BYOD

I have a “Bring Your Own Device” policy for this class. I encourage you to bring your laptop or mobile device to class as we will occasionally use them for in-class assignments. Technology can and should enhance the learning environment, thus I trust that you will only use it responsibly in my class.

Social Media Strategies Fall 2017

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

DEPT. OF MEDIA ARTS

Tues. & Thurs. 2:00 – 3:20 / RTFP 180F

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

This course will give future media and communications professionals the tools and experiences necessary to successfully utilize social media for strategic endeavors. The course considers the various strengths, limitations, ethics, uses, and effects of various collaborative and social media tools for the purposes of marketing and promotion. Students will work individually and in teams to create, analyze, and evaluate real-time social media campaigns. The course incorporates digital media theories with practical applications.

At the end of this course, students will: • Know how to effectively communicate specific messages via social media • Be able to connect with readers and viewers in different ways • Know how to publish real-time updates and community engagement • Know how to collaborate on research, content, and analysis • Be able to use a variety of tools for communication and engagement • Be able to evaluate the ethics and intellectual property policies of social

media companies

1. NetSmart: How to Thrive Online by Howard Rheingold (required) 2. Create an account on UNT’s new communication app (required) 3. Other readings are available on Blackboard or online 4. Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger (recommended)

REQUIRED & RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

This course requires a lot of group work and participation. Please be mindful of your other obligations and responsibilities so that you can pull your weight in the group. Tips for working together: 1) be respectful of each other’s time & ideas, 2) communicate effectively, 3) work together as a team, and 4) meet your deadlines.

Dr. Jacqueline Vickery jacqueline.vickery@unt.edu Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:45; RTFP 237 *I do not respond to non-emergency email on weekends. I do not respond to email questions that you can find the answer to via other resources (e.g. the syllabus or the assignment sheet)*

MRTS 3360

CASE STUDY

o INDIVIDUAL – 75 POINTS

o GROUP SYNTHESIS – 75 POINTS

STRATEGIC CONTENT

o DESIGN – 100 POINTS

o ANALYSIS – 100 POINTS

EXAM – 150 POINTS

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

o DESIGN A STRATEGY – 125 POINTS

o METRICS – 50 POINTS

o IN-CLASS PITCH – 75 POINTS

o EXECUTION OF CAMPAIGN – 150 POINTS

o ANALYSIS – 100 POINTS

TOTAL 1000 POINTS

A = 900-1000 B = 800-899 C=700-799

D = 600-699 F = fewer than 600

Plagiarism, don’t do it. If I catch you plagiarizing or cheating on any part of any assignment – this

includes websites, videos, music, papers, blogs, images, presentations, exams, etc. – I will report you

to the Office of Academic Integrity and you will receive an automatic “0” on the assignment with no opportunity to make it up. This could mean you fail

the course, just don’t do it, it’s never worth it. If UNT determines this is not your first infraction you will

automatically fail the course. Full policy: https://policy.unt.edu/sites/default/files/untpolicy/p

df/7-Student_Affairs-Academic_Integrity.pdf.

SEEKING HELP If you are facing challenges securing food or housing and believe this may affect your performance in this course, I urge you to contact the Dean of Students

for support at deanofstudents@unt.edu or 940-565-2648. If you are struggling with mental health, an

abusive relationship, trauma or PTSD, or other personal challenges that are negatively affecting

your life, I encourage you to contact the counseling center at 940-565-2741 or the CARE team at 940-

565-4373.

ASSIGNMENTS A late assignment will lose one full letter grade for each day it’s late. Assignments will not be accepted after 3 days; you

will receive an automatic zero for that assignment.

ATTENDANCE Everyone is granted one “free” absence during the semester. If you need a mental or physical

health day, take it. Each additional absence results in a

loss of 10 points from your grade. You are granted 2

“tardies” (up to 5 minutes), after that you will lose 5 points for

arriving late or leaving early. If you experience extenuating

circumstances affecting attendance talk to me ASAP. University-approved excused absences require appropriate documentation in advance.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Religious holy days If you will miss a work assignment or other project due to the observance of a religious holy day you will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence. If you are going to miss an assignment, please let me know at the beginning of the semester. Campus Carry: UNT’s policy stipulates that any person carrying a handgun on campus must hold a License to Carry issued by the state of Texas. The weapon must be concealed. If you see a handgun in this classroom, the person carrying it is in violation of state law. You should either call the police yourself or report this violation to me so that I can contact the police.

