Editorial: Embrace social media opportunities

Multiple steps will be taken in the Journalism City newsroom to increase the involvement of social media and the Internet in this week of Girls State. As the Internet and social media become evermore popular not only to young people but adults as well, they are becoming better platforms for uses in the Girls State week.

The biggest way the Internet is being integrated further this year is the new daily broadcast, which will be made and posted online for the first time ever at South Dakota Girls State. The Media & Journalism department here at the University of South Dakota will be assisting in the production of several issues of an online Girls State broadcast. In the broadcast, a few members of Journalism City will recap the day’s events, mentioning main things that happened throughout the day. Also included in the broadcast will be reminders about events and happenings to come in the following days.

The Internet is also being utilized in innovative ways this week to host live webcasts of events. The webcasts will be on USD’s website. To find where the broadcasts are posted, type ‘USD Girls State’ into Google. The link to the webcast will be on the website. The webcasts will show live videos of the events taking place this week, such as the self-defense class, the talent show, and the speakers at the general assemblies. The USD website will also contain updates of the daily elections. This way, friends, family members, and other individuals will have a chance to be a part of the Girls State experience, even though they are unable to attend.

Social media will also be used this week. On Twitter, be sure to use the hashtag SDGirlsState15 to bring your Girls State-related posts to the attention of the Journalism City staff. If you have something extra quirky or insightful to say, you just might see it featured in an issue of the Scroll!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Chuck Baldwin is the journalist in residence for USD, and also serves as the adviser for the production of the Sacajawea Scroll at Girls State. In an interview, Baldwin stressed the importance social media is starting to have everywhere, especially in the careers we may find ourselves in in the future. Many successful businesses have started to utilize social media to sell and advertise their products and services. Through the past years, brand-new jobs have been created just for people who have social media experience, so there is a professional willing to optimize the potential social media holds for companies.

Girls State is a learning experience not only for those campaigning and running for office and getting to know more about politics, but for everyone present to grow in knowledge and confidence about the variety of media being used throughout the week.

The main point he wanted to stress is how easy learning how to use technology to do things such as make a website, use Twitter and Instagram, and shoot and edit video footage can be. He mentioned that even though his knowledge on making websites is limited, it only took him thirty minutes to get the basics of his very first website done when he was just starting out.

It is becoming evident that learning to use social media and the Internet in smart, effective ways will be paramount to success in our future jobs. As Chuck Baldwin said, “Just about anything you do now when you go into a career, you need to learn how to use social media-.”