What the hell is social media and am I really qualified to be a communications director in 2009????
These are the questions that have been rolling around my head the last couple of weeks. Well, okay, I do know what social media is ----sort of. But the truth is, I haven't spent any time exploring the available tools, because "I just don't have the time..."
And it is a rather rude awakening to start a new year with the dawning realization that if I don't get in gear and start learning this stuff, I will soon be obsolete and of little value to the organization I work for.
So I better get with it.
Coincidentally, I am working on my grad degree at Texas State University and have been pondering what I should do for my thesis. A couple of weeks ago I learned that the class I was supposed to take this semester got dropped. What to do? An early morning epiphany resulted in both a thesis topic and a plan for this semester: For Spring 2009 I will be working on a independent studies project with my grad adviser. The project will include an extensive lit review for the thesis on social media I will be writing and will also include a paper that will lay out the rationale and lay the groundwork to apply social media tools to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/
I am the communications director at TPWD and feel woefully inadequate in this arena. We do a lot of good things with traditional media like magazines, TV shows, etc...and we have a fairly good website....but we are falling way behind in social media applications. There are a lot of political and technical barriers, but we need to get with the program.
So I plan on diving in to all of this stuff that I have been avoiding because I "just don't get it" and "don't have the time" and will be sharing what I learn through this blog.
I set up a facebook page a few weeks ago and have been surprised at the result...I have connected with lots of interesting folks. It's added to my already overflowing in-box but I'm learning to move through this stuff very quickly and have also learned that you don't HAVE to respond to everything that comes your way.
Right now I am reading a book called Social Media Marketing by Dave Evans. He used to be at GSD&M and the book lays out in very simple terms what the different tools are and how to use them. One of the takeaways for me is that for an agency like TPWD that has a virtually nonexistent advertising budget, these tools are going to be crucial to us getting our message out. It makes me wonder whether spending any of our precious dollars on "traditional" advertising makes any sense....
I am interested in hearing what you have to say about all of this.....please share your thoughts and observations with me as often as you like....
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ReplyDeleteBetter get on Twitter, too, Lyd. Follow me there at http://twitter.com/carmenhill
ReplyDeleteAlready a bit old, but here's a post I did for my agency on Twitter: http://marketinglab.bnj.com/2008/08/to-tweet-or-not-to-tweet-that-is-the-question/
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your experiment! I'll be very curious to hear what you learn! I think we're all feeling behind the times with this new technology!
ReplyDeleteWow! People actually might even read this stuff! Thanks, Carmen for the additional info. You always have been an early adopter!
ReplyDeleteI guess I better get with the Twitter thang now.....
I'm glad to see you diving in! I can't wait to see what your research and thesis uncover. Keep the information coming and I'll definitely be reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting it out there. Social networking is such a radically new way of looking at relationships that it feels like re-programming your brain (at least to me). That's good for us, right?
ReplyDeleteWould you happen to know Deb Balzhiser Morton in the English dept. at Texas State? She has a fantastic grad class all about social media called "Digital Literacy." I'm sure she'd welcome a facebook friend request. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Lydia -- I identify! -- imagine being a wildlife biologist who got into the field because of a love for all things outdoors... and then getting tied to a computer! :) LOL But it is a "brave new world That has such people in't," and I know these will be great tools to connect with otherwise under-natured folks (I almost said "unconnected" folks -- a poor word choice indeed) :) I am really looking forward to watching our agency grow, adapt, move forward... what an exciting time! --Kelly B
ReplyDeleteSo glad you have dived in and the great river of social media will be so much more fun with you in it!
ReplyDeleteSocial media is certainly an important and useful tool in the communications field. I have to remind my students that it is a delivery system, though, and not communication unto itself. Like most editors say who I talk with about this: We can easily teach good journalists how to use all these new tools, but we can't teach someone who just knows all this new technology how to be a journalist.
ReplyDeleteAll this to say, with good content, social media is a great tool. Without good content, it's just time consuming.
As a director of communication for the state, this is a great field for you to explore and I think it could be very helpful in exposing young people to the natural wonders of the state.