Social Media Workshops are now up:

Online courses are 10 weeks in duration unless otherwise specified. Each online session is 90 minutes. And yes, there’s homework! In-person courses vary from 2 hours to 8 and are given in various locations  in Yellowknife, Vancouver and Victoria.

We feature BOTH online and in-person workshops. See them all on our Google calendar. Register securely with Paypal.

Thursday, March 20th in Victoria: Bitcoin for Beginners. 2-4 pm (a second session from 7-9 will be added if demand justifies it)

This two hour lecture is a straightforward introduction to the world of cryptocurrency with a special focus on Bitcoin. We’ll demystify the world of online currency and lay out the real risks, and real opportunities, in the field. Should your business accept bitcoin? What can you use it for? There’s still money to be made, but you might be surprised to learn just where and how.

This workshop is $50: to register, email bloggingclasses at gmail.com and pay securely via Paypal (accepts Paypal, credit card, and debit). We don’t offer payment by bitcoin for this workshop, because if you can pay by bitcoin, you don’t need this workshop.

Sunday, March 23rd in Vancouver: Bitcoin for Beginners. 2-4 pm (a second session on Monday, March 24th will be added if demand justifies it)

This two hour lecture is a straightforward introduction to the world of cryptocurrency with a special focus on Bitcoin. We’ll demystify the world of online currency and lay out the real risks, and real opportunities, in the field. Should your business accept bitcoin? What can you use it for? There’s still money to be made, but you might be surprised to learn just where and how.

This workshop is $50: to register, email bloggingclasses at gmail.com and pay securely via Paypal (accepts Paypal, credit card, and debit). We don’t offer payment by bitcoin for this workshop, because if you can pay by bitcoin, you don’t need this workshop.

Thursday, June 9th The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Social Media. 7pm-9pm

This two-hour talk is a basic walkthrough of social media for beginners and people thinking about starting in social media. We’ll cover the fundamentals of Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, and other social media platforms including some you probably don’t expect. We’ll de-mystify and de-geek the field and clear up some of the myths perpetrated by social media snake oil salesmen.

This workshop is $100: to register, email bloggingclasses at gmail.com and pay securely via Paypal (accepts Paypal, credit card, and debit).

Monday, June 13th Blogging for Beginners: Part 1 of a two-part workshop. 1pm-5pm

Start from scratch and learn to post text, video, audio, and images. Basic copyright and blog etiquette, intro to sidebar widgets, categories, custom headers and design, and what on Earth to put IN the blog. Also where to find technical help. By the end of the workshop you’ll have a fully-functioning WordPress.com blog with several blog posts already up.

This is a two-part workshop, and Part 2 is taught the next day. This workshop is $400 for both days. To register, please email bloggingclasses at gmail.com and pay securely via Paypal (accepts credit card, debit, and Paypal).

Tuesday, June 14th Blogging for Beginners Part 2 of a two-part workshop. 1pm-5pm

Start from scratch and learn to post text, video, audio, and images. Basic copyright and blog etiquette, intro to sidebar widgets, categories, custom headers and design, and what on Earth to put IN the blog. Also where to find technical help. By the end of the workshop you’ll have a fully-functioning WordPress.com blog with several blog posts already up. This is Part 2 of a two-part workshop.

This workshop is $400 for both days. To register, please email bloggingclasses at gmail.com and pay securely via Paypal (accepts credit card, debit, and Paypal).

Wednesday, June 15th Twitter 101. 1pm-3pm

A hands-on seminar designed for beginning Twitter users who want to learn effective ways to manage their accounts and stay efficient. The basics of Twitter and the applications of two Twitter tools will be reviewed in the first 30-45 minutes with a hands-on session in the remaining 1:15, where the instructor will be available to guide participants through the basic elements of Twitter use as well as strategy and time management in social media.

This two-hour workshop is $100. To register, please email bloggingclasses at gmail.com and pay securely via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Thursday, June 16th Twitter 202. 1pm-3pm

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to several Twitter apps, add-ons, and associated websites, and their specific uses. Power up your social media skills, manage multiple accounts, and communicate more effectively to the right people with a selection of Twitter tools and power tips.

