Start the New Year by learning about how to use social media in the newsroom

Social media has become a crucial element in the journalist’s daily work today. Do you know how to set up an account? How do you maximize your time when using social media? How can you engage with the community through social media channels?

Photo: Robert Quigley

Robert Quigley can help journalists answer these questions and more with his upcoming distance learning course, “Social Media for Journalists” which is being offered for a second time in English by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas.

Journalists can start the new year by applying for an online course with the Knight Center on “Social Media for Journalists” that will run from Jan. 16 to Feb. 12. Applications are being accepted now until Jan. 5. Journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean can apply here.

The course will be conducted entirely online and is divided into weekly modules containing video and text lectures, links to online resources and will feature class exercises, quizzes and discussions. Students will be able to study at their own pace but will be expected to complete assignments on deadline. The course is intensive and requires about 10-15 hours of dedication a week.

Photo: Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas

Students will learn the basics and history of social media in six parts:

1. They will learn to use social media tools effectively and how to measure results
2. Learn about social networking tools like Twitter and FB.
3. Learn how to use social media appropriately depending on the news story/circumstances 
4. Learn live tweeting techniques
5. Learn how to display, aggregate and search for social content
6. Learn how to measure success and learn about ethics in a social media world

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About The Knight Center
The Knight Center for Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin is a professional training and outreach program for journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our training programs have benefited thousands of journalists and journalism professors throughout the Americas.
The Knight Center has also helped to create a new generation of independent journalist organizations. These organizations have created self-sustaining training programs to raise the ethical and professional levels of journalism, thereby contributing to the freedom of press and democracy in the hemisphere.

Source: Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas