Jessica Schram COMM386, spring 14 Journal Entry #1

I started my internship at the University of Maryland Marketing and Communications department on January 8. As of today, February 19, I am one third of the way through my internship and have already learned a great deal about digital strategies for effective online communication. When I look back at all Ive learned in only four weeks, I couldnt be more proud of myself or more thankful for the projects Ive been allowed to work on. I came into the department with almost no experience in website editing, despite basic familiarity with host sites like Weebly and Wix. Almost immediately, however, I was taught HTML coding so I could help Justin, the web and new media strategies specialist, update the Alumni website and corresponding calendar. The office gets bombarded with emails each week from event coordinators, club leaders, student government officials and more with requests for us to advertise their events to Maryland Alumni. At the office, it is our job to organize this information and display it so it is clickable and sharable in a controlled, methodical way. Learning HTML coding, however, was only the first step to creating events for the alumni calendar. I was then taught to use the iModules software, which allows the university to have full control over the website in terms of editing and tracking data including number of clicks, visits, registrations, usernames, passwords, events and more. Learning to use iModules was a challenge at first, but I am slowly becoming used to it and am getting faster each day. I also quickly realized that having access to iModules is a huge responsibility, and it reminded me of lessons I learned about PR ethics in my COMM231 and COMM350 classes. Having access to thousands of names, passwords and peoples personal information is a huge responsibility. Part of having access to iModules and the website data means being able to see peoples login

information to help them retrieve it or change it if necessary. With access to information as personal as this, it is crucial that I remain ethical by respecting peoples privacy. After a couple weeks using iModules, Justin explained the project I would be working on for the remainder of the semester, which is revamping the Maryland Tool Kit by creating a new website for branding material. Right now I am in the beginning stages of the project and have just chosen three templates, each of which I will use and customize to create a sample webpage to show my supervisor so she can pick the style she likes best. Once approved, I will continue coding the website and add content so it matches Marylands new, clean online image and includes all aspects of the Maryland brand. On a professional level, the work Im doing with iModules and coding has helped the office immensely. With Maryland Day around the corner, most of the higher executives and technicians are busy getting materials ready, and the publications and creative team have already begun working on next months alumni newsletter. Having me in the office to manage the calendar events and take on the tool kit project (which is not under a strict deadline like the newsletters, Terp Magazine or Maryland Day) allows the office to focus more on timely projects, and is also providing me with valuable skills in HTML coding and creative design that will ultimately make me more marketable than the average communication intern in the future. On a personal level, taking ownership of the brand tool kit, specifically, is a win-win situation because it is providing me with a way to be digitally artistic while helping the rest of the university brand their communication materials correctly and cleanly. However, I do wish that I were doing a bit more writing in my role as an intern. One venture I hope to work more on is helping with the content of the monthly newsletter, a task my supervisor mentioned I would do in our initial meeting. While I have done some photo editing to place The Shell on Marylands

website, I would like to work closer with either the publicists or the photo and video team to help create the original content instead of reformatting and editing it afterward. I plan to talk to my supervisor about getting more involved with these tasks and asking when I will start helping with them, especially seeing that working with the photo and video team is included in my job description. It is still very early on in the semester, however, so I have plenty of time to engage in other duties listed on my learning agreement. So far, Ive noticed that the work Ive done for the marketing and communications department relates closely to Aristotles theory of rhetoric we covered in my Communication Theory class, COMM250, and that we also touched on in my Public Relations Techniques class, COMM351. Basically, the theory states that when we use language, either written or spoken, including images and other persuasive tools like digital communications, we are using rhetoric. Rhetoric has three artistic proofs: ethos, pathos and logos, all of which work together to create meaning and influence the reader, viewer or listener of the media we create. However, we learned in class (and I see at work) that the media we create most times is the message itself. Visual rhetoric, or the aesthetic appeal of media, affects how people interpret the message you are trying to convey. For example, if the marketing and communications department left all of our websites old and outdated, prospective students may visit them and be turned off from applying to our school. However, when we constantly update our websites and move to cleaner, more spacious designs with bold colors and large fonts, we portray an image about our school that shows we are fresh, innovative and cutting-edge. The rebranding of Marylands tool kit is a perfect example of visual ethos, or credibility, that proves that Maryland means business. By staying one step ahead of other universities in terms of our web presence and online appearance, we are making a statement far greater than any text could describe. We are creating the

subconscious appeal of the University of Maryland and are encouraging people to form opinions about us. In short, the affect we have through digital media is enormously influential, and I am proud to say that I play a part in enhancing our visual ethos.