This two-hour workshop is $100. To register, email bloggingclass at gmail.com via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Upcoming Workshops In Downtown Vancouver: (temporarily on-hold as we decide whether or not to move to the Frozen Tundra or stay in LotusLand)

• Social Media for Nonprofits: A full day, 9-5. Lunch is included in the cost of the workshop, so please let us know if you have allergies or are vegetarian.
• Effective Social Media Strategies for Business: A full day, from 9am to 5pm.
• Successful Career-Building with Social Media: A half day, from 1pm to 5pm.

We’ve launched our Social Media Certificate program:

The Social Media Certificate consists of the following courses, taken in any order:

• Blogging for Beginners (or practical equivalent, decided by interview and website examination)
• Pimp My Blog
• Introduction to Social Media
• Any one of: Twitter for Beginners; Intro to Facebook; Gmail and Google
• Tools; Intro to Tumblr; Dashboards for Productivity
• And any one of: Internet Drama; Reputation Management; Connecting
• Online Event Marketing On Social Media.

Please register via the Paypal button in the top right-hand corner of the blog, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Blogging for Writers

Learn how to get the most out of blogs for promotion, sales, networking and (unexpectedly) to improve your writing.

In this hands-on workshop we’ll  cover setting up a blog, connecting with and managing an audience, using the blog for promotion and sales, and how a blog can make you a better writer, working our way through writers’ exercises and gathering feedback from the class. Be prepared to participate!

The discipline of a daily blogger is a prerequisite to developing a body of work that functions as your online portfolio. Use your blogging as a tool to develop a powerful, confident voice and tackle writing challenges in a supportive, low-pressure environment. Includes exercises and benchmarks to help you analyze your progress and keep your work growing after the class ends.

Offered online over ten weeks, and previously offered at the Surrey Writers’ School.

This workshop is $400. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Blogging for Beginners:

Start from scratch and learn to post text, video, audio, and images. Basic copyright and blog etiquette, intro to sidebar widgets, categories, custom headers and design, and what on Earth to put IN the blog. Also where to find technical help. By the end of the workshop you’ll have a fully-functioning WordPress.com blog with several blog posts already up.

This intensive workshop is $400. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Pimp My Blog

Practical tips and tools for increasing your readership and influence, and applies to any blogging platform (with the exception of Tumblr, which is really only good for talking to the voices inside your head in my opinion). It includes a very basic intro to social media like Facebook and Myspace for promotion. Learn some powerful, doable SEO tips, optimize your widgets, create better content, and keep people reading your site longer.

This workshop is $400. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Twitter in 120 Minutes

A hands-on seminar designed for beginning Twitter users who want to learn effective ways to manage their accounts and stay efficient.

What:  a two-hour introduction to Twitter and TweetDeck,

The basics of Twitter and the applications of two Twitter tools will be reviewed in the first 30-45 minutes with a hands-on session in the remaining 1:15, where the instructor will be available to guide participants through the basic elements of using TweetDeck and Vancouver’s own Hootsuite.

This two-hour workshop is $100. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Advanced Twitter Tools

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to several Twitter apps, add-ons, and associated websites, and their specific uses. Power up your social media skills, manage multiple accounts, and communicate more effectively to the right people with a selection of Twitter add-ons and power tips.

This two-hour workshop is $100. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Introduction to Social Media:

A two-hour, intensive introduction to MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other popular social media platforms. Covers the etiquette unique to each, how to set up your profile, privacy concerns, how to promote via social media and how to connect with real friends. This course is not a hands-on, lets-get-you-signed-up-on-Facebook course; it’s more to make you aware of all the different services out there and to give you some perspective to make an informed choice about your participation in the social media space.

This four-hour workshop is $200. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Introduction to Gmail and Google Tools:

Presented by Raul Pacheco

This is a two-hour, intensive course in getting the most from Gmail, Gtalk, Google Documents, and related Google tools. You do not need a Gmail account to take this course, although you should think ahead of time about which Gmail username you’d like to practice with. You can register one account to learn with and when you’re ready can make a more permanent account once you’re confident with the tools.

The class is offered from 10-noon at Tradeworks Training Society in Chinatown. The course is offered every four weeks, so if you can’t make it go ahead and join our mailing list or add this event to your Google Calendar.

