Where do you turn when you want to learn more about social media? Sometimes I get overwhelmed with deciding which of the countless learning opportunities to take advantage of.
Being an extrovert, I prefer to be with other people for most of my social media learning experiences. However, I also find books, blog posts, newsletters and tutorials on social media sites to be incredibly helpful.
Social Marketing for Business Monthly Meetup Group
One of my favorite ways to learn about social meeting is at the monthly gathering of the Social Marketing for Business Meetup, which meets at the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce.
Mike Hanbery, Director of New Media Strategies at Webolutions (an award-winning Internet marketing firm), leads a fast-paced, highly interactive discussion on the theme of the month.
At our October 18 Meetup, our theme was content marketing, so we talked a lot about where to get ideas for topics to blog about and about effective posting on our social media sites.
Here is Debi Davis of 3D Communications inviting member of our Meetup to join the Social Marketing for Business community that she created on Google+. Mike Hanbery is on the left along with the fellow recording our session.
![DJD talking Google[1]](https://boomerssocialmediatutor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/DJD-talking-Google1.jpg)
Then we have “tip groups” with folks breaking into smaller groups that tie to one of the social media sites. Members of this “rump” group come up with a tip related to the theme and a spokesperson for the group shares that tip with the larger group.
The entire event is recorded on video, with the highlights available via our Meetup site and on YouTube.
Here is a link to a recording of the representatives of each of the tips groups sharing tips related to the September 20 meeting’s theme of Effective Listening to Social Media Channels.
The clip is about 5 minutes in length, and I was honored to be the spokesperson for the LinkedIn tips group.
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=5566300&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
A Few Other Suggested Resources for Social Media Learning
The social media learning resources available are simply too numerous to list them all in a blog post. That said, here are a few resources I have used:
- Colorado Free University – affordable in-person classes on a wide range of social media, with each class typically about 3 hours in length. Most are in the evenings, and all are offered at CFU on Denver’s east side. They even offer a certificate in online marketing. Find out more at www.freeu.com
- WSI Webinars – free monthly webinars available to clients of WSI representatives and featuring experts on various social media topics. By using innovative Internet technologies and advanced digital marketing strategies, businesses can have a WSI Digital Marketing System tailored to their individual needs to elevate their Internet presence. Contact Lynda O’Mara, my WSI rep, for more information at lynda@wsiwebvisions.com
- Small Business Development Centers – our Denver SBDC now has a social media track with local social media experts presenting lunch hour classes for a very reasonable fee at SBDC in downtown Denver. The classes have wrapped up for this fall, but will be offered again in the spring. http://www.denversbdc.org/seminars/social-media-track
- Webinars and seminars offered directly by various social media experts – for example, Mari Smith, international leader in Facebook marketing, has a 2-hour webinar on Oct. 30 on how to make Facebook ads work for you. http://www.marismith.com/facebook-ads-webinar/
Here is a photo of me (I’m the one leaning on the table) at a local seminar on Pinterest offered by Melissa Taylor, author of the book Pinterest Savvy.
![600_228845692[1]](https://boomerssocialmediatutor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/600_2288456921.jpg)
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How About You?
What’s your favorite ways to learn about social media? Do you like classes and webinars as I do? Or do you prefer to move at your own pace with blogs, books and social site tutorials? Please share some of your “go to” sources of social media learning.
About Joyce
![joycefeustel_1334461223_600[1]](https://boomerssocialmediatutor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/joycefeustel_1334461223_60015.jpg)
Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more comfortable using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter.
She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com
Thanks for the mention, Joyce! This photo shows me talking to one of my favorite groups of social media enthusiasts. The conversations at these monthly meetups have been instrumental in keeping me current in this industry.
I, like you, have a collection of sites and places, and a circle of people I go to that provide learning opportunities. There are thousands of good ones out there. That, in itself, creates a challenge. There simply is not enough hours in a day to absorb it all.
It’s important to find a few reliable, consistent, high-quality resources. Add to that your own consistent and focused efforts. THAT’s where these learning opportunities really pay off.
Any time, Debi. Always happy to showcase someone who had helped me so much! Yes, you are right that there aren’t enough hours in the day to absorb all that is out there in the way of social media learning opportunities. I just do the best I can to address the needs I have now and am grateful so that many things are archived electronically.
And it can take a bit of research, but one can identify some excellent resources.
Thanks for weighing in.
Joyce