Life in Academe

Events and experiences that remind me that I’m a professor and I love working in higher education.

  • Social Media for Crisis Communication

    Social media outlets have a role to play as one tool in an effective crisis communication strategy, say researchers Shari Veil (University of Kentucky), Tara Buehner (University of Oklahoma), and Michael Palenchar (Univ of Tennessee, Knoxville). At the National Communication Association 2010 annual conference, they presented a paper entitled, “Increasing Dialogue in Disasters: Incorporating Social…

  • Connecting to Publics with Social Media

    Public relations practice has been dramatically impacted by social media. Papers presented in the Public Relations Division at the National Communication Association 2010 annual conference tied social media and web-based tools to core functions of public relations practice – using a variety of theoretical frames.  Each provides unique insights into the theory and practice of…

  • Theorizing Social Media

    Standing room only in a packed meeting room set the tone for a session on “Theorizing social media” at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, demonstrating the growing interest among communication scholars for understanding advancing technologies in the framework of existing communication theory. One attendee remarked, “All the scholarship on social media, when it is…

  • The State of the Communication Discipline

    The National Communication Association offered its inaugural “State of the Discipline” Address at the 2010 Annual Conference. Dr. David Zarefsky of Northwestern University was chosen to begin this discussion having attended 43 consecutive NCA conferences and served in numerous leadership roles. From Zarefsky’s perspective, is communication a discipline? “Yes and no.” We lack widely-known scholarly…

  • Social Media in PR: Is it really necessary?

    In what ways have social media expanded the ideas of public relations instruction? How does social media challenge traditional models of instruction? How can social media impact research? Is social media even valuable at all? These questions guided the conversation today in the NCA panel entitled,”Bridging Social Media with Teaching, Research and Practice: Exploring the…

  • Training Organizations for a Digital Marketplace

    Corporations, non-profits, and public institutions alike are all concerned with managing their images in online environments. Yet, use of a technology typically preceeds training on effective use of that technology. At the National Commmunication Association annual convention, researchers are presenting on the issues of conducting business in a global, virtual world. In sum, these papers…

  • Cloud Computing at NC State: Equitable Technology for all students?

    “What’s really interesting for communication scholars is the distance that we can go in a digital communication world.” In her presentation entitled “Cloud computing, virtual computing labs, and technologically facilitated communication: The promise of advanced technologies in teaching, learning, and the community,” Sarah R. Stein of North Carolina State University discussed connections between teaching, learning…

  • Language and Social Interaction in CMC

    Language and Social Interaction in CMC

    Scholars in language and social interaction study face-to-face, oral conversations. However, some are turning their attention toward Internet-based conversation. In this panel, entitled, “Language & Social Interaction Research into Internet-Mediated Communication,” presenters discussed the relationship between language, social interaction, and conversations on the Internet. The major question here is whether (1) the medium drives the…

  • Text Messaging and the Student Lifestyle

    “It’s the American Lifestyle!” An investigation of text messaging by college students Lynne Kelly, James A. Keaten, Bonnie Becker, Jodi Cole, Lea Littleford, & Barrett Roth, sponsored by the Human Communication and Technology Division, NCA 2010 Text messaging is “enchanting and addictive,” but young adults may see it as a gift-giving ritual for sharing friendship…

  • A Training Plan for NCA 2010

    Some of my colleagues say that I “out-conference” them. It might be true. I’ve seen some of them at past conferences juggling the enormous conference guides, trying to decide which session to see next, and asking me for tips toward a better conference experience. You know who you are. Even among large conferences, NCA is…