Journalism 2.0: Introduction to twitter/blogging
This course is aimed at journalists and freelancers with newsroom background
"Social Media". You may have heard the term. But what does it really mean? Why is everyone talking about it? And how can you use it to sharpen your skills and enhance your currency as a working journalist?
Well, the truth is, if you're a journalist, you already are a social media practitioner, using the traditional tools of your trade to reflect and connect the society around you.
Now it's time to upgrade your toolkit, and be part of the most far-reaching and exciting communications revolution since Gutenberg yelled "Start the Presses!"
This hands-on, interactive course goes beyond the buzzwords to cover the following areas and aspects of social media for journalists:
• How to use Twitter as a tool for shaping and refining your story, sharpening your ability to write and rewrite concisely and precisely, chasing breaking news, generating story leads and ideas, and tapping into the power of the always-on "thought-stream" of this ubiquitous new medium.
• How to extend your reach and prowess as a journalist by journaling on your own blog, becoming your own publisher, and learning to "write before you write" by turning your blog into a valuable complement to your notebook.
• How to get the most out of such powerful online tools as YouTube, Flickr, Wikipedia, Facebook, and Google Maps, using them as integral add-ons to your journalistic arsenal, rather than as substitutes for the skills and instincts that brought you into journalism in the first place.
All this and more, in a course that will equip you with the practical know-how you need to make your mark in the brave new world of social media for journalists. The course will also explore the ethical issues brought into focus by the shift towards new tools and technologies.
Who is the course aimed at?
The course is aimed at all journalists, full-time and freelance, who wish to cut through the hype, break through the fog of fear and scepticism, and learn to embrace the possibilities and the opportunities of new media.
About the trainer
Gus Silber is an award-winning journalist, author, and scriptwriter. He started his career in journalism on the West Rand Times in Krugersdorp, and has worked as a feature writer for numerous publications, including the Star, the Sunday Times, Style Magazine, the Weekly Mail, and Frontline. He is an active blogger, impulsive tweeter, and analogue and digital technology fetishist. He was once scornfully dismissive of "new media", and is now a shameless evangelist for its everyday applications and its wealth of possibilities.
Venue: Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, Johannesburg
Cost: R1 800.00 (10% discount for freelancers and a further 5% for SAFREA members)
More info:
9 Jubilee road, Parktown, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa