A bittersweet farewell

After going over our last reading, Social media ROI – a calculator for not for profit campaigns, I’m filled with a sense of awe and accomplishment.

Not necessarily because of the reading itself, but for what the reading represents.

The reading detailed how social media campaigns, specifically for non-profits, can be measured in dollar value. It also linked to a “calculator” that outlined the formula to determine whether or not using social media would be cost efficient.

Instead of regurgitating the formula, I’d like to speak to what this reading represents, and what this course as a whole has represented: the dawn of an era that we are already a part of… perhaps the “age of information.”

This course has been invaluable in opening my (if not all of your) eyes to what is out there. It’s forced us to step outside of our bubbles, and has exposed us to countless new phenomena, issues, ideas and happenings.

After all, who knew a calculator existed that could determine the value of a social media campaign? Who knew that online communities could serve as the new grief counsellors, or that Twitter could serve as a platform for both scientific experiments and pizza sales?

This course has helped me realize the power of the Internet (more specifically, Web 2.0), and that all of this information and more is (quite literally) at our fingertips.

The possibilities are endless, and in our social and professional lives, we are being thrust into this new world that is expanding exponentially.

Professionally, this course has given me a new perspective in terms of what my future career(s) may hold, what will be expected of me, and what I will need to do to stay afloat. It’s caused me to revise my personal ethics and moral standards, as it’s obvious that these facets will have to expand and adjust to fit each new wave of growth.

I took this course as an elective, but I think  it’s been one of the most useful courses I’ve taken so far in this degree. In fact, I think it should be made mandatory – not only in PR, but in degrees such as Business, Psychology, Sociology and Cultural Studies as well.

This has also been one of the most demanding courses I’ve taken so far. That being said, I think it’s been justified because of the massive amount that we’ve had to learn, and that without the push, we would not have retained nearly as much.

I’ve learned more from this blog than from most text books I’ve read, so thank you all for that!

Signing off for the last time…