Cluetrain Manifesto, Naked Conversations and The New Rules of Marketing and PR. We are also privileged enough to host prominent SM professionals like David Meerman Scott (who also understands the importance of social media education) during class lectures, and our ongoing class assignment is creating, maintaining and promoting our own blogs.
However, it’s my understanding that not many colleges and universities offer such a course, let alone understand the importance of having one. If someone were to conduct a nationwide poll of current PR students inquiring of social media’s role in their industry, I predict many wouldn’t even have a clue. Still, while organized coursework is a bonus, and while I do believe schools should start rethinking and revamping their communications curricula, much of what I learned about social media has been self-taught. Many intelligent thought leaders are offering up free content in blogs and E-books that have significant educational value. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but the Internet really is a treasure trove of information – especially when it comes to the topic of social media.
Social media is very much present in public relations now, and many predict it will only continue to grow. For students who have a leg up in the understanding of such Web applications, it behooves them to devote some time to participating in and understanding the social media realm and how it can impact their career. They have the opportunity to stand out among the crowd and interact with some very important players in their industry. Personally, I know it’s helped me.
*Thanks to Steve Spalding for the opportunity to share my views and experiences in this guest post!
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