PROFESSIONAL USES OF SOCIAL MEDIA
ROBIN LIS
Introduction
My name is Robin Lis, and I am a senior marketing major at the University of Pittsburgh. I have extensive experience with social media. I have previously worked as a Social Media Intern for a startup craft beer magazine, ran the social media account for various on campus organizations (like Epsilon Sigma Alpha and PittServes), and have blogged for a number of years. I have completed multiple internships, all of which I was responsible for creating content calendars and running social media. My goals for this semester are to continue to expand my social media skills and attempt to master content planning. Another thing I hope to master is Twitter. I believe I am very well versed in Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. However, Twitter is an ever changing media source and I think this makes it more difficult than the other’s to navigate. I think social media is key to today’s professional world. Without these various platforms, companies would not have nearly as significant of a reach to their consumers. In addition to this, consumers communicate their opinions about brands and companies via social media so Public Relations is heavily based in social media now. As a young professional who would like to work in Public Relations or Advertising, I find social media to be a complex and enthralling source of media.
MIDTERM
Since the beginning of my class I think my views of social media have become more refined. I knew social media was used in a professional sense but I didn’t realize how much it could affect a company, or even a consumer. Every single post, or word can be scrutinized for multiple meanings and when done right you can reach your consumer. However, when mistakes happen it can be a disaster for an organization. I think the best way for me personally to learn about social media is to actually use it in a hands on way. A lot of the classes I have taken before are not as hands-on as I would like, and this can make learning a new platform hard. On the opposite hand, we’re not running any professional accounts so a good way to learn about social media is to observe. I think it’s really important to observe the mistakes many corporations have made, or how they make their voice cohesive before one tries to replicate it. Clearly, when we use social media it’s on a personal basis so we can’t speak for a company, which lowers the stakes. But, this does make it easier to learn how to use social media.
I think the process doc has helped me learn the most. This is because it really is so much of us actually doing the work, and taking the steps to develop something. For me a lot of the discussions aren’t as affective since everyone in the room is on a different level of knowledge within social media. As someone who has had multiple social media internships, and feels confident using it professional already it can be slow at times. Because of this, I wish we did less in class discussions and group work. I would prefer more feedback on my own work from the professor.
The thing that has been most difficult is learning the technical terms behind social media and the science behind it. As someone who has grown up with social media, it’s almost like relearning a language you already know and at times it can be confusing and seem redundant. I think it is important to learn about social media this way though, because it allows you to view it in a more professional light and platform for professional use.
I don’t feel overly connected to the course material, but that is because for me social media is mostly a means for personal use. I have used social media as part of a professional organization, and acted as their online voice. However, the work in this class is different and much more academic minded then what I have experienced in the professional landscape. In a way, I feel like I should have learned this before I ran those accounts.
I do enjoy the class and am interested to see how it continues along. I most enjoy working on the process doc and am excited to continue work on this, and (hopefully) receive feedback.
GALLERY
FINAL REFLECTION
Throughout my final semester in college, I used my time to develop this site which will act as my portfolio. The largest component of this site is a social media strategy I completed for a popular food blogger, Hungry Grl (@hungrygrl_bigcity). My Process Doc is a compilation of all the pieces I wrote throughout the semester to plan a strategy for Hungry Grl. However, the finalized and completed strategy can be found under the ‘Strategy’ section of this site.
There are also other sections of this site. In the ‘Story’ section I worked to tell a story through one media source. I choose to tell the story of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital using Instagram. In addition, I also completed an Op-Ed on ‘Why You Should Temporarily Quit Social Media’. As something I personally believe in, I felt compelled to share my experiences on social media. Part of those experiences include the negative side effects of social media.
Under the ‘About’ section you can find a little more information on myself. As well as, a link to my LinkedIn and information on how I use my social media. As a graduating senior in college, this was my last semester to create a piece of work I was proud of. This site showcases my hard work throughout the last semester of my college experience.
However, like most good things, everything comes to an end. I am excited to share the work in this portfolio as a way to showcase some of the work I completed for my Public and Professional Writing Certificate. In May, I will begin my venture into the ‘real world’ as an Assistant Merchant for Abercrombie & Fitch. While the work here is very different from what I will be doing in my career, I hope I can inspire someone through one of my pieces.
Happy reading; Cheers!