This two-hour workshop is $100. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Coming Up:

to be scheduled:

Introduction to Tumblr

Personal Blogging/Journaling

Social Media Concept Jam

Using the Web to Go Global

Guided Photowalk

Podcasting Basics

Mobile Video

Etiquette in Social Media

LinkedIn: connecting to work

Blogging for Business (by arrangement)

• What: a hands-on, blog building workshop including advice on how your organization can get the most impact from social media and blogs.

• When: TBA

• Where: Downtown Vancouver

• Why: Learn to use a blog to raise your professional profile, spread your company’s message, and connect with clients and the media. Get a blog up and running in one day with personal instruction in a small, intensive workshop.

With class size limited to 6, this will be a program of personalized, intense learning. During the workshop you will create a blog, customize the design, and publish several draft posts including various multimedia formats such as video. You will leave with a functional, professional blog and the skills you need to run and promote it.

This workshop also covers important business blogging issues like:

> what blogging and social media can and can’t do for your organization

> blogs as sales tools

>posting rich media like podcasts, video, and images

>accepting paid advertising: pluses and minuses

> basic copyright law and accepted practices

> solving basic technical problems, where to find help

> privacy, confidentiality, and the internet

> balancing accessibility and professionalism online

> SEO, publicity, and building your media presence

This full-day workshop is $400 per participant. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Blogging for Nonprofit Organizations (by arrangement)

Blogging and Social Media for Nonprofit Organizations (by arrangement)

• What: a hands-on, blog building workshop including advice on how your organization can get the most impact from social media and blogs.

• When: to be announced

• Where: BOB coworking gallery, Downtown Vancouver

• Why: Learn to use social media and blogs to complement your organization’s mission. Get a blog up and running in one day with personal instruction in a small, intensive workshop.

This workshop covers issues like:

> what social media can and can’t do for your organization

> posting rich media like podcasts, video, and images

> basic copyright law and accepted practices

> solving basic technical problems, where to find help

> privacy, confidentiality, and the internet

> balancing accessibility and professionalism online

> SEO, publicity, and building your media presence

Tuition is $400 per participant. Please pre-register via email at least seven days before the class. No late registrations will be accepted. Computers can provided by special arrangement; you may bring a laptop if you prefer. Presented by raincoaster media ltd.

Contact bloggingclasses AT gmail DOT com to preregister.

With class size limited to 10, this will be a program of personalized, intense learning. During the workshop you will create a blog, customize the design, and publish several draft posts including various multimedia formats such as video. You’ll learn how to create and integrate a Facebook Page, Twitter account, and Linked In company. You will leave with a functional, professional blog, coordinated social media accounts and the skills you need to professionally, effectively represent your organization on social media.

Why blog? Check out the creative, effective ways that other nonprofits are using blogs to distribute their message independent of the mainstream media:

> 10 reasons every nonprofit must have a blog

> 10 ways nonprofits can use blogs

> blogging basics for nonprofits

> the nonprofit blog exchange

> net2learn blogging for nonprofits

> how nonprofits can use social media

> should your nonprofit have a blog?

This full-day workshop is $400 per participant. Please register via Paypal, noting in the comments which workshop you’re signing up for. Paypal will give you a receipt and I will email you one as well. Our classes are kept small, for maximum personal attention.

Bio: Lorraine Murphy has been blogging for many years, and her flagship blog, raincoaster, is ranked in the top 10,000 blogs in the world. She is the president of the Social Media Club of Vancouver, and maintains The Shebeen Club Blog for the literary group of the same name, running through rain for students of her course Blogging to Personal Growth, and Blogger’s Blurt, an archived resource for beginning WordPress bloggers. She mommyblogs at TeenyManolo and celebrityblogs at Ayyyy! and Lolebrity.net. Ms Murphy is the author of Terminal City: Vancouver’s Missing Women and a former Small Business Columnist at Business in Vancouver newspaper and Occupational Pursuit magazine. As one of the cornerstone volunteers in the WordPress.com technical help forums, she has long experience helping beginning bloggers develop fluency and achievement online. A community manager since the late 1990’s, she has consulted to corporations on the management of internet drama.

Contact us below for more details, or to be put on the mailing list:

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