Robert French will give a lunchtime seminar titled "Leveraging the PR Power of Social Media" at noon Thursday at the Opelika Sportsplex.
French has been a public relations instructor at Auburn for 13 years and saw the potential of social media early on. He said he hopes the free event will encourage members of the community to see the benefits of using social media for multiple purposes.
For French, the beginnings of social media were a way for him to broaden his students' horizons.
"This was the first time I could ever expose the students to what leaders in PR were thinking," French said. "Before then, you could buy one of two PR magazines and get snippets."
He said that many of his students have landed jobs and internships through the use of social media. In speaking at the Opelika Sportsplex Thursday, French hopes to encourage all ages about the usefulness of this technological tool.
"In the past we had conversations over the backyard fence called word of mouth," French said. "This is digital word of mouth. It's the same thing."
An example of this digital sharing is family.auburn.edu, a social networking site featuring audio and video posts about the University and community.
The site is maintained by PR students and updated frequently. A particularly popular element of the site shows the live video stream of Toomer's Corner managed by the City of Auburn.
Laura Leigh Pierce, public relations and special activities coordinator at the Opelika Sportsplex and a former student of French's, said she hopes the seminar will help others see the benefit of social media in business, among other things.
"We're hoping just to ... spread the knowledge about it," Pierce said.
Pierce said social media can be used as a tool for restaurants and businesses to attract customers.
Agreeing with French, Pierce said social media is an excellent tool for interaction.
"I think the interaction on Twitter is a lot better because you can hashtag something," Pierce said. "People can type that in and see what you're saying as opposed to what everyone else is saying. You get a lot of feedback that way."
Victoria Lavinder, sophomore in pre-nursing, said she follows the activity of some of her favorite organizations and restaurants on Facebook to get updates on special deals.
"Generally, it's only if ... I use it a lot will I look into it," Lavinder said.
Lavinder said while she sees the importance of social media growing, she makes a point to keep interaction personal and face-to-face as much as possible.
As the importance of social media grows, French stresses remembering to observe.
"The important thing is to first listen," French said. "So find people that have an interest like yours and listen to them, and then begin to have a dialogue with them--not about what you're trying to promote ... but talk to them about what they're doing."
He likened the process to any other friendship.
French said he hopes the seminar will ultimately spur more to try new social media tools and not fear its complications.
"Don't be afraid of it," French said. "Embrace it. Try it. You can be actively involved without ever writing a thing. Read. Listen.
"Once you've done that long enough, you're probably going to recognize there's a way you can use it to your own advantage, whether it's personal or business."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
