Welcome to Digital Media Issues. I’m excited about meeting all of you and getting started with the class. We’ll be discussing a range of digital media issues, starting with some background and foundational materials, then moving to contemporary topics. I want to hear about your interests. All course modules will be online, and we’ll do some meetings via Google Hangout. It should be a fun and quick summer session. All of the work will be presented as lessons on TRACS, but links to the readings are also available on this website.

Here’s a brief discussion of some of this week’s topics. Please watch. See you on the Hangout next week.

Now that you have had time to work on a digital presence (and plan to continue after this class), you should think about ways you can network. This is an important step in a career hunt, and it’s something you should start well ahead of actually needing a job. Going to meetups with professionals may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. The Austin area has many meetup, and you can try out several. Find ones where you feel interested and comfortable.

I also advise students to attend at least one meetup that stretches your skills, something you know nothing about. You have the most potential to learn when you are the least knowledgeable in the room. People are nice, and they like to meet students and recent grads.

Meetups are as much about what you bring to the community as what the community can do for you. It’s a two-way street. So, find groups that interest you enough to regularly attend and contribute. Eventually, you might even get asked to be a speaker. Who knows… you might even decide to host your own meetup group someday!

A good first step is to take Mass Comm Week seriously this fall. Don’t just attend the events that you have to (required for a class). We bring in multiple professionals and provide opportunities for students to meet with them. This event has grown to one of the most premier conferences in the region. This year, it will be held Oct. 21-24, and the schedule should be available soon after the fall semester begins at txstatemcweek.com.

There are a couple of calendars that list meetups in town. Check with the actual meetup group to make sure they still meet at the same time/place indicated.

• Geek Austin Tech Meetups
• ATX Web Show Calendar

Here are a few that I have attended:

• Hacks/Hackers ATX – this is Austin chapter of the international organization that brings together journalists and programmers. I am one of the co-founders. It meets with the Online News Association Local chapter.  @HacksHackersATX
• Social Media Club – this is a good place to start. They usually meet on the UT Campus (but not always), in the old ACL studios. They have speakers on a variety of general topics related to social media. We have a Student Social Media Club chapter at TXST (we were the 1st student chapter in Texas), and it could use some new leadership, so let me know if you are interested in reviving it. @SMCAustin
• Refresh Austin – this is a great group if you are interested in Web design or development. @RefreshAustin
• Austin on Rails – This is a meetup for Ruby on Rails developers. This is the one that I attend to stretch my technical know-how. Nice people, working for cool companies. @AustinonRails

Here are some others that may interest you:

• Women Communicators of Austin
• Austin JavaScript Meetup
• Austin WordPress Meetup
• Girl Develop IT Austin
• Women Who Code Austin
• Austin All Girl Hack Night

There are plenty of student orgs in addition to the student Social Media Club, like Society of Professional Journalists and Public Relations Student Society of America. Check around campus for different opportunities.

Of course, if you can attend SXSW Interactive in March, that is an awesome opportunity to learn and meet new people. Another great conference in the area is the International Symposium in Online Journalism, held in the spring at UT.

There are also great meetups to attend out of town (NICAR, Online News Association, etc), but I have focused on those that are in the area.

I’m sure there are lots more. Get out there, finds groups that interest you, start talking to people and grow your professional network!

Here’s a Storify of the Grad Life pictures assignment I gave you.

Welcome to the class, everyone. I am excited to get started with this semester. We’ll be covering a lot of ground quickly, doing much of it online. On most weeks, we’ll have online work on Mondays and Tuesdays, meet for discussion and exercises on Wednesdays. During the final week, we’ll meet on Monday and Tuesday for research paper presentations. Check the schedule, as we will meet on Monday and Wednesday in San Marcos during the first week.

Assignments will include blog posts and material presentation. We’ll discuss on the first night of class. The first night is Monday, July 8 at 6pm in Old Main 238.

I’ll post everything you need to this site. Updates and reminders will appear on the home page. You can see the full schedule on the Outline. And, the other links will provide more information about the class and myself.

I really enjoy teaching this class. I get to talk about all the new and important issues in technology and get to hear your ideas and impressions. Feel free to email me if you have any questions croyal [at] txstate.edu.