Spring 2009 Semester Homework

Trying to narrow down a proposal for a semester project is challenging. The amount of information I need to take in and process is a bit overwhelming. Last week, I met with Dr. Cindy Royal from Texas State who is a whiz at this new media stuff. She spent more than an hour with me last Friday and I left her house with my head whirling. Since last week I am getting many requests a day for facebook and have tried to keep up with Twitter as well. Even before this new adventure, I have already felt a bit overwhelmed with the volume of email that comes my way..trying to process an entire additional layer seems impossible. I am being mentored by some of the youngest folks on my staff...the 20 somethings in the web services group. They are all extremely bright young folks and are being very patient with my inept questions and fumbling around. One of them told me to think of the info flow as a big river that you see flowing by - and when I see something that interests me, stick your toe in for a little bit. For someone who still reads the newspaper cover to cover and whose Sunday is not complete without going through the entire NYTimes, it's a novel concept. Up until two weeks ago, I had my assistant print the electronic newsclips that cross my desktop each day so I could carefully read them over lunch. Geez louise, the more I think about that, it's pretty ludicrous. For the last couple of weeks, I have simply scanned them quickly when they pop into the email box, stopping when I need to delve a little deeper. Haven't missed those clips yet, and will probably save a few trees just by changing that ridiculous habit

Here's my initial stab at a project proposal for the Spring semester. I feel like I am already behind..but that's a feeling I have every semester....





Spring 2009
Semester Proposal
Texas State University
Lydia Saldaña

DELIVERABLES:
• Development of Master’s Thesis Topic
o Comprehensive literature review
o Refine research question(s)
• “White paper” on the application of social media tools on the TPWD website
o Survey the current social media landscape
o Review how other government agencies are implementing social media on websites
o Review how other conservation organizations such at The Nature Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation are implementing social media
o Identify barriers at TPWD and suggest possible solutions
o Suggest applications which should be applied to the TPWD website, both short term and long-term


Spring 2009 Reading List



Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide (2006)
Henry Jenkins

Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day (2008)
Dave Evans and Susan Bratton

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly (2007 & 2009)
David Meerman Scott


Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way we do Business & Market Online (2008)
Warren Whitlock & Deborah Micek

Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why you already know the rules of Social media marketing
Jim Tobin and Lisa Braziel

Wikinomics- How Mass Collaberation Changes Everything (2008)
Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams


OTHER RELATED READINGS/SEMINARS
• WIRED magazine
• BUSINESS WEEK
• Participate in relevant webinars
• Attend SXSW sessions
• Local AMA sessions
• Other opportunities as they arise