NPC schedules social media classes for Sept. 28, Sept. 29, Oct. 19, Oct. 20

The National Press Club plans to offer classes on social media Sept. 28, Sept. 29, Oct. 19 and Oct. 20.

Each class is one hour and 15 minutes. Sign up for as many as will fit your schedule. The fee is $25 per class for NPC members and $50 per class for non-members. Register at http://bit.ly/6f1yyA or by contacting Beth Shankle at [email protected] or 202-662-7509.

The classes will be held in the 13th floor Bloomberg Center for Electronic Journalism next to the library.

Sept. 28 and Oct. 19:

9:30 to 10:45 a.m. - Social Media Tools
11 a.m. to 12:15p.m. - Advanced Google Search Techniques
1:30 to 2:45 p.m. - Twittering Away
3 to 4:15 p.m. - Reporting from Facebook

Sept. 29 and Oct. 20:

9:30 to 10:45 am - Basics of Blogging
11 a.m. to 12:15p.m. - Foursquare and Location-based Tools

Participants are welcome to bring their own laptops for any of the sessions but computers will also be provided.

"Social Media Tools" provides an overview of the latest online tools and how they can help to manage everything from the news you read to the way you contact people. Resources covered include Storify, Quora, Chrome, Flickr, Meebo, Plugins, iCal, YouTube, Skype and Wikis.

The "Advanced Google Search Techniques" class will help users refine search results from millions of hits to a handful of targeted sites. Scenarios where Google's specialized search services -- including News, Scholar and Books -- can be more useful than a traditional search are also examined.

"Twittering Away" is a class for those who are interested in Twittering during big events or for any other purpose. Participants can set up their own accounts, connect their accounts with their cell phones and Facebook pages, and -- if they have administrative access -- add a Twitter badge to their website or blog. Journalists can use Twitter to communicate with each other and their audiences, to research stories, to contact sources and to driving traffic to their websites.

"Reporting from Facebook" will examine online social networks and explore the differences among several of the most popular sites, including Facebook and LinkedIn. The class includes an in-depth look at Facebook--navigating the site, using it to research stories, using it to identify and contact sources and using it to connect with your audience.

In "Basics of Blogging," participants will set up a blog using Blogger and learn how to format posts, add videos and pictures, easily include ads and monitor the blog statistics using FeedBurner. The class is limited to 15 people.

"Foursquare & Location-based Tools" will examine location-based tools, such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places. It will demonstrate how the tools work and how they can be used to gather information, identify sources, and promote individuals and organizations.

The classes are underwritten by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.