WEEK 11: REMIX, COPYRIGHT, & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 11/7: Digital Fair: prosumption and the fair use defense, Collins (BB) 11/9: How to legally use images in your social media marketing, Kornblet WEEK 12: EXAM AND WORK DAY 11/14: EXAM 11/16: In-class work day WEEK 13: PLAYBOR, ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, & SOCIAL MEDIA 11/21: Rheingold, 134-140 11/23: The role of social media in film marketing, Kirby WEEK 14: SOCIAL MEDIA AT WORK & DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS **11/28: No reading 11/30: Racism is poisoning online ad delivery, MIT Tech Review WEEK 15: PRESENTATIONS 12/5: Presentations 12/7: Presentations Week 16: FINALS WEEK 12/14: Final campaign, analysis, & peer evals due by 2:30 p.m.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

WEEK 1: INTRO TO DIGITAL LITERACIES 8/29: no readings 8/31: Introduction, Rheingold WEEK 2: PARTICIPATORY CULTURE 9/5: Chapter 3 (pp.111-133), Rheingold 9/7: Chapter 4 (pp.211-224), Rheingold WEEK 3: UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL NETWORKS 9/12: “Social Network Sites as Networked Publics”, boyd (BB) 9/14: Chapter 4 (pp. 147-172), Rheingold WEEK 4: DESIGNING SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS **9/19: How to create a social media marketing plan, LePage; How to crush social media campaign planning, Sailer 9/21: How to engage any demographic with a social media campaign, MacLeod WEEK 5: WHY THINGS CATCH ON 9/26: Introduction, Berger (BB) **9/28: Present case studies in class WEEK 6: PLATFORMS, TOOLS, & ALGORITHMS 10/3: Your social media news feed and the algorithms that drive it, Sharma; How to rise above social media algorithms, Jackson 10/5: Out-of-class work day (strategy due 10/6) WEEK 7: GOING “VIRAL” 10/10: How to create viral content, Kagan 10/12: Guest Speaker – T.B.D. WEEK 8: SOCIAL MEDIA IN ACTION 10/17: Out-of-class work day (work on strategic content) 10/19: Guest Speaker – Rachel Weaver WEEK 9: METRICS, MEASUREMENTS, & HASHTAGS 10/24: A comprehensive guide to social media ROI, Dawley 10/26: Killer hashtag marketing campaign, Julig

IMPORTANT DATES 9/19: Campaign Proposal Due 9/28: Case Studies Due 10/6: Campaign Design Strategy Due 11/2: Strategic Content & Analysis Due 11/14: Exam 11/28: Metrics & Measurements Due 12/5: In-Class Presentations 12/7 In-Class Presentations 12/14: Final Campaign, Analysis, & Peer Evaluations due by 2:30 p.m.

ODA NOTIFICATION Students seeking accommodation must first with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. or at 940.565.4323.

WEEK 10: CREATING STRATEGIC CONTENT 10/31: In-class consultations **11/2: Strategic Content presented in class

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF REQUIRED READINGS

Berger, J. (2013). Contagious: Why things catch on. New York: Simon & Schuster. boyd, d. (2010). Social network sites as networked publics: Affordances, dynamics, and implications. In Networked Self:

Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites (ed. Zizi Papacharissi), pp. 39-58. Collins, S. (2010). Digital Fair: presumption and the fair use defence. Journal of Consumer Culture, 10(1). Dawley, S. (2017). A comprehensive guide to social media ROI. Hootsuite. https://blog.hootsuite.com/measure-social-

media-roi-business/. Jackson, D. (2017). How to rise above social media algorithms. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-

media-algorithms/. Julig, L. (2014). Six tips for a killer hashtag marketing campaign. Social Media Examiner.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/six-tips-killer-hashtag-campaign/. Kagan, N. (2017). How to create viral content: 10 insights from 100 million articles. Ok Dork. http://okdork.com/why-

content-goes-viral-what-analyzing-100-millions-articles-taught-us/. Kirby, D. (2016). The role of social media in film marketing. Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-m-

kirby/the-role-of-social-media-_b_10571026.html. Kornblet, S. (2017). How to legally use images in yoru social media marketing. Social Media Examiner.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-legally-use-images-in-social-media-marketing/. LePate, E. (2017). How to create a social media marketing plan in 6 steps. Hootsuite. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-

create-a-social-media-marketing-plan/. MacLeod, S. (2015). How to engage any demographic with a social media campaign. Hootsuite.

https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-engage-any-demographic-with-a-social-media-campaign/. MIT Tech Review (2013). Racism is poisoning online ad delivery, says Harvard Professor.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/510646/racism-is-poisoning-online-ad-delivery-says-harvard-professor/. Sailer, B. (2017). How to crush social media campaign planning. CoSchedule Blog. https://coschedule.com/blog/social-

media-campaign-planning-template/. Sharma, A. (2017). Your social media news feed and the algorithms that drive it. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/05/15/your-social-media-news-feed-and-the-algorithms-that-drive-it/#b2ecd314eb8c.