New Horizons Unfold for AKPsi - Social Media Bootcamp

The proliferation of technology and data is nothing short of remarkable. From Facebook insights, Google analytics, and Topsy to Iconosquare, Radian6, and NUVI, the assortment of toolkits out there that can harness your data is apparent, we just need individuals to interpret this information and tailor it to concrete objectives and goals.
 
Thus the first Social Media Bootcamp was brought to life for members of Alpha Kappa Psi on Friday, November 6th! This workshop brought a new set of skills to students interested in learning how to harness these data tracking platforms with hands on practice in the School of Communication.
 
After meeting with the Assistant Director for Convergent Media, Nathan Carpenter, the communications team of AKPsi was able to establish a workshop that would utilize NUVI- A Real Time Social Intelligence platform- in the Social Media Analytics Command Center (SMACC).

With only 3 Command Centers in the nation for college students, this room provides students with the opportunity to learn what major companies including State Farm, Southwest Airlines, Mastercard etc. are utilizing to their advantage in understanding how target audiences are communicating about their brand on social media. The flexibility and control of this program is what makes it unique and a desirable skill to learn. Whether its real time customer service, isolating a public relations disaster, or assessing the success/failure of a marketing campaign, this program provides you with all the information needed to give your brand a leverage on what’s being said via social media.
 
During the workshop, 12 members of AKPsi were divided into teams of 3 and assigned a monitor to interpret and navigate through with a “scavenger hunt” mindset. The “marketing analysts” looked up monitors that included:

• Star Wars Battlefront Beta
• United Way National
• Caterpillar
• Young America Realty

 
This collaborative team environment gave students the ability to learn through experiencing the platform and getting hands on practice. Post workshop, teams shared their findings with the other teams and overall what they learned during their first experience in the Command Center.
 
Looking towards a brighter future for the Xi-Psi chapter, we couldn’t be more grateful towards Nathan and the School of Communication! As we continue this relationship in conjunction with the College of Business at Illinois State University we’re excited to see where this new horizon takes us!
 
Until next time, enjoy the photos!
 
Ethan Rivera
Vice President of Communications