Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Online Communities
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish
Teaching staff
For arranging tutory time or to contact the instructor you can do it at lmartinv@uic.es
Introduction
Nowadays, the core of communication lies in the digital ecosystem. The sustained and continuous growth of internet access and its multiple applications is reshaping the landscape of Journalism and Advertising. In this context, Communication professionals need to develop new skills that help them face this paradigm shift and embrace technological innovations that affect the way we communicate.
Our social and professional lives are now filled with new opportunities for dissemination, new ways of producing and distributing content, and communicating with audiences. In this context, disciplines such as journalism, audiovisual communication, marketing, or advertising are blending and merging into one ecosystem. This course offers a broad understanding of this reality with clear practical applications of digital .
Objectives
- Understand how the emergence of the Internet has transformed marketing, communication, business, and culture.
- Identify and master the main tools of Marketing in this digital context.
- Understand the new ways of producing and disseminating content through digital tools.
- Develop a personal branding strategy.
- Apply knowledge of innovative practices in digital marketing focused on specific and measurable objectives.
- Develop digital marketing and communication action plans.
- Master the most relevant content management tools.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 06 CG - The ability to read, analyze and synthesize
- 08 CG - The ability to reflect and memorize.
- 09 CG - The ability to innovate
- 10 CG - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic repertoires
- 16 CE - The ability to make judgments and well-argued critical assessments
- 23 CE - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze mass media products
- 24 CE - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze contemporary legal and political institutions
- 25 CE - Ability to contextualize and critically analyze macroeconomic aspects
- 38 CE - Knowledge and mastery of concepts, data, statistics and economic graphs
- 54 CE - The ability to analyze and understand audiences
Learning outcomes of the subject
- Understand the characteristics of Web 2.0 and its implications in marketing and communication.
- Distinguish the main formats and digital advertising tools.
- Design a plan for social media and digital communication.
- Develop a digital marketing plan and understand the main metrics and indicators to assess the degree of achievement of set objectives.
- Master the main tools for managing and disseminating digital content.
Syllabus
Topic 1: Introduction to digital marketing and online communities
Topic 2: Types of media: own, paid and earned
Topic 3: Digital use and consumption: audience analysis and metrics
Topic 4: Inbound marketing and content marketing
Topic 5: Applied digital content generation workshop
Topic 6: Digital Marketing Plan I
Topic 7: Digital Marketing Plan II
Topic 8: Digital communication applied to digital media
Topic 9: Personal branding plan for communicators
Topic 10: Social Selling. Employee Advocacy. Employer Branding.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
- Lectures- you will need to take notes to remember concepts, ask questions and prepare for in-class discussions-; mentoring; guest speakers.
- The participation is based on your participation class discussions, doing the class activities as well as listening and providing feedback to your peers and the teacher.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0,4 |
| Meeting Point. Meetings will be organised with notable people from the professional and scientific fields or the international field, and students. These sessions will take the form of conferences, work sessions, discussions, or interviews, etc. | 0,4 |
| Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. | 1,2 |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 1,0 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Students must pass with 50% of the final grade. In the event of failing they will have to submit a project in the 2nd call that will be 100% of the grade. Should they fail to pass in the 2nd call, they will have to retake the course.
-
Attendance and Participation (15%): All course participants must attend class regularly since the content of the course is built up over time and each class is a continuation of the next. Students who miss classes will find it hard to follow the module. Students must actively participate in class and come prepared with questions and discussion points. There will be a participation bonus for those who stand out during class capped at 15%.
-
Assignment #1 (25%): In-class presentation
Students will be assigned a social network platform, and they will have to prepare a presentation. The presentation should focus on how the content is created in those platforms, its impact, communities fostered in those platforms and how brands use them, and the inner works of the algorithm (should they have it). The aim is to understand the hidden workings of each platforms and how brands can make the most of it.
Type: in-class group activity.
3. Assignment #2 (25%): Social media Consultant
Students need to select an existing brand or influencer and do a social media audit. The outcome should focus on what the brand/influencer is doing well as well as what is wrong and what are the strategic recommendations and success metrics to focus on based on class learnings and independent research. Students must also present a crisis the brand/influencer went through and critically assess how they handled it on social media. Students will present their ideas using slides.
Type: Groups of 3
Deliverable: 20min Presentation in class (15min + 5min Q&A).
4. Assignment #3 (35%): Online Communities Strategic Plan
In groups, students are required to pick a social media influencer or a brand and create the audience marketing strategy based on learnings throughout the module. Students have to cover the WHO, HOW, WHAT, and WHEN of the strategy. The outcome should be submitted in slides and in a written document with proper citations and references.
-
Make sure to have clear references using a consistent style like APA.
-
For the written document, it is expected to adhere to university level formal standards.
Type: Group Work
Deliverable: 30 slides or 1800-word written report
Bibliography and resources
|
Textbooks and Additional References |
|
|
1. |
Derek Thompson (2017). Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction. Jeffrey K. Rohrs (2013). |
|
2. |
Anita Elberse (2013). Blockbusters: Why Big Hits –and Big Risks– are the Future of the Entertainment Business. Faber & Faber. London. |
|
3. |
Guy Kawasaki (2014). The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users. Portfolio/Penguin, London. |
|
4 |
Tim Wu (2016). The Attention Merchants: From the Daily Newspaper to Social Media, How Our Time and Attention Is Harvested and Sold. Atlantic Books, London. |
|
5. |
Albert-László Barabási (2002). Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life. Perseus Books Group. |
|
6. |
danah boyd (2014). It's complicated : the social lives of networked teens. New Haven :Yale University Press, |
|
7. |
Essays and journal articles as listed on syllabus. |