Communication Design Quarterly May 2020

Social media in professional, technical, and scientific communication programs

Jennifer Roth Miller ; Brandy Dieterle ; Jennifer deWinter ; Stephanie Vie

Abstract

This article reports on the results of a research study supported by a CPTSC research grant that analyzed programmatic use of social media in professional, technical, and scientific communication programs (TPCs). This mixed-methods study included a survey of TPC program administrators (n = 29), an inventory of TPCs' social media account use (n = 70), and an inventory of TPCs' course offerings that included social media (n = 27). Results showed that programmatic use of social media requires strategic consideration, particularly in order to generate two-way communication, a goal of many of the TPCs studied. To that end, our article generates questions and guiding suggestions (drawn from our three-part study) to guide administrators who wish to include social media in their TPC.

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2020-05-24
DOI
10.1145/3375134.3375136
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Topics
writing program administration social media

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (26)

  1. Lang (2019)
    #MeToo: A Case Study in Re-Embodying Information
    Computers and Composition
  2. Watts (2019)
    Assessing an Online Student Orientation: Impacts on Retention, Satisfaction, an…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Dong (2019)
    Earth discourses
    Communication Design Quarterly
  4. Carnegie et al. (2019)
    Responsive curriculum change
    Communication Design Quarterly
  5. Shalamova et al. (2019)
    Evolving skill sets and job pathways of technical communicators
    Communication Design Quarterly
Show all 26 →
  1. Friess et al. (2018)
    Cultivating a Sense of Belonging: Using Twitter to Establish a Community in an …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Coad (2017)
    “That’s My Face to the Whole Field!”: Graduate Students’ Professional Identity-…
    Computers and Composition
  3. Vie (2017)
    Training Online Technical Communication Educators to Teach with Social Media: B…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. deWinter et al. (2017)
    Managing community managers
    Communication Design Quarterly
  5. Lam et al. (2016)
    Flipping the Audience Script
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  6. Amant (2016)
    Introduction to the special issue: Cultural considerations for communication design
    Communication Design Quarterly
  7. Wang et al. (2016)
    The communication design of WeChat
    Communication Design Quarterly
  8. Monty (2015)
    Everyday Borders of Transnational Students: Composing Place and Space with Mobi…
    Computers and Composition
  9. Shin et al. (2015)
    Building Relationships Through Integrated Online Media
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  10. Hackos (2015)
    Changing times
    Communication Design Quarterly
  11. Shepherd (2015)
    FB in FYC: Facebook Use Among First-Year Composition Students
    Computers and Composition
  12. Pigg (2014)
    Coordinating Constant Invention: Social Media's Role in Distributed Work
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  13. Bowdon (2014)
    Tweeting an Ethos: Emergency Messaging, Social Media, and Teaching Technical Co…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  14. Ferro et al. (2014)
    Technical Communication Unbound: Knowledge Work, Social Media, and Emergent Com…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  15. Jones (2014)
    Switching in Twitter’s Hashtagged Exchanges
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  16. Hea (2014)
    Social Media in Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  17. Hurley et al. (2014)
    The Rhetoric of Reach: Preparing Students for Technical Communication in the Ag…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  18. Buck (2012)
    Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites
    Research in the Teaching of English
  19. Maranto et al. (2010)
    Paradox and Promise: MySpace, Facebook, and the Sociopolitics of Social Network…
    Computers and Composition
  20. Vie (2008)
    Digital Divide 2.0: “Generation M” and Online Social Networking Sites in the Co…
    Computers and Composition
  21. Allen et al. (2004)
    TPC Program Snapshots: Developing Curricula and Addressing Challenges
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Also cites 11 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1362/147539212X13420906144552
     ↗
  2. DiPietro J. (2011)
    Social media for engineers and scientists
     ↗
  3. 10.1177/1080569911423964
     ↗
  4. 10.1108/02634501211273805
     ↗
  5. 10.1016/j.bushor.2014.08.004
     ↗
  6. 10.1080/02602930701293231
     ↗
  7. 10.1145/3331558.333156
     ↗
  8. Potts L. (2013)
    Social media in disaster response: How experience architects can build for participation
     ↗
  9. 10.1373/clinchem.2012.194738
     ↗
  10. 10.1080/10496491.2013.829160
     ↗
  11. 10.1177/2042753016672895
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 1 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2026
    An Acceptance Analysis of Firms’ Posts on Sina Weibo to Build Credibility ↗
    Chenghui Wu
    multimodality social media
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2026
    From Monologue to Dialogue: Communication Strategies of Chinese Museums on Weibo and the Imperative for Participation Awareness ↗
    Xiaole Zhu; Yoonjae Nam
    qualitative research social media
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Mar 2026
    Terms of Service and Community Guidelines as “Value-Laden” Documents: An (Adapted) Corpus-Assisted Discourse Analysis of “Sexual Content” ↗
    Rachael Jordan
    discourse analysis social media affect and writing
  4. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Mar 2026
    An Analysis of Online Perceptions in Response to Microsoft’s and Google’s Sexual Harassment Scandals ↗
    Roxana D. Maiorescu
    social media
  5. Poroi Feb 2026
    The Circulation of Vaccine Misinformation on Social Media Platforms: New Challenges Require New Methods ↗
    Denise Tillery; Melissa Carrion
    social media