Gelfand Design

First Session Is Wednesday, April 1 (No Joke)

Last year Nielsen Online reported that people are using social media more than email. They’re talking about your business. Are you ready to join the conversation?

Learn how to use social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, social bookmarking and media sharing sites, and blogging to connect with your customers and inspire them to spread the word about you. (In other words–don’t tell them you’re awesome, show them you’re awesome by listening to them and giving them helpful information that they’ll want to share with others.)

Each information-packed 2-hour session costs $40, or sign up for all 5 sessions for $180. See the Gelfand Design Facebook Page for meeting details. There are only 8 spots per class, so don’t wait to contact me and guarantee your seat! Keep reading for information about each of the 5 available sessions.

(Wed, 4/1, 5–7 PM) JOINING THE TWITTERATI: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MICROBLOGGING

As if our attention spans weren’t short enough already, microblogging has taken off as a way for users to blast short (140-character) messages to their followers. What can you do with 140 characters? Plenty! Twitter is changing the business model of the public relations industry. Find out how to get in on the fun at this round-table seminar. You’ll get detailed instructions for setting up and using your own Twitter account, case studies galore of successful companies leveraging Twitter, and some big-picture insights into how microblogging is changing our world.

(Wed, 4/8, 5–7 PM) WILL U FRIEND MY BRAND? AN INTRODUCTION TO FACEBOOK

Facebook is a social networking Web site that connects people with friends and communities of interest. Although Facebook may be considered a social playground compared with “business networking” sites such as LinkedIn, the boundaries are quickly blurring. In a world where you are your brand, leveraging Facebook for your business has never been more vital. Learn how Facebook works, how to get started, applications you can use to promote your profile, and plenty of case studies and inspiration.

(Wed, 4/15, 5–7 PM) BUSINESS BLOGS THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO READ

These days it’s de rigueur for every business to host a blog alongside its main site. But how do you keep a blog going with your busy schedule, much less set one up to begin with? And what’s the point, anyway? We’ll go over the nuts and bolts of blogging, the anatomy of a blog site, how successful companies leverage their blogs, and reputation management in the blogosphere.

(Wed, 4/22, 5–7 PM) YOU CAN’T NETWORK IF YOU CAN’T WORK THE NET: USING LINKEDIN

Tap into the benefits of a well-developed LinkedIn presence! You may already know that LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking Web site with over 37 million users (and growing) and that you can use it to network, share your expertise, and find work opportunities. But did you also know that you can use LinkedIn to improve your Google page ranking, increase Web traffic, perform industry research, and much more? You’ll learn how to set up and manage your profile, applications you can use to enhance your profile, and dozens of other tips and techniques for effective online networking.

(Wed, 4/29, 5–7 PM) DO PEOPLE DIGG YOU? SOCIAL BOOKMARKING FOR PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFIT

Social bookmarking sites such as Digg and Delicious allow people to collect and share items on the Web they find interesting. Social bookmarking can dramatically increase traffic to your site. It can also supercharge your own productivity by allowing you (and your team if you have one) to find, store, annotate, and share information like never before. We’ll also cover how to promote your business and increase Web traffic with Flickr, YouTube, and other media sharing sites in this session.

If you are interested in a class but can’t meet at the scheduled time and date, let me know. I’ll create new sessions based on demand.