Teaching Social Media

Librarians who want to begin, expand, or improve their programs on teaching social media to adults and teens will find this guide invaluable. Sharing social media expertise with library clientele is a natural way for libraries to support their communities-and increase their relevance. This book provides a roadmap for librarians who wish to offer this service but need to brush up on their own social media skills or learn how to cover the topics in a classroom situation. Although there are many books on social media, this volume is unique because it presents complete teaching scripts that can be adapted for various classroom situations along with general guidelines and tips. You'll find general advice on social media as well as suggestions for getting support for the program, creating a syllabus tailored to community needs, and planning class format and logistics. Entire chapters cover Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Pinterest, Yelp, and Google+, explaining how these sites work and how to use them to your advantage, as well as some of the privacy and safety concerns surrounding them and how they are trending. Class variations such as Twitter for Business and How to Plan Your Trip Online are also discussed, as are other classes to consider-for example, Tumblr and Instagram-and how to develop them. * Shows librarians how to get started with a social media program and enlist support from administration and other staff * Offers step-by-step instructions for planning and teaching a program built around seven specific, popular social media applications-Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, Google+, Foursquare, and Pinterest-as well as tips for teaching other programs, such as Instagram and Tumblr * Provides guidelines on customizing class topics and format to meet community needs * Shows how to avoid pitfalls and how to deal with problems when they do arise * Includes easily adaptable, time-saving handouts for each class