Reflections – Social Sprint

For this week’s assignment in my PR Pubs course, we took a closer look at social media websites. We used an online application, Canva, to create cover pages and post for various social media outlets. I have never used Canva and it was really interesting to learn the tips and tools through the tutorials. Some of the stuff in the tutorials we have learned before, such as the use of white space and clarity. The way Canva presented itself and the tools was very precise and clean. While far limited in changing aspects of pictures than Photo Shop and InDesign, Canva was a great application to create layouts and spreads.

The organization I decided to make social media content for is Whiz Kids Oklahoma. This is a non-profit organization in the city that pairs impoverished students in schools with faith-based mentors and tutors, with the goal to teach and educate them. When gathering photos for Canva, I tried to think of ones that captured the spirit and personality of the organization. We have learned a lot in the past weeks about how organizations can have a personality and be more human. Whiz Kids Oklahoma needs to make sure that there passion and drive to help kids is apparent on their social feed. Likewise they need to show that these kids are having fun and learning because of Whiz Kids.

This first image is of my FaceBook cover. I got a really good picture of kids having fun with their mentor in the background. I wanted to keep the message very simple because this is such a powerful image. I was able to create white space for my text by cropping and positioning my image. I found that Canva limited the editing abilities I have grown accustomed too with Adobe, and had to do some work in Photo Shop to edit out some awkward individuals at the end. The FaceBook picture logo is at this placement so I thought that this worked perfectly.

This next image continues on FaceBook and is the post. Getting to the mission of the organization, I wanted to capture a student and mentor at work. I also thought about the techniques in the article we read and wanted to make some facts stand out about the organization. Changing colors and fonts in this particular instance works I believe, because each one is a fact the organization wants to convey.

This is my Twitter cover. Similar to the FB cover, I wanted to have a powerful image that really pushed the organization’s values. Having a quote that works with the image and is intangible, is what we have learned this week. I believe this simple quote and picture drives people to what to feel fulfillment in their lives. I had to touch-up this photo in Photo Shop as well because the boat had a huge company logo on it. I blurred it out and put Whiz Kids Oklahoma on it to make it more about the organization.

Lastly, this post is for Instagram. Thinking about the article we read again, I wanted to make a factual point that makes people think. Rather than someone skimming through and seeing a couple of pictures in a few seconds, this evidence draws people into the message and organization. I wanted a collage of Whiz Kids’ students celebrating because it drives home this quote and the difference a tutor makes in their lives.

Overall, I feel like I learned how to express an organization’s personality through their social feeds this week. We have been learning about the importance that making organizations have feelings and emotions. Couple that objective with the techniques and tools we use for social media, I feel like I have personified what Whiz Kids Oklahoma is. They are driven to change lives of students by providing the support for mentors, and I hope these post show that passion.