Covering Local Events via Social Media: A Case Study of The 2012 Texas Water Safari

Fazia Rizvi, Writer, Actor and former webmaster and technology support specialist for Texas State University @faziarizvi; Will Brown, Sports Reporter for the Victoria Advocate, @wwbrown19

For those who did not know about the Texas Water Safari in San Marcos will definitely know now. Fazia Rizvi has been supporting the water race event for a few years now but she noticed a big problem - nobody was tweeting! There was no social media hype about the Water Safari event and Fazia, (a non-journalist) decided to cover the event for people to follow live. 

Fazia had no prior experience of journalism, but little did she know she was the main person to give information to the public. All she needed was a camera, her phone, and cell phone reception to cover and interview people at the event. 

Unfortunately, for the first time in 50 years since the event, a racer died. When tragedy hit, Fazia covered the story. It gave people up to the minute information on the status of the racer and the race itself. It was heart breaking to the whole community that a fellow racer and friend had passed away. 

The point Fazia emphasized is that we are all journalists. We all have the ability to voice and cover an arrange of topics. Fazia encouraged students to start a blog now or start their journalism career now and not wait until after you graduate. The news will never end because there is always something the public should be informed about. If it wasn't for social media, Fazia would have found a different way, but as a journalist you use everything you can work with to share a story.

Will Brown also spoke with students in this panel to motivate students to be enthusiastic about writing. Brown said, "If you are enthusiastic about what you cover then people will follow." Brown explained that when you are covering an event, tweeting, blogging, etc.. keep your choice of words and body language upbeat. People will hear you if you say it right and say it loud. As a sports reporter for the Victoria Advocate, Brown knows that without enthusiasm he would make people bored. (Nobody wants that.) Brown said people can tell how excited you are by the choice of words you display on twitter and social media network sites. He said, "Social Media does not make up for old-fashioned reporting." 

So no matter where you are or what you do; we all have the power to be a journalist. The news is what makes the world go round and if there is nobody there to capture it or report it, then we will all be lost. When you report, report with confidence and enthusiasm. When you write, write consistently and choose your words wisely.

Social Media Outreach & Arts

Annie Werner, Tumblr, @annie_werner

Annie Werner is a San Marcos native, who made her way to New York City for college. She combined her passion for art and media and landed a job for the social media network Tumblr! 

Annie gave students insight on how Tumblr is trying to be a competitive media outlet for companies and people to use. She explained how Tumblr is becoming larger than ever with new audiences and new companies joining. However, she explained that Tumblr cannot work for every company. 

During the panel discussion a student asked, "How do I know which social media is good for my company?" Annie explained that Tumblr is a more visual tool than text. Annie explains, "It really depends on who your target audience is and how you brand your company." Annie wanted students to understand that they should know what will work best for their company and will not.

Annie was not only informational about the new features and tools Tumblr now has, but she also made an effort for students to acknowledge the importance to use social media for your business effectively. 

Video streaming by Ustream

Social Media: The New Kids On The Block

From right to left: Michael Bepko, Whole Foods, @bepkoboy; Jocelyn Lai, GSD&M, @jocelyn_lai, Courtney Doman, Spredfast, @cjdoman, Frank Burns, FeedMagnet; Kristen Sussman, Social Distillery, @KrisSuss

The New Kids On The Block was one of our sponsored events during mass communication week and it turned out to be a success! Students filled the seats of the theater room to hear professionals speak with emphasis on branding, social media and how to involve the public with your company using social media. 

Michael Bepko spoke with students on how he became the Social Media Manager for his company - Whole Foods, and gave tips on how to engage properly within the social media community. 

Jocelyn Lai spoke with importance on how to be the same in person as you are on social media. Social media is an invitation to the world to see what you are really like and you can control your image by controlling what information you give to the public. Not only did she talk about "personal branding," but also for your company. The key to maintain a following community is to engage, post relative content, and awareness of current trends.

Courtney Doman and Frank Burns also joined the conversation to stress students to get their feet wet in social media. By having knowledge in different social media and by getting your name out in the social media world, you can have an advantage and a feel of how these media tools can relate. They also encouraged students to start being active within their careers now instead of later. They encouraged students to join clubs, ask professionals and take internships to make sure what they want to do as a career suits them.