EventSpan

Blogging... Twitter... Facebook... RSS... Wikipedia... Flickr.... YouTube... Social Media... Tweet-up....

When editors and other journalists talk about using social media tools, do you feel like you missed the first day of school and can't catch up?

This six-week webinar series is specifically for journalists who want to learn the ropes of using social media tools at work. Over the course of the class, you'll learn to navigate specific sites, improve your search skills, how to automate alerts, and have a solid foundation for using social media. We'll also review case studies of how news organizations are using different tools to reach their audience.

Leah Jones will be teaching the class. She's the founder of Natiiv Arts & Media and the former Digital-Culture Evangelist at Edelman PR. She specializes in coaching people in the use of social media and has worked with journalists, accountants, musicians, clergy, PR professionals and theaters since starting her company in January of 2009.

Each class will last one hour, beginning at 9AM Central and the schedule of topics is below.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009: Working Vocabulary

Get all of the terms people use to talk about social media defined and lay the foundation for working in the space.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009: Search & RSS

Do you always turn to Google and MSN when you're looking for information online? In this session, you'll learn about a variety of search engines and get your search skills tuned up. After that, Leah will teach you how to automate searches using RSS.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009: Twitter

The micro-blogging site seems to be in the news every week, but why do people really use it and how can it help you build relationships, find sources and connect with your readers?

Wednesday, October 7, 2009: Blogs

While blogs are starting to feel like old media to some people, the easy to update platform is still relevant and useful. We'll cover finding blogs, writing your own blog and comparing different blogging platforms.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009: Facebook and LinkedIn

These aren't the only two social networks, but are two of the most popular for professionals to use to connect with the people that are in their rolodex.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009: Photo and Video

Flickr, YouTube, Ustream and Qik - how can you use photo and video to add to stories and document life on the go?

What do people say about Leah?

"Leah's program was thorough, thoughtful and far more useful than I anticipated. Even though I was familiar with some of the content by virtue of my tech beat, Leah put a fresh spin on how to use and tap into the power of social media. I've used many of the techniques she showed me, impressing many people in the process. I consider Leah my social media tutor."

Eric Benderoff, former technology columnist at Chicago Tribune

“Ms. Jones quickly and effortlessly implemented (and easily educated me to confidently continue) a variety of techniques and ideas in online promotion and monitoring. Her high level of skill and knowledge in this area proved essential during a particularly crucial time of the promotional and subsequent touring phases of my novel, Three Fallen Women (So New Media, 2006). Further, and perhaps most importantly, her revolutionary thinking provided me with stunningly cutting edge ideas for online book promotion and branding.”

Amy Guth, Digital Coordinator/Books, Chicago Tribune

Tickets are non-transferable and there are no partial refunds for missed classes.