Social Media Professor

Follow “iPadJournos” on Twitter and Facebook

Posted on February 18, 2012 by marcusmessner

This semester, I am teaching a Social Media Journalism class at VCU, in which all 14 student received an iPad to do mobile reporting projects. This innovative technology project is run in cooperation with VCU’s Center for Teaching Excellence and the Technology Services of the College of Humanities and Sciences (Hastech) as well as WTVR CBS 6 as a media partner. In the first six weeks of the semester, the students have been engaged on various social media platforms and visited a Social Media Club event this week. Social media experts like Scott Wise and Lorenzo Hall, executive producer and reporter at CBS 6, have also enriched the learning experience as guest speakers. Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs, Journalism, Social Media, Teaching | Tagged Blogs, CBS 6, CTE, Facebook, Hastech, iPad, Lorenzo Hall, Scott Wise, Social Media, Students, Twitter, VCU | Leave a comment

Should PR pros edit Wikipedia?

Posted on February 11, 2012 by marcusmessner

As the online encyclopedia Wikipedia grew in popularity, public relations professionals started monitoring the entries on their companies and organizations. Long forgotten scandals and crises suddenly began appearing again on Wikipedia and significantly increased the amount of negative content on major corporations. But what can PR pros do? Polish or rewrite the entries? I was interviewed by PR News on strategies that PR representatives can use to correct mistakes and update information without getting in trouble.

Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Public Relations, Research, Social Media | Tagged Business, corporations, Facebook, Fortune 500, PR News, Public Relations, Social Media, Wikipedia | Leave a comment

Social media for small businesses

Posted on February 10, 2012 by marcusmessner

While large corporations have implemented coherent social media strategies, small businesses still struggle to devote resources and time to an effective social media plan. I was interviewed by Jacob Geiger, editor of the business portal Work it, Richmond, on what small business need to do to engage on Facebook and Twitter, the worst mistakes that can be made as well as teaching social media at VCU. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Journalism, Public Relations, Social Media, Teaching | Tagged Audience, Blogs, Business, corporations, Facebook, Germany, iPadJournos, IYLEP, Ratemyprofessors.com, Small businesses, Social Media, Strategy, Twitter, VCU, Work it Richmond | Leave a comment

Privacy concerns over changes at Google and Facebook

Posted on January 28, 2012 by marcusmessner

Google introduces a new privacy and data aggregation policy for all of its platforms and Facebook makes its Timeline feature mandatory for all of its users. Both of these changes raise privacy concerns for millions of users worldwide. Bryan DeVasher, social media editor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, interviewed me on the consequences of the new policies and how to protect ones privacy. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Law, Social Media | Tagged Audience, Business, Facebook, Google, Privacy, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Social Media, Technology, Timeline, Users, YouTube | Leave a comment

Online protests for freedom of speech on the Internet

Posted on January 21, 2012 by marcusmessner

The proposed SOPA and PIPA legislation has not only triggered protests by new media companies, but it has also led to a widespread social media campaign that is likely to stall the bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress. I was interviewed on 97.3 WRIR’s Open Source with host Will Snyder on the success of online protests, the implications of the battle between traditional and new media and attempts to fight online piracy. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Government, International, Law, Politics, Social Media | Tagged Audience, Business, Congress, corporations, Democracy, Egypt, Facebook, Global, Google, Government, PIPA, Piracy, Protest, Social Media, SOPA, Strategy, Technology, Twitter, Wikipedia, WRIR | Leave a comment

The battle between Hollywood and Silicon Valley

Posted on January 20, 2012 by marcusmessner

The legislative efforts in the U.S. Congress to fight online piracy abroad have caused unprecedented protests by new media companies and organizations this week. The one-day shutdown of Wikipedia and highly publicized protest of Google, Facebook, Twitter and other websites triggered a public discussion over the extend of Internet regulation. I was interviewed by Richmond’s CBS 6 on the potential effects of the proposed SOPA and PIPA bills as well as the business battle between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Government, International, Law, Politics, Social Media | Tagged Audience, Business, CBS 6, Congress, corporations, Democracy, Facebook, Global, Google, Government, Hollywood, Newscorp, PIPA, Protest, Silicon Valley, Social Media, SOPA, Technology, Time Warner, Twitter, Wikipedia | Leave a comment

To tweet or not to tweet?

Posted on January 5, 2012 by marcusmessner

Social media platforms are great tools for journalists to reach their audiences instantaneously from the scene of breaking news. But social media can also put news scoops at risk for the traditional platforms of a news organization. The editor-in-chief of inVocus, Katrina Mendolera, interviewed me on the “catch-22″ of social media use by traditional news organizations. Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Legacy Media, Social Media | Tagged Audience, Facebook, inVocus, Newspaper, Scoop, Social Media, Strategy, Twitter | Leave a comment

First PressCamp in Bolivia

Posted on December 6, 2011 by marcusmessner

My former graduate student Miguel Souza, who graduated from our multimedia journalism program last year, helped to organize the first PressCamp in his hometown Santa Cruz in Bolivia this past weekend. I was invited to speak via Skype about social media usage in the United States. Continue reading →

Posted in International, Journalism, Research, Social Media | Tagged Blogs, Bolivia, Facebook, Global, Google, Mobile, Presscamp, Skype, Social Media, Strategy, Students, Technology, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube | Leave a comment

Social media and nonprofits

Posted on November 22, 2011 by marcusmessner

Social media can make a great difference for nonprofit organizations. A well-developed social media campaign can help build online communities around nonprofits’ causes, create collaborative environments and at the same time increase fundraising. Now, the Social Media Club of Richmond, ConnectRichmond, HYPE, The Hodges Partnership, and Floricane join forces for a workshop and networking event for nonprofits on Nov. 29 at the Library of Virginia. My colleague Jeff South and I will deliver the keynote on our students’ social media campaigns for nonprofits through the IYLEP Social Media Institute. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Public Relations, Social Media, Teaching | Tagged Audience, Campaigns, Iraq, IYLEP, Non-profit, SMCRVA, Social Media, Strategy, Technology, VCU | Leave a comment

New course: Social Media and the iPad

Posted on November 7, 2011 by marcusmessner

In the spring semester I will offer a special topics class “Social Media Journalism” in VCU’s School of Mass Communications. In the class, we will do hands-on social media reporting and portfolio building on various platforms. The class will also run an innovative technology project in cooperation with VCU’s Center for Teaching Excellence. Each student in the class will receive an iPad 2 for the duration of the semester. Students will be using the iPad 2 as a learning and reporting tool. This will be a university-wide pilot project at VCU and one of a few nationwide. Continue reading →