Get a (virtual) life

For a couple of years, students in my marketing and PR college courses have been blogging about the small business plans and projects they're developing for course credit. Today, after attending a public relations professional development workshop (PRSA Tulsa) about social media, I realized that I should be practicing what I'm teaching. The time has come for me to get a life . . . a virtual life, that is.

So I've embraced my inner geek and expanded my participation in social media with my own blog. Here I'll discuss my insights and lessons learned regarding marketing, public relations, technology, and education. Hey, it's a first step.

Social media is more than a buzzword. It's an increasingly popular and preferred medium for communicating with others regarding everything. And it's increasingly important if those with whom we wish to communicate are members of Generation X and Y and Millenial demographic groups. Social media allows one to join networks of individuals with common interests and resources.

So, to get started, here is one particularly helpful resource for those like me who are relatively new to social media. The Common Craft is a wonderful website that features brief, extremely effective videos that explain technology (and other topics) in laymen's terms. This is a great place to quickly understand the concepts of social media, blogs, wikis, and other terms used in the online world.

As you may have deduced, I am a marketing and public relations practitioner who traded in a corporate job for one of higher education. I finished my PhD in 2007 and now work with college students of all ages studying marketing, public relations, technology, and education. I always learn as much from my students as they learn in my courses. My educational research interests lie in hybrid format courses and instructional design. My business research interests lie in the interdependent relationship of marketing and public relations. My personal website is http://www.danamooregray.com/ and you can find me on Linked In.