Getting a University Degree in Social Media and SEO – Do Bloggers Really Need it?
Imagine sitting in a classroom and your lecturer says, “Class, today we’re going to discuss the fundamentals of sending a tweet”. Doesn’t that sound slightly bizarre? But this is exactly what is on the horizon in 2011 with Universities planning to offer students a Masters’ degree in Social Media! So what exactly are they going to learn?
The degree will focus on all aspects of Social Networking; modules on Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, Web 2.0, and SEO are set to become the new trend at Universities!
Knowledge on Social Media holds considerable weight as a supplementary Marketing and PR exercise for businesses, but is this enough to warrant a separate field of study? It is logical to include Social Media as part of a Business or Marketing course, but there are numerous variables that make it illogical to study Social Media as an independent course.
Let’s take a look at some of these variables:
- Change is Inevitable
Social Media platforms are constantly evolving – new features and upgrades are the norm in this industry. While the theory of why I should use Social Media as a networking tool remains constant, the interfaces of platforms like Twitter and Facebook WILL change. Does studying the various interfaces and how they are used permit an entire degree to be factored into Universities?
- Practice Makes Perfect
I know when I learnt the different Social Media applications, I didn’t pick up my Facebook textbook and read chapter 7. I did it through trial and error! The more I used the different platforms, the more familiar I became with these applications. And whenever I was stuck, I clicked on a large link called “help”. The help function and the tutorials on offer are a valuable resource to assist anyone in learning an application. The irony of it all is that most college students are already experts in using Social Media platforms. THEY should be teaching it and not the other way around!
- Social Networking is about Relationships
The core purpose of Social Media is to provide a casual setting where relationships can be built. Building relationships is a vital element to every business. An elective course in Communication can teach you the fundamentals of building interpersonal relationships, but I do not see how a lecturer can teach you the best way to send a “friend request”. Building relationships on Social Media sites isn’t something that can be taught at University level, it is something that is learned through experience, and it is your own personality that determines how apt you are at building relationships.
The questions beg to be asked, “Is it necessary to study Social Media as a dedicated degree?”
“Can somebody learn SEO in a classroom?” “Are they going to teach things like commenting and back linking”?
In my opinion it will be value-adding to include it as a supplementary field of study, but not as a complete and independent degree. I am convinced that whatever a lecturer can teach you in a classroom about Social Networking and SEO can just as well be learnt in a few mouse clicks. But the jury is still out – what do you think?
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A degree in Social media. Good Idea. I believe there is nothing wrong.
Nice Article. Thanks.
ya i agree one can go for these courses
thnks for your comment
It is really a very debatable issue. Some people think it is a good idea, some think it is a waste of time and that Social Media can best be learned by using them – just like you and me and everyone else in this blog!
Sounds Good…and there is nothing wrong getting a degree in social media if it interests you
thnks for your comment……
I think it may be a good idea if they had just a 6-month super-fast course so that we don’t spen too much time in the class.
Recently in our firm we have launched a course “PHP + MySQL” and added Social Media + SEO as well to let the student understand the web development better and to meet the current trend in Web Developmment Jobs.
If you ask me for this degree course, then i will say NO i am not ready to waste my time. I can learn all these with free tutorials and go for one project which showcast my learned talents than aiming for a certificate.
Robin
thnks for your comment…..
I agree with you Robin the most. Ideally, the best way to learn the tricks and tips of social media is to lock ourselves in a room with a social media guru and spend 2-3 days learning from them the all their secrets. I don’t think that lecturers in a classroom will know as much!
Degree in Social Media and SEO. Well, that doesn’t makes any sense to me. When everyone has the ability to learn everything about Social Media and SEO online then whats the need of a degree about it in University.
thnks for your comment ….
Yes, Sathish. I agree with you. Most of the basics can be learned online. Then you can learn them from the gurus in social media.
we can get jobs in social media and seo once if we done a course in the niit
thnks for your comment…….
wow thats really great
i would like to listen on facebook and myspace, i love facebook lectures 
they are really good to listen 
the more you learn, the more u can implement 
thanks man nice one 
thank you. I’m glad you found this useful!
it is useful to use ur facebook for leactures coz it will disturb ur studies
Hi Akshay, thank you very much for letting me contribute to your nice blog with this article. The response was been wonderful. Thanks again.