Outline

Overview

Most businesses and institutions are now building online communities, from social media channels and help forums to marketplaces and research groups, in order to strategically engage their workers, audiences, consumers or publics. Community management is a critical aspect of communications, market intelligence, marketing and innovation. This unit investigates how those communities, and their offline counterparts, are scoped, fostered, facilitated, and governed to provide mutual benefit for host organisations and members. The unit will develop theoretical knowledge of community dynamics, deployment, ethics and governance approaches, and practical skills in data collection and social analytics; moderation, facilitation, and conflict management; automation and machine learning tools for managing human interaction. Students will assist in managing communities and create strategic plans for their development.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	MECO6942
Academic unit	Media and Communications
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Fiona Martin, fiona.martin@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience, and in this unit, MECO6942, the first week’s lectures will not be recorded. Attendance is mandatory.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Recommended books

Millington, R., & author. (2012). Buzzing communities : how to build bigger, better, and more active online communities. Place of publication not identified: Feverbee.

Millington, R., & author. (2018). The indispensable community : why some brand communities thrive when others perish. United States: FeverBee.

Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet: platforms, content moderation and the hidden decisions that shape social media. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Week 1 – Orientation to online community

Powazek, D. M. (2002). Design for community: the art of connecting real people in virtual places. Indianapolis, Ind: New Riders. NOTE: You will encounter a sign-in screen - enter your university email address to proceed. Read chp 1. Is this trip really necessary? pp.1-16

Coate, J. (1998, January 1). Cyberspace innkeeping: building online community. Retrieved 20 December 2018, from John Coate - Cyberspace innkeeping: building online community website: http://idallen.com/ncf/innkeeping.html

Week 1 - Community strategy, design and culture

Jones, C.M. and Vogl, C. H. (2020).Part 1, Chapter 2, Supporting Organizational Goals (pp 38-55) in Jones, C.M. & Vogl, C. H., Building Brand Communities: How Organizations Succeed by Creating Belonging. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Fiedler, M., & Sarstedt, M. (2014). Influence of community design on user behaviors in online communities. Journal of Business Research, 67(11), 2258–2268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.06.014

Week 1 - Engagement and measurement

Millington, R. (2018). The engagement trap. In The indispensable community : why some brand communities thrive when others perish (pp. 101–115). Fever Bee.

Week 1 - Ethics and governance

Phillips, W. (2015). This is why we can’t have nice things: mapping the relationship between online trolling and mainstream culture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. NOTE: Please read Section I in Chapter 1, Subcultural Origins 2003-2007: Defining terms: the origins and evolution of subcultural trolling and mainstream culture pp.15-26

Beckett, J. (2018, September 27). We need to talk about the mental health of content moderators. Retrieved 20 December 2018, from The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-talk-about-the-mental-health-of-content-moderators-103830

Week 2 - Strategy and community design

McCosker, A., & Hartup, M. (2018). Turning to online peer forums for suicide and self-harm support: ‘It does help having you guys’ (pp. 1–31). Melbourne: beyondblue and Swinburne Social Innovation Research Institute.

Panek, E., Hollenbach, C., Yang, J., & Rhodes, T. (2018). The Effects of Group Size and Time on the Formation of Online Communities: Evidence From Reddit. Social Media + Society, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118815908

Week 3 - Engagement

Baldus, B. J. (2018). Leveraging Online Communities to Support the Brand and Develop the Community. Journal of Internet Commerce, 17(2), 115–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2018.1433909

Week 4 - Measurement

Millington, R. (2012). Return on investment. In Buzzing communities: how to build bigger, better, and more active online communities. (pp. 193–220). Feverbee.

Cothrel, J. P. (2000). Measuring the success of an online community. Strategy & Leadership, 28(2), 17–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878570010341609

Week 5 - Ethics and governance

Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the internet: platforms, content moderation, and the hidden decisions that shape social media. New Haven: Yale University Press. NOTE: Please read chp 1, pp. 27-29, and Chp.5

Hickey, N. (2013, September 23). Life on the Social Media Front Line: The legal and ethical challenges facing Online Community Managers. Retrieved 20 December 2018, from IP Whiteboard website: https://ipwhiteboard.com.au/life-on-the-social-media-front-line-the-legal-and-ethical-challenges-facing-online-community-managers/

Week 6 - Future of community management

Paech, V. (2017, November 22). Automation, AI and community management: the soul in our new machines. Retrieved 20 December 2018, from Marketing website: https://www.marketingmag.com.au/hubs-c/opinion-paech-community-management/

Hutchinson, J. (2017). Algorithmic culture and cultural intermediation. In Cultural Intermediaries: Audience Participation in Media Organisations. (pp. 201-220) Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate knowledge of online communities, their applications and forms of management
LO2. demonstrate developed online community activation and building strategies
LO3. analyse and report on online community status, risk management and health
LO4. establish and manage ethical governance planning to support and protect communities and host organisations.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Thanks to January's students who gave us valuable feedback on this unit. We have updated the readings, clarified assignment details and noted your interest in a fully online unit, by taking it wholly online.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Please notify your unit coordinator and lecturer if you are viewing any inappropriate content, abuse or harassment in the online communities you are participating in. We can advise you on the best strategies for documenting, reporting and addressing this material.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

MECO6942: Managing Social Media Communities

Intensive February, 2021 [Block mode] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect