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Social media is emerging, overtaking broadcast media as the dominant media form. It is reshaping institutions in all sectors everywhere, with a special relevance for the profession of public relations. A power enabler focused on building communities of special interest, social media technology offers both risks and rewards. This course contributes to the strategic basis that permeates all aspects of the BPR by providing a strategic context and overview, defining best practices, critically analyzing major social media and their most effective use in PR in a broad range of applications: marketing, executive and employee communications, crisis communications and CSR. Students learn about a variety of social media applications, blog regularly, learn about metrics and SEO, and, as a capstone for the course, develop a social media client workshop. The course fosters a collaborative, peer-to-peer, open source, online, 24-7 culture that is essential to social media success. The course provides the foundation of knowledge and skills in planning, executing and measuring effective use of social media in PR.