The Challenge
Is your organization taking advantage of the new and mostly free opportunities in social media? Or are you on a sinking ship, failing to effectively navigate the waters through this new wave of communication? We’ve heard your screams of “S.O.S.”

The Opportunity
The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication presents an exceptional opportunity to help you develop social media strategies for your organization.

Why you should attend
The Grady College is a leader in teaching social media. It is home to the Connect conference, bringing together practitioners and educators to discuss social media and its implications. The workshop, now in its third year, has been called “a fascinating discussion of social media” by PR measurement guru Katie Paine. In 2008, Grady hosted the Edelman Digital Bootcamp for students and educators. Grady’s public relations program has been cited by PR and social media professionals Josh Hallett and Jeremy Pepper as an excellent program. Now Grady brings this expertise tailored to your organization.

Who should attend
Designed for individuals responsible for developing marketing and public relations strategies in organizations, this program will provide strategic insight on why your organization should use social media and specifics on how to do it effectively. You will learn what to use, how to measure it, and the legal and ethical implications of using social media.

The program will be led by two Grady College public relations professors.

Karen Russell (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin) is the editor of the premier academic journal in public relations, the Journal of Public Relations Research. She developed and organized the popular Connect social media conference and teaches classes in social media at Grady. She is the winner of the Institute for Public Relations’ Pathfinder Award. Her blog is www.teachingpr.org.

Kaye Sweetser (Ph.D., APR, University of Florida) is a winner of PRSA’s prestigious Silver Anvil award for outstanding PR campaigns in 2007. In addition to her work at Grady, she serves as a commissioned Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve where she supports U.S. Southern Command. She recently sat on a working group for the U.S. Navy as an adviser to assist in setting policy and integration of social media for the service. She was previously named a research fellow for the Society of New Communications Research and a teaching fellow in UGA’s Lilly Fellows program. Her blog is www.kayesweetser.com.

Organizations can’t afford to ignore or discount social media conversations anymore. A small investment in this personalized and participant-tailored workshop will provide you with the tools and strategic ability to organize and operate your own full-scale social media program in-house, saving your organization marketing and consulting dollars.

Participation in this exceptional social media learning experience is limited.

$695 per participant before October 1, $750 per participant after October 1.

Group discount for 3 or more from the same organization, $595 per participant by October 1, $650 after October 1.

Registration includes all materials, lunch and refreshment breaks.