Social Media Strategies

Catalog description

This course is intended as an introduction to strategic use of social media for social ventures. Many of you already use social media platforms in your personal lives, and have developed an intuitive understanding of how they work, and use them reflexively. If you're unfamiliar with various social media venues, that's ok! Many social media platforms will be described briefly in the lectures, but the course is not intended as a how-to for using them. We suggest that if you're new to the various social media platforms mentioned, that you jump in and try them out! These platforms are designed for individuals with all levels of technical proficiency, and they're designed to be inviting. You might find that with only a bit of effort that you become comfortable with them quickly. We expect that, regardless of your skill level, comfort, and current personal use of social media, you will gain real value from this course. Much of this value relates to conveying an understanding of how to use these tools strategically, and on behalf of a social venture or a social cause you care about. This sort of use of social media is significantly different than the way you would use it in your personal life. We hope, as you move through this course, you will wonder: 1) What does it mean to craft the voice of an institution? 2) What is it like to speak in the voice of an institution instead of my own? 3) How could one possibly develop a strategic plan to organically and authentically engage a community? 4) How do you define, find, and build community? 5) More than retweets and likes, what is engagement, how do you measure it, and how do you create engagement to spark social change?