The team at Oakland Local Academy has been busy this month pulling together three months worth of terrific classes and training programs, all to be held at our co-working space, Tech Liminal.

If you're one of those people who wishes you were better at using social media to market your nonprofit business or organization, you'll want to check out our classes on building a better newsletter, getting the most out of Google Analytics (Susan's favorite) and hiring a social media consultant (after all there are only like 200 of them in the area, all looking for work, right?)  All these classes offer quality, hands-on instruction with experienced, nationally-known instructors, and materials you can take home to refer to - at fair prices (and many have a sliding scale).

You'll also want to come through our new monthly Help Team/Oakland Local Academy social media clinic, held once a month starting in January. This is a workshop where you can discuss issues and problems with your social media strategy and tools with OLA experts and peers - at the same time you eat your lunch.

And if you're one of those people who's coming into 2012 vowing you're either going to become employed or you have to find a new job, Oakland Local Academy's got some classes especially for you!

We're repeating the sold-out classes in Reputation and Identity management we offered this fall to job-seekers -  and adding more sessions on using LinkedIn as a primary job search resource.

Check out the schedule below, and go to LINK here to download a copy.

January 2012

Jan. 19: Job seekers 101: Reputation/Identity management
4 to 5:30 p.m.
$35-$50

Looking for work? Want to present a professional image? Get started by making sure you’re showing up professionally online - and learn how to fix things if you’re not. Limit 15.

Instructors: Susan Mernit, Kwan Booth
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/ryx8ST

Jan. 20: OLA Social Media Clinic
Noon to 2 p.m.
$15

Need some advice? Join the Oakland Local Academy team at our drop-in hours. We’ll be available to coach you on social media problems and questions. Limit 12.

Instructors: Susan Mernit, Kwan Booth, Debi Mason
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/tDPEGc

Jan. 25: Job seekers 102: Using LinkedIn
4 to 5:30 p.m.
$35-$50

Looking for work? What’s your strategy? Take this hands-on workshop on LinkedIn and find out how to get the most out of pitching yourself, networking and finding jobs on this essential platform. Limit 15.

Instructor: Susan Mernit
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/uFjr97

Jan. 30: Newsletters 101: How to make a newsletter people will read
6:30 to 8 p.m.
$35

Do you have a newsletter for your group, business or project? And does anyone read it? This hands-on class is for people who have a newsletter, but want to make what they have better - increasing their open rate, click-though and subscriber rate. Limit 15.

Instructor, Debi Mason
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/ucBNbd


February 2012

Feb. 1: Newsletters 102: Building landing pages & measuring results
6:30 to 8 p.m.
$35

You have a newsletter. Now what? Hands-on class with Oakland Local Academy’s experts on how to build newsletter landing pages and measuring results for your newsletter.

REGISTER: http://bit.ly/veYRqH

Feb. 13: How to hire a social media consultant (Social media week session)
6:30 to 8 p.m.
$10

Social media week special: Is everyone a social media consultant these days? How can you decide whether the person you want to hire to help you with social media marketing has the skills you need? Join a panel discussion moderated by Oakland Local Academy’s Susan Mernit, and featuring local Oakland social media experts TBA. Limit 45.

REGISTER: http://bit.ly/sOkWtu

Feb. 15: Job Seekers 201: Deep dive into LinkedIn
4 to 5:30 p.m.
$50

Building on our January workshop, this is a session for people who already have a Linked-In account, but want hands-on advice on using LinkedIn more effectively in their job search. Participants will need to share their LinkedIn profile and job search goals before first session. Limit 10.

Instructor: Susan Mernit
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/t9u8hf

Feb. 17, OLA Social Media Clinic
Noon to 2 p.m.
$15

Need some advice? Join the Oakland Local Academy team at our drop-in hours. We’ll be available to coach you on social media problems and questions. Limit 12.

Instructors: Susan Mernit, Kwan Booth, Debi Mason
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/soH3vb


March 2012 

March 6: The New Google Analytics for Site Operators
6:30 to 8 p.m. 
$50

Are you managing a website? Do you have a good understanding of how Google Analytics can help you make business decisions? This hands-on workshop is for site operators who already have Google Analytics installed, but need to learn more about working with this data. Limit 15.

Instructor: Susan Mernit, Google Analytics expert
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/utkXXe

March 16: OLA Social Media Clinic
Noon to 2 p.m.
$15

Need some advice? Join the Oakland Local Academy team at our drop-in hours. We’ll be available to coach you on social media problems and questions. Limit 12.

Instructors: Susan Mernit, Kwan Booth, Debi Mason
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/v4PpAE

Upcoming OLA programs and workshops

In the works:

•    eBooks workshop weekend: How to produce and market digital eBooks
•    Mobile for media and nonprofits, what you need to know
•    Summer investigative reporting workshops for high school students and for middle school girls

WANT TO STAY INFORMED ABOUT TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS? EMAIL TRAINING@OAKLANDLOCAL.COM with sign me up in the subject line.

View and download the Winter schedule:

OLA2012classesatTechLiminal