JustPublics@365 offers fall 2014 MediaCamp workshops in partnership with the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism (J-School) and the CUNY Graduate Center Library.

MediaCamp workshops are skills-building sessions designed for intellectuals who want to expand the reach of their research through digital or traditional media. All sessions are FREE and open to anyone from CUNY or elsewhere who would like to attend.

We only ask: if you sign up, please show up. If you change your mind and must cancel, let us know so we can offer your seat to another attendee.

All events take place at the CUNY J-School, 219 W. 40th Street, New York, NY, 10018.

Twitter: Social Media Practicum  Tuesday, 10/28 5-8pm.  Register.

Blogging: Social Media Practicum  Wednesday, 11/5 5-8pm.  Register.

Analytics and Metrics: Advanced Social Media  Friday, 11/7, 1-4pm.  Register.

Communication Strategy for Social Justice Advocates Friday, 11/7, 9:30am-12:30pm.  Register.

Podcasting 101: Strategically Developing, Editing in Garageband, Posting to iTunes Friday, 11/14, 1-4pm.  Register.

Op-Eds: Pitches & Pieces  Friday, 11/14, 9:30am-12:30pm.  Register.

Twitter: Social Media Practicum
Tuesday, 10/28 5-8pm. Register here.
Instructor: Sandeep Junnarkar
This hands-on workshop will set you up on Twitter, establish your “brand” or presence there, and kick start your interactions on this popular social media platform. We will discuss:

• Selecting an appropriate user “handle”
• Creating a useful Twitter profile
• Writing with impact with fewer than 140 characters
• Following Twitter personalities
• Retweeting and direct messaging
• Integrating Twitter feeds into a Wordpress.com blog

Blogging: Social Media Practicum
Wednesday, 11/5, 5-8pm. Register here.
Instructor: Sandeep Junnarkar
This workshop steps attendees through the process to establish a blog — an online space to highlight research, interests, ideas, and accomplishments. We will discuss  the merits of free plug-and-play blogging platforms including WordPress.com and Tumblr, delving deeply into WordPress.com. We will cover:

• Creating a WordPress.com account
• Writing a post, title, and excerpt for each entry
• Uploading and/or embedding media (photographs and PDFs)
• Hyperlinking to other work
• Changing design themes
• Updating and editing posts

Analytics and Metrics: Advanced Social Media
Friday, 11/7 1-4pm. Register here.
Instructor: Sandeep Junnarkar
You’ve built a WordPress blogging site and posted your research and analysis. You’re Tweeting up a storm. But is anyone actually reading and sharing your work? To optimize and publicize your site, you must understand the site’s traffic patterns. Where are visitors coming from? How long do they stay? When do they visit? How do you engage and build a Twitter following? Tweak your publication schedule, add keywords and content to attract a greater number of visitors, and keep visitors reading and returning to your site. We will explore:

• Embedding Google’s analytics script to measure traffic
• Analyzing site visitations
• Distinguishing between new and returning visitors
• Determining the traffic geography
• Distinguishing between SEO-driven and Social Media-driven traffic
• Measuring engagement via Twitter

Pre-session work: In a previous workshop or on your own: establish a social media presence on Twitter and WordPress.

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Communication Strategy for Social Justice Advocates
Friday, 11/7, 9:30am-12:30pm. Register here.
Instructor: Chris Palmedo
This workshop is designed for social justice advocates of all variety. Learn to produce powerful strategic communications programs for public policy and social change. We cover: creating a communications strategy, developing your message, analyzing your audience, and applying appropriate tactics. Participants share ideas and questions in this “safe space” of fellow social justice advocates. 

Podcasting 101: Strategically Developing, Editing in Garageband, Posting to iTunes
Friday, 11/14, 1-4pm. Register here.
Instructor: Heidi Knoblauch
This workshop will give an overview of the strategy behind podcast development and show participants how to make a podcast with Garageband and publish it to iTunes. During the workshop, participants will use smart phones to record high quality audio in the field and then edit that audio into a polished podcast to be shared with the class. 

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Op-Eds: Pitches & Pieces
Friday, 11/14, 9:30am-12:30pm. Register here.
Instructor: Tanya Domi

How do you write an op-ed? When do you write one? How do you get a journalist to write about what you care about? This workshop offers techniques for talking to journalists covering your work. It excavates the art of pitching a piece to editors, and the practice of timing your writing to match a news cycle. Academics and social justice advocates increase impact by talking to journalists, by learning how to write for non-academic audiences, and by timing op-ed submissions to match news cycles.

Participants will learn to:

• Recognize a “news peg” for an op-ed or article
• Pitch an op-ed or article to a news outlet
• Work with the give-and-take of the editing process
• Demystify complex concepts for a non-academic audience
• Work with reporters learning about a topic

Preparation:  Submit a brief description of your academic interests and read a few published op-eds written by academics for popular audiences.