Take away a practical strategy and techniques for implementing a social strategy for your organization or business.  Learn the top five considerations when starting a social network as well as tips to manage an online community. Discover how to create your own private social network using the Ning platform. Discuss the top tools to use to manage your social media life and build integration into your website. See how Google Docs and Calendars work and how to use online video to further your business goals. Hear about mobile check-in applications and how companies are using coupon and deal sites. Get your company listed properly on local search engines so more customers can find you. Discuss how web design has changed and get feedback on your website while discovering usability testing and user interface design. Finally, learn how to manage this influx of information created by the new media revolution. Develop a manageable workflow and get productivity tips to be more efficient.  Learn what you might be doing wrong in social media as well as essential policies to have in place for your employees and company. See what trends are on the horizon and where your goals fit with those new trends.


Course Outline

Unit 1:

Running a Community and Creating Your Own Social Network Using Ning

    > Online Communities and Creating Your Own Social Network with Ning
    > Top 5 Considerations When Starting a Social Network
    > What Goes into Build a Great Social Network
    > What is an online community manager
    > What is Ning and How to Use the Platform
    > Examples of Companies Using Ning


Unit 2:

What Tools to Use for Your Organization

    > What tools and platforms will help get content on the web
    > Readings on top new tools to consider
    > How to select which tool to use
    > How video fits into online marketing
    > Organizing and collaborating with Google products
    > How to take advantage of mobile and local in applications and search


Unit 3:

Integrating Social Platforms into Your Web Site

    > Discovering how web design has changed and what is needed for true integration
    > Understanding elements on websites that increase interaction, engagement, search engines findability
    > Learn best practices for website usability and landing page design
    > Discuss how your sites compare and generate next steps that will improve your business


Unit 4:

Developing a Manageable Work Flow: Time, Resources, Policies, and Trends

    > Developing a Manageable Work Flow
    > Time and Resources: How do you know where to spend your time?
    > Target Social Media Influencers to Boost Traffic and Sales
    > Is Your Company Ready for Social Media or Are They Holding You Back?
    > Trends - What's Next or Are We Still Working on Last Year's Trends?
    > Social Media Policies and Planning For A Crisis


Course Objectives

    > To give students knowledge about how social media should function within an organization
    > To provide the necessary tools for creating and implementing a social media strategy
    > To provide direction on how to facilitate smooth integration of social media into existing marketing and communication strategies
    > To provide guidelines for evaluating which social media are most appropriate within your business setting

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course you will:

    > Be able to create your own private social media using Ning
    > Be able to work socially using existing resources such as Google Docs and calendars
    > Move your website to an interactive Web 2.0 site
    > Select the best social media tools for your business
    > Develop a strategic plan for the implementation of a social media initiative

About the Instructor


Avid writer, pageant lover, effective manager, and community advocate are just some ways to describe Jo-Carolyn Goode. Having a solid foundation forged by her parents and faith in God has helped shape her into the pillar of the community she is today. The Houston, Texas native is a Prairie View A&M University graduate with a B.S. in the concentration of Biology with minors in Chemistry and Dance.

Beginning her professional career with Houston Style Magazine (HSM) as an editorial intern, she worked her way through the ranks to become Managing Editor. Through a proven track record of excellent timely reporting and having a great worth ethic, Jo-Carolyn tells the stories of the everyday man to the hottest celebrities to the political power movers. While overseeing a talented team of writers and photographers, Jo-Carolyn produces the weekly print publication of HSM. She also engages readers with stellar content through magazine’s online portal and social media channels. Jo-Carolyn is also the Content Coordinator for a neighborhood magazine based in Bellingham, Washington called Lake Views Magazine.

Her communication talents move from the pages of print media to video as the producer for ‘It's National Day,’ a popular YouTube show celebrating the different national days of the world hosted by media personality TotallyRandie.

About Online Learning


Online learning is a fun, enjoyable and very productive way to learn. Millions of people are learning online each year. You will engage with and get to know the instructor and other participants. You may make friends. It's easy. It's fun.

How the Course Works


It's easy to participate in this online course! An email invitation will be sent by the Wednesday prior to the course start date with details to login and manage the course. You will be given a web address to go to enter the classroom along with a password. Use your email address and password to gain access.

Once inside the online classroom, here's what you can expect.

Participate when you want

You can participate any time of day or evening. The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. You decide when you participate. For the best learning, participants should log into the course on two to three different days of the week.

What you will do

For each unit, you will:

> Access the online readings

> Listen to the audio presentation for the unit and view the slides

> Take a self-quiz to see how much you have learned

> Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants

>  Make comments on the discussion board (try to make one or more comments at two to three different times each day to keep up with the conversation).

The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self-quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead or go back and review again at your convenience.


Discussion


The discussion for each unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing (no audio required) and can be made at any time of the day or night. Your instructor will log into the discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments and respond to comments by you and the other participants. We encourage you to make two or three comments each day to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.

Still have questions? We are here for you! Call 440.525.7116 or send an e-mail to ceinfo@lakelandcc.edu and we will help in any way we can.

An email invitation will be sent by the Wednesday prior to the course start date with details to login and manage your online course. Please NOTE to eliminate the possibility of the email invitation filtering as spam, add teacher@ugotclass.org to your Safe Senders List. Call 440-525-7116 if you encounter any problems.

Fee Breakdown

Category	Description	Amount
Course Fee (Basic)	Registration Fee	$ 195.00