Social media classes offered July 7, 8; August 17, 18
Classes on social media will be offered Thursday, July 7, Friday, July 8, Wednesday, August 17, and Thursday, August 18. Each class is one hour and 15 minutes.
Sign up for as many as fit your schedule. The fee is $25 per class for National Press Club members and $50 per class for non-members. The classes will be held in the 13th floor Bloomberg Center for Electronic Journalism next to the library.
July 7 and August 17:
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
July 8 and August 18:
9:30 to 10:45 am - Basics of Blogging
11 a.m. to 12:15p.m. - Foursquare and Location-based Tools
Register at http://bit.ly/6f1yyA or by contacting Beth Shankle at [email protected] or 202-662-7509.
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 you 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. Ways journalists can use Twitter include communicating with each other and their audiences, researching stories, contacting sources and driving traffic to their Web sites.
"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 their 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 they work and how they can be used to gather information, identify sources, and promote individuals and organization.
The classes are underwritten by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.