Dear Dr. Woodard,

A colleague and I are studying how mass communication educators are using
social media in the classroom.  Would you be willing to distribute the
letter below to the listserv or e-mail list of the Minorities and
Communication Division of AEJMC?  We would greatly appreciate it.

Best regards,
Miglena Sternadori, University of South Dakota

Hello,
We are conducting a survey to better understand how mass communication
instructors are making use of social media as part of their interaction with
students.  You’ve been selected to participate because you are a mass
communication educator.  By participating you would help us better
understand the community you are a part of as well as other communities
across the Web.  If you are at least 18 years old, you are eligible to
participate in the survey.
The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and asks you about your use of
Facebook and Twitter.  You can take it at a time convenient for you. We will
keep all information confidential; however, federal regulatory agencies and
the University of South Dakota Institutional Review Board (a committee that
reviews and approves research studies) may inspect and copy records
pertaining to this research.
Your participation is anonymous.  The researchers will not know the
identities of individual participants or be able to match answers with a
person’s identity.  No identifying information will be present in the final
report.
There are no known risks from being in this study.  You may choose to enter
a drawing, in which you would be eligible to win one of 10 Visa cards worth
$25 each by entering your e-mail address on a website not linked to your
answers.  The only other benefit is that you will have the opportunity to
share your experiences and add to existing knowledge about uses of social media.
Your participation in this research study is completely voluntary.  If you
decide not to be in this study, or if you stop participating at any time,
you will not be penalized or lose any benefits for which you are otherwise
entitled.  You are free to stop taking the survey at any point, even after
you have begun.  You do not have to answer any question you’d rather not answer.
If you have any questions, concerns or complaints now or later, you may
contact us at the numbers below.  If you have any questions about your
rights as a human subject, complaints, concerns or wish to talk to someone
who is independent of the research, contact the University of South Dakota’s
Office for Human Subjects Protections at (605) 677-6184.
By clicking on the link to move forward, you acknowledge that you have been
informed of both the risks and benefits of this study, are eligible to
participate, and agree to participate. If you choose not to participate,
simply close this window to exit the survey.
Thank you for your time.  Go to http://tinyurl.com/25bh5yp to continue.

Miglena Sternadori
University of South Dakota
414 E. Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
(605) 760-0995
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Jeremy Littau
Lehigh University
33 Coppee Drive
Bethlehem, PA 18015
(610) 758-6520
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