Social Media Assignment
Format: Written notes/impressions (uploaded to Blackboard)
and a 2:00-3:00 minute extemporaneous oral presentation, delivered in class.
Task:
For this assignment, you will examine the social media presence of two companies operating in the same market and prepare a brief presentation on each company’s use of social media.
- First, choose two competing companies in the same market, e.g. soft drinks, brand management, financial services, etc. As much as possible, try to ensure that this is a comparison of companies that do similar things. Two companies that produce motorcycle tires could be a great choice while a company that produces bicycle tires and a motorcycle tire company would be an awkward pair.
- Second, review and take notes on how each company uses social media—whenever possible compare on at least two platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc)
- Third, prepare a brief (2:00-3:00 minutes) long presentation in which you talk about how each company projects an online presence through social media. Finally, upload your notes/impressions for the presentation to Blackboard and come to class on the due date prepared to speak.
Purpose:
The assignment is designed to help you start distinguishing between how we use social media as private individuals and how companies use social media as part of their internal and external communication. While we instinctively know that social media use changes, like other forms of communication, in different contexts and with different audiences, it is useful to see how different companies project a presence through social media. This assignment should help reinforce how these uses differ as well as exemplify how companies use social media.
Evaluation:
Our key standards of professionalism, clarity, and concision will drive this evaluation, but there is emphasis both on what you say and how you say it. Presentations that stay within the time window, have a planned introduction and conclusion, and offer a few meaningful points about social media use by these companies will succeed. Presentations that omit one or more of these or fall well outside the time limit will not be evaluated as positively.