Editor’s note: In the spirit of Business Week 2013: The World of Social Media, you can see some of the tasks the students have completed as part of the social media blitz on our just launched Storify page»
BUIES CREEK — Social media tools — Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and the like — aren’t just a fad; they’re changing the way we communicate and even how we live our lives. So said three social media experts from Ignite Social Media and Capstrat during a panel discussion on Monday, Feb. 11, that kicked off the Campbell University Lundy-Fetterman School of Business’ Business Week 2013.
And this emergence of social media, and the growing integration of it into our lives, has implications for business, which is why social media is the theme of Business Week 2013, said Lundy-Fetterman School of Business Dean Ben Hawkins.
“Many of our students use social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter,” Hawkins said. “What we’re hoping to do is to give them a greater understanding of the business potential of this whole social media realm. There is a business aspect to what many of our students perceive as a social activity.”
Since 2006, the business school has hosted the annual three-day Business Week to raise awareness for its programs, to connect students with potential employers, and to provide specific activities that focus on a particular issue related to business.
Business Week 2013: The World of Social Media opened Monday night in a packed Lynch Auditorium where Nicole Wyche, a social media strategist at Ignite Social Media; Craig Carter, a creative writer at Ignite Social Media; and Jay Dolan, a social media strategist at Capstrat; addressed the growing role of social media tools in business, including their effects on branding, customer service and crisis management.
“Social media is growing, and it’s going to get only more advanced,” said sophomore Ericia Baldwin, a business administration major who attended the panel discussion. “Lectures like tonight help us understand more of where the world is going and where business is going.”
Activities for Business Week 2013 continue Tuesday night at 7 o’clock when attorney James Vann ’86 will present a lecture in Lynch Auditorium on the legal issues surrounding social media.
To complement these lectures and discussions, students in the business school are also being encouraged to participate in a social media blitz. Working in teams, they’re completing a list of tasks on and around the campus, documenting their activities using social media tools such as Twitter and Instagram, and tagging their content with the hashtag #BizWeek2013. The tasks range from getting their photo taken with one of Monday night’s speakers to trying on a wedding dress at a consignment shop. The team with the most points for tasks completed wins a cash prize. The hope is that the students will learn how to strategically use social media, Hawkins said.
The 2nd annual Pig A Palooza Cookout for Lundy-Fetterman students, faculty and staff will cap off Business Week 2013 on Wednesday evening, when the school will also announce the winning team of the social media blitz.
“The social media blitz is a good way to get students involved beyond just attending lectures,” said Katelyn Gardenhire, a fifth-year student in the 3/2 MBA program. “It was also was designed to capture what life is like as a Lundy student, so prospective students can see what we’re doing.
“It’s fun,” she added. “I’m enjoying it, and it’s a way to help us remember the theme of the year and the lessons from the speakers.”
Article by Cherry Crayton, digital content coordinator