'Changing Media Landscape' at Edinboro

A crowd nearly large enough to fill the lecture hall in Edinboro University’s Compton Hall heard a conversational presentation from alumna Sarah J. Glover on Friday, Feb. 12, co-hosted by the anthropology and world language department, along with the journalism and public relations department.

Throughout the almost two hour conversation, Glover, the social media editor for NBC news affiliates and president of the National Association of Black Journalists, took time to explain the trends of modern media management, explaining that modern journalists need to be able to identify what consumers are looking for in content, and provide that service, using the various popular social media avenues such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Glover also illuminated some aspects of social media management for news organizations, and shared tips and tricks to get content noticed on various social outlets.

While much of the information presented could be utilized by journalism students in attendance when considering their futures, Glover’s history and experience, as well as her explanations for media trends, could be carried on and applied regardless of educational background. With mass media and the Internet accounting for a majority of news and information consumption across the globe, those interested in becoming media professionals have to spend time becoming not only accustomed to these venues, but proficient in them, according to Glover.

With this in mind, flexibility became an important point presented by Glover.

According to Glover, the most important thing an employee, especially one in the journalism field, can be is flexible — meaning the more you can do, or learn to do, the better off one would be in that job environment, something she learned from her personal experiences at The Daily News and The Inquirer.

“It’s all about business and clicks,” Glover said, presenting what would be a relatively constant theme for the event. It’s up to a company or an individual to find their market when considering social media and marketing. More clicks correlate to more business, and more business spreads the word, creating a strong pattern to support a news organization, business, or even an individual.

As Glover put it, “getting a ‘like’ means a lot,” referring to the virtual interaction between two parties on any number of social media sites on the Internet.

The end of the event was marked with a special announcement by the communication studies department’s own Dr. Timothy Thompson, who presented an outstanding alumni award to Glover, an award given to alumni of the university who have displayed an “exceptional amount of promise and have achieved notable recognition since graduation.”

For those who missed the presentation, but are interested in hearing exactly what Sarah Glover had to say regarding social media trends and business in the modern economy, Edinboro Campus Media affiliate ETV will be streaming a recorded version, which is accessible on edinboronow.com.

Britton Rozzelle is The Arts Editor for The Spectator and he can be reached at ae.spectator@gmail.com.

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