For the Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — Social media and their use in marketing will be explored in Viral Networking, a new Allegany College of Maryland continuing education series that starts March 18.
The three courses are intended to help business and professional people make effective use of these new tools — Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs, among others — to market their brand and sell their goods and services.
The instructor is Mindie Burgoyne, who makes ample use of social media in her avocation as an author and speaker. She is also a full-time employee of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.
These two-hour sessions, which meet monthly on Thursday evenings, are as follows:
• Visual Networking I — Covers social media basics, including the potential for information to “go viral” and how to create it. It discusses how to leverage social media to create buzz about a brand.
• Visual Networking II — Discusses the role of social media in marketing and provides in-depth discussion of Facebook and LinkedIn. It should be of particular help to those who have created such pages but done little with them.
• Visual Networking III — Provides in-depth coverage of Twitter and the basics of YouTube and blogging. It is intended for savvy Internet users who have set up a Twitter account and have used the other two social media forms.
Arranged by the Professional Development and Extended Learning unit of the ACM Center for Continuing Education, the courses meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on March 18, April 15 and May 13.
Students may register for individual courses as well as the series. However, there is a significant tuition discount for those who register for all three courses. The deadline to register for the first course is March 11. Register by calling (301) 784-5341.
For more information contact Becky Hadra, ACM director of professional development and extended learning, at (301) 784-5338 or e-mail her at bhadra@allegany.edu.
Information is also available on the college Web site, www.allegany.edu.
