Social media is an important part of a modern political campaign, helping you communicate with voters and get your message out to journalists. This course is for social media beginners – those who may not have social media accounts or those who feel they’re not using their accounts effectively. We'll teach basic principles and best practices to use Facebook and Twitter to get your progressive message out to traditional media and the public.

This course will teach you:

• Basic principles of social media effectiveness
• How to set up and start using personal accounts on Facebook and Twitter
  • The language of Twitter
  • How Facebook pages work
  • How to protect your information and reputation when posting on social media
  • What types of things to post on Facebook and Twitter to engage your audience

Pre-requisites:

• You must bring a laptop to this course
• Basic computer skills

This is a three-hour course.

Principles of Social Media: 45 min

• Why do we use social media?
• Key points to remember when using social media
• Social media in the Canadian legal context
• How to minimize your risk

Facebook: 45 min

• Hands-on setting up a personal Facebook account
• Basic Facebook settings
• What to post on Facebook
• Safeguard against hacking
• Quick look at Facebook pages

- 10 minute break-

Twitter: 1 hour

• Hands-on setting up a personal Twitter account
• The language of Twitter
• What to post on Twitter

Practice time and questions: 20 min

Take-away materials:

• The language of Twitter
• Four pillars of social networking

Instructor: Jarrah Hodge

Jarrah Hodge is a Communications Officer at COPE 378 as well as an award-winning feminist blogger at gender-focus.com. She has set up and managed social media profiles for elected representatives, unions and other progressive organizations. She serves on the executive board of the Canadian Association of Labour Media and has extensive experience training progressive, labour, and political activists on social media.