See Week Three of the class syllabus (and below) for info on the two upcoming assignments, plus an outline of social media skills you should test before the next session. Questions and comments welcome!

• Week Three (Sept. 15): Harnessing social media for reporting/branding
• Assignment No. 1: Blog post No. 3. Question blog w/reported intro (300 words max) based on theme. [NOTE: Question-style blog posts ask a question and solicit user comments. See examples of “question posts” on Interactive Blog Examples page]. Include minimum of 3-4 links, and multimedia, where appropriate. Post on your personal blog, then post one-sentence tease on class blog, under category “Questions.”
• Assignment No. 2: Promote your own post using at least social media tool. Make 2 comments on your colleague’s posts. Post URL for post, links to comments and link to promotion on class blog under category “Questions” (if you like, you can share this info in the teaser post for your Question blog, outlined above). Due Date: Week 4. Comments and social media promotion by end of same day.
• Lab Preparation: Try the following; we’ll review at start of class for Week 4.
• Facebook: BASIC: Link to mobile device (see Facebook + Journalists Getting Started), Create a vanity URL (Real Name URL/profile (more), protect your privacy by reviewing and correcting privacy settings and removing your name in tags on (unprofessional) photos. ADVANCED: Set up new subscription feature and improved Friend lists. Create Facebook “page” (see Facebook + Journalists Getting Started).
• Twitter: BASIC: Set up tweeting from phone (Twitter–>settings–>mobile). Create “list.” ADVANCED: Use social media metric tool (see class notes for examples) to analysis your Twitter account.