International Conference on Communication and Media Studies “Media and Creativity”

Introduction:

We live and breathe media, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour. News, television, social media, celebrity culture, music, and more. As the media and communication sector becomes ever more diverse and dynamic, and we are going to consume it, we also need to understand it. Today, the new bio-technical forms of life produced by mainstream digital media and by a whole range of artistic and non-artistic practices confront us with unprecedented theoretical questions, which can be dealt with by combining profound and perplexing perspectives. We need appropriate theoretical frameworks in order to understand the phenomena. Media studies require in-depth analysis and criticism. From newspapers, radio and television, to the Internet and mobile technologies, media, communication technologies, and information tools impact our daily lives in countless ways. We use them to socialize with others, to seek out or share information and entertainment, and to participate in social and cultural debates. But what are media, exactly? How do media institutions and technologies impact the development of society and culture and influence our activities and behaviors? In turn, how do users shape media? What role does the economic structure of media institutions play in shaping our relationship with them? In what ways does the organization and presentation of information influence our understanding of the world and our place in it? How are user-generated forms of media such as social networking sites, blogs, and collaborative informational sources like Wikipedia changing the modern media environment? These are just some of the questions the conference aims to answer. It will also focus on modern communication and information technologies, and try to discover the ways they influence our lives. The conference will bring together speakers from various fields, including mass media, film studies, games industries, political sciences, education, etc., creating closer ties and connections among scholars from different disciplines working on communication and media studies.

Targeted Groups:

• This conference is recommended for people who are already familiar with and using social media for their organization but need to increase their range of strategic tools and ensure that their approach is delivering measurable value to their organization.
• Marketing Professionals
• PR Professionals

Conference Objectives:

At the end of this conference the participants will be able to:

• Focus on what problems they can use social media to solve and what value this can create for their organization.
• Identify where the current strategy may have weaknesses, why these might have occurred, and how to fix them
• Understand the framework they need to have in place to ensure that social media creates measurable value for their organization
• Predict how the online space will evolve and what new types of tools and approaches are starting to emerge
• Ensure that social media is a function that becomes integrated into their organization, rather than sits in a silo
• Anticipate and manage any risks associated with using social media

Targeted Competencies:

• Social media channels
• Communication skills
• PR skills
• Strategic thinking
• Video planning
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Conference Content:

Unit 1: Advanced Social Media Skills for Communications and PR:

• New social media channels
• Social media integration: aligning online and offline strategies
• Content creation for social media
• Managing social media teams

Unit 2: Social Media Strategy:

• Adopt best practice based on case studies of highly successful approaches to online communication
• Create an online communication strategy for your organization
• Design systems and processes to guide and enable your organization to engage in online social media

Unit 3: Online Thought Leadership and Influencer Engagement:

• The Thought Leader in You
• The World of Online Influence
• Building your Own Influence Online
• Engaging Effectively with Online Influencers

Unit 4: Creating Video for Corporate Communications and the Web:

• Video planning
• Getting the best out of people on camera
• Practical video production workshop
• Video editing and post-production
• Online video sharing

Unit 5: Content and Search Optimisation:

• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Link and keyword strategies
• Optimizing news releases and website content for social media and search
• Content strategies