Where next for EuroBlog ?

1. Where next for EuroBlog? Euprera Spring Symposium 2010

2. The story so far • Snap shot surveys – 2006, 2007 • Five symposiums, SMA Awards • Useful but limited online resources • Emergence of first dedicated texts

3. On the drawing board • Comprehensive analysis of impact on practice • Need for a framework for case studies etc • Support teaching and research • How academia is responding • Creation of shared Euprera online teaching resources

4. Challenges we face • Demand: Students enjoy practical and theoretical modules • Demand: (In UK) employers are searching for graduates for new skills • Commitment: Relatively low engagement by Euprera members • Funding: Sponsorship achieved for events but not for research

5. Current research: Aim • To conduct a survey of how social media is being taught in public relations degree courses across Europe

6. Questions • Definition of “public relations degree course”. • Where will we get our sample? • Sampling frame • Unit of Analysis • Course/programme? • Institution? • Other? • Pilot studies – draw up lists of courses in • UK (Derek Hodge) • Portugal (Bruno Amaral)

7. UK Undergraduate Degrees • Chartered Institute for Public Relations (CIPR) accredited list • Search on websites of universities on CIPR list • UCAS website – courses categorised as subject “public relations” • UCAS website – text search on “public relations” • Included Joint/Combined Major/Dual/Minor

8. UK Masters Degrees • CIPR List • Search websites of institutions offering undergraduate degrees • PREF emailing list • http://www.findamasters.com/ search on public relations

9. Included • Anything with Public Relations in title • Corporate Communications • Anything on CIPR List • Political Lobbying and Public Affairs • Strategic Communication • Communication, Advertising and Marketing • Marketed as PR and offered by departments also offering courses with public relations in title • International Applied Communication • International Communication • Public Communication Management

10. Out • Marketing Communications • Political Communications • Scientific Communications • Financial Communications • Events Management • Fashion Promotion

11. Offered for 2010-2011 • 207 Undergraduate Degrees • 32 Single Honours • 92 Public relations and .......... • 83 ......... and public relations • 21 (27?) CIPR Approved • 35 Masters Degrees • 16 (18?) CIPR Approved

12. Single Honours (32)

13. Public Relations and ........... (83)

14. ........ and Public Relations (83)

15. Masters (35)

16. Problems Using Course as Unit of Analysis • Very large numbers of Joint/Combined undergraduate degrees • Many of which are only theoretical options – “nobody takes them”.

17. Alternative Units of Analysis • Institution – 42 UK universities offer courses in public relations • But 8 of offer PR courses in multiple departments/faculties/schools • 7 institutions in 2 places • 1 institution in 3 places • “Teaching Team” as unit of analysis (n = 51) • Who fills out survey form? • Small population – need a high response rate if we are to be able to make meaningful comparisons with other countries.

18. Departments, Faculties, Schools etc

19. Next Steps • Content Analysis of websites • Questionnaires • Can we get Euprera members willing to prepare sampling frames for other countries? • Is it worth proceeding with the survey?

20. Towards a teaching tool … • Knowledge • K1. A critical understanding of the influence of social media on public relations practice. • K2. A critical understanding of the theoretical approaches to the study of social media in the context of public relations. • Skills • S1. An advanced ability to engage with a broad range of social media platforms on behalf of a broad range of client organisations. • S2. An advanced ability to research, plan, implement and evaluate social media elements of strategic communications.

21. What we do in Sunderland Week 1What is social media? Overview of technologies and contexts Markets as conversations How to use online tools – delicious etc Week 2 Brand of me Building reputation in the online world Week 3 Reach, Transparency, Porosity, Aggregation Key theoretical concepts needed to understand online PR

22. What we will do Week 4 Getting noticed Building content and reputation Week 5 Crowdsourcing and Wikinomics Understanding Mass Collaboration Week 6 We the Media: How news is changing Rethinking news models. Implications for PR

23. What we will do Week 7 Sociology of Social Networks/ Blogger relations Who are the influencers? Who to talk to. Risk management Week 8 Net, Blogs and Rock ‘n’Roll What the music industry tells us about search and discovery Week 9 Integrating social media into corporate comms Why the business plan matters

24. What we will do Week 10 Privacy 2.0: Ethics and transparency Are there any boundaries to personal space? Week 11 Social media and social change How activism is using new technologies Week 12 Future PR: adventures in time and space How to plan for the unknowable

25. What you will read • Brown, B (2009) Public Relations and the Social Web London: Kogan Page • Gillmor, D (2004) We the Media USA: O’Reilly • Jennings, D (2007) Net, Blogs and Rock’n’Roll London: Nicholas Brealey • Phillips, D and Young, P (2009) Online Public Relations 2nd Ed London: Kogan Page • Scoble, R, & Israel, S (2006) Naked Conversations New Jersey: Wiley • Shirky, C (2008) Here Comes Everybody London: Penguin • Solis, B, & Breakenridge, D (2009) Putting the Public Back into Public Relations London: Pearson Education • Zittrain, J (2008) The Future of the Internet London: Allan Lane

26. What you will do • The module is assessed by: • CW1 Essay 2,000 words 40% - assesses learning outcome K1, K2 • CW2 Online Portfolio 60% - assesses learning outcome S1,S2

27. Over to you.... • Is more quantitative research needed? Possible? Volunteers? • Thoughts on Pedagogic survey? • Should social media be taught as a separate subject within comms? • Critical examination of teaching topics (handout)