Mediabistro offers its community members news, analysis, and education of traditional, digital, and social media. With the largest job board in the United States, Mediabistro saw an opportunity to educate its followers with the skills and knowledge necessary to compete in the media world. In 2011, Social Media Marketing Boot Camp was launched and immediately took off. When students expressed the need for an introductory course, we launched Social Media 101 in early 2012. With over 2000 students to date, these online conferences have featured some of the top industry social media influencers, with speakers from Facebook, YouTube, Newsweek/The Daily Beast, Whole Foods, and other global brands.It’s New York: Anyone can have a party. What if you created an event that took place everywhere? And what if the focus of the event was learning? Part course and part event, Social Media 101 and Social Media Marketing Boot Camp give professionals in the media space and beyond the opportunity to build meaningful connections with people from around the world. And here’s the best part: Professionals transitioning to the social space receive skills-based training from leaders in social media through case studies, how-to sessions, and a customized curriculum designed to yield practical, hands-on learning. Social Media 101 introduces participants to the fundamentals of social media at a beginner’s level over five weeks. Each week, one major platform is covered by a social media leader during a live webcast. Students hear from a social strategist on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and emerging platforms in a catered how-to session. At the end of the presentation, participants are able to ask questions live and follow-up in an ongoing online classroom with dynamic discussion forums. For more advanced social media users, Social Media Marketing Boot Camp focuses on strategy level social thinking. Over eight weeks, participants hear from thought leaders on their social media success stories and use catered case studies as a template for their own social media marketing strategy, which they create over the course of the boot camp. Both online conferences place students in small groups with an advisor who gives feedback on homework assignments, answers individual questions and advises on best social media practices. To make the experience of online learning as accessible as possible, all webcasts are recorded and archived so students from across the globe can learn on their own time. By creating an environment that’s conducive to all levels of knowledge and student schedules, #SocMed101 and #SMMBootCamp have formed an army of educated social media users.
