Session 1 – Planning your project

You’ve been given an opportunity to prove to yourself, the public, and future employers and clients, that you’re capable of consistently producing quality content for digital platforms. Beyond simply a valuable asset, that skill is increasingly becoming a necessity for communications professionals. So keep that in mind as you approach this coursework, and aim to produce something that is exciting, uniquely you, and manageable.

Today’s update focuses on that ‘manageable’ bit. I want you to think big and bold, but I don’t want you to bite off more than you can chew. Here are some simple guidelines for developing an appropriate project idea, and for using the social media platforms that are most appropriate for your goal.

1)  Be able to state the goal of the project in one sentence.

Your goal should be clear enough to explain easily, and deep enough to be able to approach dynamically. Here’s a hypothetical example: I’d like to highlight COSTAATT’s efforts to adapt and grow during this pandemic.
This is a timely topic, it’s niche and relatively untouched, and I can engage with it in several different ways. I can interview lecturers and students about how they’re dealing with exclusively online classes. I can speak to administrators about marketing and outreach. I can visit the campuses and lime with the essential staffers. There’s plenty room for exploration, and for content creation.

2) Select the social media platforms that can help you achieve your goal.

Consider the best ways to present and share your work. Interviews are a major component of my example above. I can write the more in-depth ones, use my phone to record video of my more casual discussions with my fellow students, and probably record a few audio interviews with lecturers.
I can use a WordPress blog as my main project hub, and as the home of my longer text interviews. I can upload my video and audio discussions to YouTube, or probably use SoundCloud for the audio. I’ve already incorporated three platforms into my project, and I’ll undoubtedly use more over time.
Finally, I’ll want to use a Facebook Like page to share my updates with as wide an audience as possible. Anytime I post a new interview or upload a new video, I can share the link on the Facebook page to notify my followers. I might even start up a Twitter feed for the same reason. My audience can engage more conveniently and directly with me on a Facebook page, which could help me with new interview ideas etc.

(It’s important to note here that you can seek out any social media platform or service that you think is relevant to your project. You don’t need to stick to what I’ve listed here.)

3) Plan at least six major pieces of content, posts, or updates.

This is crucial. Before you begin, you should be able to identify what you’ll be working on and posting to your project week by week for at least the first half of the semester. This shows you how sustainable your project is. If you’re having trouble coming up with content ideas this early, you might want to choose another project. So list all the photography or design themes you plan to work on. All the TTFF movies you intend to watch and review. All the meals you intend to cook or craft and cosmetic items you intend to create.
For my example project, I can list the lecturers and administrators I want to interview. I can also plan to visit the cafeterias and lounges at the various campuses on specific weeks to talk with students. There shouldn’t be any scarcity of content opportunities.

4) Introduce your project to the world.

You’ve decided on a project goal, you’ve identified the platforms you’ll use to share your creation with the world, and you’ve planned a good number of individual pieces of content. Time to get started.
Write (or film, or record) an introductory post that clearly explains your project goal, and clearly links to all of the different platforms you’ll be using. This post should be on whichever platform you’ve chosen as your main content spot, and it will serve as an About Me for new followers. Start your thread on the COMM 351 Facebook group, and start creating!

That’s our session for today. As always, feel free to email me for any further information, and check the Files section in the Facebook group for this session’s slides.