WEEK 1 OVERVIEW: Welcome!

Welcome to ComStrat 383! One of the unique aspects of this course is that we will be using many Web-based resources that will help you learn as the class progresses. These tools and techniques will help you build a campaign portfolio that will be due at the end of the semester.

Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing several communication and campaign-building tools, including:

• Media Directories (CisionPoint)
• Email Marketing (Wix ShoutOut & Vertical Response) 
• Cloud-based Storage (Dropbox & Google Drive)
• Collaborative Editing (Google Documents)
• Survey Creations (Google Forms)
• Online Portfolio Tools (LinkedIn, Wix, Behance)
• Web-based Press Releases (Newswire)
• Campaign Analytics
• and much more!

For the first week, we will start with a focus on the basics of writing for PR and advertising campaigns. We will also learn how to use Google Drive/Documents and Dropbox.

HOMEWORK:

• Read Chapter 1 "Getting Organized for Writing"
• Identify a semester project client by Thursday, Jan. 21