Admit it…at some point in your life when you were trying to cram last minute for an exam or trying to wrap your mind around a difficult subject, you attempted osmosis. It didn’t work. Neither did learning exclusively from a text book. No matter what your learning style may be, isn’t it always a bit easier to digest the material you are learning when you have the opportunity to go beyond the text book and put theory into practice?

Education is to be taken seriously because we are shaping the minds and skill sets of our future leaders. However, the setting for learning should be a playground where students have the ability to get their hands dirty, explore and discover without fear. Measurement is a complex skill that should be learned and cultivated on the playground instead of the first day on the job. There is no magic button to push to measure outcomes. Nor can it be learned or completed through osmosis.

One skill any business or communications professional must become adept at is measurement. Not just the aggregation of data, but the ability to sort through data, analyze and sync up that data with measurable business objectives while gleaning valuable insights. It is vital to go beyond tracking outputs (physical products, such as articles and blog posts) and outtakes (public take-aways, such as messages) to reveal how business and marketing strategies intersect with online and offline relationships, resulting in quantifiable changes in attitudes, behaviors or opinions. Outputs and outtakes are relatively easy to monitor, but outcome based measurement is more tedious to track over time because action must be determined and tied to the all-important ROI.

Students need to have a solid understanding of what is important to measure and how to write goals and objectives. On the playground, different tools and methodologies should be explored to dig deep into how influence, reach and sentiment correlates with business-consumer strategies, objectives and relationships. This is why Radian6 has offered several instructors and students access to the Radian6 platform this semester through the Radian6 Higher Ed Trial Program (details below).

We asked Dr. Elaine Young, Associate Professor of Marketing at Champlain College and currently using our tool for hands-on training in her classroom, should social media metrics be taught in the classroom and in what context?

“For the marketing/PR major it is vital that they understand how to measure their efforts, to set clear goals and learn how to use those metrics to make solid business decisions or test new ideas. The power of web analytics allows you to look at the quantitative side – what is the path they took, how did they get here, how long did they stay and did they convert?  If we didn’t have social media influencing the SEO results and being indexed by search engines it might not be so vital, but now, with the continued growth in social media and consumer generated content we MUST have ways in which to monitor not just what has been said about our brand, but also know where it was written, the reach of the information and how we should respond.”

Forget osmosis. Get your hands dirty. If you are a faculty member or student, consider applying for the our Higher Ed Trial Program. Not a student? It is never to late to learn. By understanding how, why and what to measure, you give yourself and your department a voice that can and will be heard by the C-suite.

Apply Now for Radian6 Higher Ed Trial Program – Submission Deadline, 31 March

We are very excited about the response received so far about the Radian6 Higher Ed Trial Program for the Spring 2010 semester! Though Session 3 candidates have already been selected and are in the middle of their trial program access now, faculty members (on behalf of their undergraduate classes) and graduate students can still apply to use the Radian6 platform for four weeks at no cost for the final session (5-30 April) of the Spring 2010 semester.

Each Radian6 Higher Education Trial Program session is for a period of thirty days only. To be considered as a candidate for this trial program, you must be a faculty member representing one undergraduate class or a graduate student currently enrolled in an accredited college/university. Each candidate will receive a training webinar. A webinar is mandatory before having access to the platform. We host them live via web conference, and they’re super easy. They take about 30 minutes, and are designed to help answer your questions and give you a solid walk-through of our platform. Up to two additional hours of training will be be given to each candidate throughout the trial session to assist with their area of research.

Currently, we are only accepting three candidates (two undergraduate classes and one graduate student) per session throughout the Spring 2010 semester. The submission deadline for Session 4 is 31 March. Candidates will be notified of selection 2 April.

Please email the following information to Lauren Vargas at lauren.vargas@radian6.com:

First Name:
Last Name:
College/University:
City, State, Country:
Work Phone:
Email Address:

If a student, what is your class standing?:

• Freshman
• Sophomore
• Junior
• Senior
• Graduate Study

If a faculty member, what are your research specialties or teaching interests using the Radian6 platform?

If a graduate student, what are your research specialties using the Radian6 platform?

…

Along the way, we will share our findings and feedback with you about how students are experiencing and using the platform. So, apply today to become a part of the trial program or please pass along to educators and other relevant college/university programs.