More PR Students Enrol for Social Media Course

More PR Students Enrol for Social Media Course

By Yushau A. Shuaib

social media

Postgraduate students for Masters in Public Relations have continued to take more interest in social media course because of its relevance in the fast changing modern communications.

At the University of Westminster, London, more than 80 percent of the students of Masters of Arts (MA) in Public Relations register for the New Media module which is an optional course, where other courses could not get enough enrolments.

The Social media tools which have become fads in the last five years do not require enormous resources to set up like the traditional media as they are affordable and accessible in publishing and exchange information between individuals and groups.

In one of the practical assignments over 20 students created individual webcasts within 48 hours where they embedded different social media components in their blogs which include video, podcast and bookmarking tools on the importance of Social Media in Public Relations.

Each of the students blogs, listed in another PR student’s blog yashuaib.wordpress.com, provides sociological and cultural concepts behind social media and their relevance to PR. They also point out the benefits and negative aspects of SM to clients through animated graphics and videos.

While basic rudiments of online PR are taught in the class, the students accomplish the task through extensive online tutorials on social media platforms.

Majority of the students disclose that the future of Public Relations rests on the application of new media platforms to relate effectively with the publics.

Some of the student-bloggers observed that the social media is yet to have theoretical frameworks for academic researches because of its newness. Nevertheless they are convinced it offers practical applications of the tools for information sharing, exchange of ideas and feedback to measure impacts of campaign and other PR activities.

Social Media which was non-existent some few years ago ranks high as inevitable course for most universities where Public Relations programmes are offered. The traditional media like television, radio and newspapers are also utilising the social media platforms to engage their target audiences.

The List of MA PR Class 2010 Blogs:

• Aneta’s PR Blogging
• Ayesha’s Blog
• Babusha’s Reflective PR Blog
• Carol’s PR Blog
• Diksha’s PR Blog
• Divya’s Inside
• Filipo’s Thrift Shop of Ideas
• Gaye’s Contemporary Issues
• Jayne’s Issues in PR
• Jey’s PR Blog
• Jon’s PR Blog
• Kat’s Everything About PR
• Louisa PR
• Marlena’s PR Blog
• Menglu Wang’s Blog
• Naj La Blog
• Nandita’s PR Blog
• Nisha’s PR Perspectives
• Raylene’s PR and SM Blog
• Roxana’s Contemporary PR
• Samya’s World PR Today
• WuViola’s Beyond Babel
• YAShuaib’s PR Blog

Debating Lobbying for PR or Legal Practice

DEBATING LOBBYING FOR PR OR LEGAL PRACTITIONERS

For some years I have always get excited about Lobbying as a profession. Coming to the University of Westminster to study for a Masters programme in Public Relations was seen as an opportunity for me to further study interesting subject of Public Affairs/Lobbying which I learnt is as one of the modules that will be taught. Though we have a group on blog on Public Affairs/ Lobbying, I am just surprise that not many post-graduate students are interested in this dynamic and sensitive specialised communication. Instead of being lone ranger for a course which many are not keen to study in the next semester, I decide to study Political Communication… hoping it will cover element of Lobbying as one of the themes.

I have been compiling some reference materials with the hope of sharing it during the Lobbying Class and I am therefore compelled to share them with you in this forum. My interest on Lobbying started some years ago after reading about the influence of lobbyists in the socio-political and economic policies and programmes of advanced countries like UK, US and some European countries. Lobbyists are extremely powerful. They are behind some powerful decisions and policies of government as they promote different causes.

Sometimes in May 2005, as a member of the International Public Relations Association IPRA, I instigated a debate on position of lobbying as communication, asking members of the forum PR practitioners on the platform of its listserv: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipra/ to help me with an answer to a question on lobbying.

My question with generate a lot of curiosity and intensive debate and discussion is very brief and it goes like this:

“It is said that lobbying is an aspect of Public Relations. In my country some lawyers say that it is part of their functions. Please may I ask: how does it operate in Public Relations or in your environment? – Yushau Shuaib”

Many comments and opinions came from members in Europe, America, Asia, Middle East and African continent. At the end the then IPRA Board Member, Richard Linning, after raising the debate about lobbying at the IPRA Board in Istanbul, had the Board and Council’s approval for the following:

Step one – create a searchable library of codes of practice – legislation and other appropriate documents – from around the world on the IPRA web site

Step two – examine these for points they have in common (who and how is yet to be determined but enlisting academic support would seem appropriate)

Step three – contribute to national and international debate about the issue – for example in the EU where there is new interest in a code of practice .. and

Step four – consider an IPRA Code of Lobbying Practice which reflects all of the above.

Such a Code – and the debate which lead to it – could be published as a Gold Paper.

It was pointed out that such a project will not be possible without the active participation of interested and involved IPRA members. Therefore further suggestions as to how that should be managed were sought.

YAShuaib

www.yashuaib.com