Sunday, October 10, 2010

Writing the First Textbook on Social Media Marketing!

I’m thrilled to announce that I recently signed the contracts to write what should be the first textbook on Social Media Marketing.  I will be coauthoring the book with Nick Bormann, Krista Neher, and Donald Barker. Each of us has expertise in our field, which I believe will mesh to create a textbook that will be suitable for undergraduate and graduate programs alike. Together we bring a wealth of knowledge of social media, textbook writing, and economics to the table.

A little background on what drove my father (Donald Barker) and I to pitch the idea of a Social Media Marketing textbook to Cengage Learning:

(1)   I’m currently teaching a course in Social Media Marketing through Spokane Falls Community College and have to use a trade book to teach the course. While the book I found is adequate, I really wanted to find a book that covered all the platforms and provided strategy.
(2)   There are a multitude of trade books about Social Media Marketing on the market but nothing quite right for a classroom.
(3)   With many community colleges and graduate programs starting to offer courses (and some certificates) in Social Media Marketing, it seems like a perfect opportunity to fill the need for a textbook on the subject. 

Our textbook will have an emphasis on strategy. In addition, the book will provide a variety of case studies and cover all the major social media platforms. With hard work and a little luck, we hope to have this book published in one year’s time.

11 comments:

  1. Congratulations!!! If the textbook is anything like your blog, it will be fantastic! Please let us know when it is published. I will buy a copy right away!!!

    Mike Simmons

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  2. Thank you!
    You'll definitely know when it's completed.

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  3. So, is Spokane just a pit stop before the big book signing tour? And to get it done in less than a year is impressive too. Do you have all the source material that you need? When will a class be available? What is the cover going to look like. What is going to be the list price?

    If you are interested, my cousins own a social web site that they founded that could be of interst to you. Maybe. There site is thriftyfun.com and jess, fletcher, lou, or stella are all easy to approach. Good people too. They are located in Port Orchard washington. If nothing else, it is good example of a social web site.

    Christopher A. Mcquain

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  4. What is the name for the social media marketing course at Spokane Falls Community College? I am currently attending there as a full time student. I think that it is awesome that you are co-authoring a text book for the class room on this subject. How much time did you spend in your research on these books?

    I like the idea of your text book having an emphasis on strategy. It sounds like quite the undertaking, since it will only take one year to complete the book. I am definitely interested in looking at the book when it comes out. Will it be in the SFCC bookstore in a year or so?

    Christopher E. Eden

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  5. Thank you for your comment, Christopher. The Social Media Marketing class is offered every quarter online at Spokane Falls Community College, which has a 15-credit Social Media Marketing Certificate:

    1. MMGT 125 Social Media Marketing Online (5 cr.- offered every quarter)
    2. MMGT 126 Search Engine Marketing Online (5 cr.- offered Winter Quarter only)
    3. MMGT 128 Social Media Marketing Campaign Online (5 cr.- offered Spring Quarter only)

    Keep in mind that you can take MMGT 125 and MMGT 126 concurrently.

    In regards to my book, I am hoping that it would be used as the required textbook for the MMGT 128 class. Thank you for your interest! I agree that having a social media strategy is crucial for any organization.

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  6. Hi Christopher M.

    I'll definitely try and make it back to Spokane when it is completed. Thank you for the compliment. At this point we are still getting all of our source material, but we do have a substantial amount already. I'm currently teaching a course through SFCC - so the course is available now but does not use the book we are working on, yet. It is hard to say what the cover, list price, etc. will be at this point. I'll have a better idea as we get closer to publication. Thanks for your interest!

    I'll check out thrifyfun.com - thanks for the suggestion!

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  7. I think that it is a great idea to create a textbook for social media marketing! I am currently the marketing director for a small company, and I was challenged by the lack of information regarding social media marketing. After the economy slowed, our business increased our emphasis on inexpensive (or free) marketing. Social media marketing is a great way to accomplish this, and discovering the ins and outs of social networking took a lot of trial and error. Good luck with the book! I'm sure it will help numerous people.

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  8. With Social Media being so prominent in today's society I think it is important for colleges to offer courses for students to learn and equally important that a proper text book be available. There is a lot to learn and as you said your text will focus on strategy which is essential to social media marketing.

    I am very excited for you and for all the future students who are able to use your text.

    Sarah McElhose

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  11. I will be coauthoring the book with Nick Bormann, Krista Neher, and Donald Barker. Each of us has expertise in our field, which I believe will mesh to create a textbook that will be suitable for undergraduate and graduate programs alike. instagram followers generator

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