Texas Social Media Research Institute holds conference at Tarleton

Social media has undoubtedly engrained itself into everyday culture. So much so that Tarleton State University is now home to a research institute solely dedicated to this form of communication.

The new Texas Social Media Research Institute is marked as a “cross-collaborative initiative consisting of faculty, staff and students who are focused on social media in Texas.” The institute currently consists of about 15 researchers and student interns. The group will name its first Fellows in spring 2012.

The institute wrapped up this semester by hosting its first-ever Social Media Conference on campus Dec. 2. This conference included discussions ranging from how to use Facebook and Twitter to how they can be applied practically to the classroom, the non-profit sector and in business.

Dr. Jennifer Edwards, Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute and assistant professor of Communication Studies, said the conference was an excellent learning opportunity for students.

“Students can earn a Social Media Awareness Certificate – and perhaps extra credit from their professors – by attending sessions,” Edwards said. “Students can network with their peers and with people in their future industries.”

Students were also encouraged to present training sessions or workshops during the conference in order to build on their resume. The event was also expected to provide many different opportunities for attendees to learn about all aspects of social media.

“We will have training sessions focused on Google Documents, Twitter, Facebook, Four Square, Blogger and a wealth of other social media websites,” Edwards said. “In addition to the training sessions, we will have research sessions focused on social media and relationships, social media and business, the social media and the job search, etc.”

Other Universities were also represented at the conference. Edwards hopes this will provide students a chance to network with fellow collegiate students from other universities.

“We have conference proposals from colleges and universities ranging from Louisiana to Wisconsin,” Edwards said. “We received conference registration forms from local universities such as Texas Woman’s University, University of North Texas, Tarrant County College and many local businesses and agencies.”

The institute provides additional training sessions and consulting services for the Tarleton community regarding social media topics. The group recently hosted a Pinterest Party on Dec. 5.

Edwards is already looking to the future and what this institute could mean for Tarleton.

“I think this opportunity is a great opportunity for students, faculty, staff and other individuals who are interested in social media,” Edwards said. “This is an awesome opportunity for the campus because the Texas Social Media Research Institute’s primary goal is to serve as one of the first Texas-based hubs for social media research and training.”

For the future, the institute hopes to host this conference on an annual basis as well as offer additional training and development workshops for K-12 school districts, businesses and other organizations.

For more information about the institute, visit www.tarleton.edu/TSMRI