Assignment: Social Media & The Texas Executive
Activity for Assessment: Is Social Media a good forum for elected leaders? How should they best communicate with the public? You'll evaluate the Governor and Lt. Governor of Texas on their use of Twitter and Facebook to implement their agendas.
1. Read the Pew Charitable Trust article (http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/10/17/officials-urged-take-care-with-social-media anddevelop a list of best practices for elected leaders' use of social media.
2. Spend a week (select a 7-day period) with our Governor and Lt. Governor as they utilize social media:
a. Abbott's personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregabbott_tx
b. Abbott's official Governor of Texas Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TexasGovernor?ref=br_tf
c. Dan Patrick's personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/danpatrick
d. Dan Patrick's official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dan.patrick.texas
3. What message or agenda are each conveying to "followers?" Discuss three themes for each official.
4. Are they consistent with what's on their "official" government pages?
a. Abbott: http://gov.texas.gov/initiatives
b. Patrick: https://www.ltgov.state.tx.us/ (see "Priorities")
5. If you were the social media advisor to each man, what would suggest for each? Based upon your "best practices," are they doing it right? What can each do to try to reach out beyond their base of supporters/followers?
[SLO1 fulfills Program Level Outcomes 1.1, 1.3, 2, 5, 6; Course Level Outcomes 3, 4, 5, 7, 8].