April Update: Take a media skills class this spring

 Posted on April 18, 2013 by

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Tired of winter? Shake off the winter blahs with one of our media skills classes, like Twitter 101, or Become a LinkedIn Power User, or sign up for our April Social Media Clinic.  Volunteer as a journalism mentor for one of our aspiring citizen journalists. Or drop in on one of our Newsroom Cafes to find out how you can contribute your talents to the Daily Planet as a writer, photographer or videographer. (And maybe even get paid.)  You’ll find details on all of the above below, right after our staff reports.

Staff reports: 
Bruce JohansenProgram manager for Training and Engagement Bruce Johansen reports: 
March was a month of brainstorming, relationship-building, and classes:
·      We met with staff of several nonprofits and neighborhood associations to assess how we might address pressing media and communications needs. Through a generous grant from the Bush Foundation we’re able to provide customized coaching, classes, and much, much more. With small staffs and scant resources, this is just what our 25 partners need.
·      While we were doing outreach, others were reaching out to us, leading to brainstorming on how we might provide basic computer instruction to new immigrants, troubleshoot on website and social media woes, and collaborate on projects designed to help shrink the digital divide in some small way.
·      At month’s end we learned that we’d received a Neighborhood Partnership Initiative grant from CURA, the U of M’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs. Lolla Mohammed Nur will be TCMA lead on “Breaking Walls and Building Bridges,” a collaboration with the Seward Neighborhood Group that uses storytelling to confront barriers that keep residents of East African and other backgrounds apart.
·      Our Community Photojournalism Basics class was a big success, so successful that we’ve invited Tom Baker to return this month to teach a hands-on sequel, Eyes on the Street: Community Photojournalism Walk and Critique. Jay Gabler will answer the question, “What is Tumblr, and what can it do for you,” in Tumblr 101, and take on ALL of your social media questions at April’s social media clinic. Meanwhile, our classes at public libraries throughout the metro area continue to get rave reviews!
Arts Editor Jay Gabler reports:
We’ve been working hard to make sure the Daily Planet arts section reflects the diversity of our communities—and we need your help! We’re driven by community contributions and citizen journalists sharing their stories about the local artists and events that mean the most to them. Take a look at our community calendar—are the upcoming events you’re most excited about listed there? If not, follow the easy steps to add them! Want to see your favorite upcoming events highlighted in our newsletters and on our home page as TCDP Top Picks? Write to me for information about how you can tell our readers why those events are special. Mary Turck and I would also love to see you at an upcoming Newsroom Cafe, where we can tell you all about how to have fun, make friends, and even earn some income as a member of our team of citizen journalists.

Editor Mary Turck reports:
In March, our Media Skills Fellows began publishing stories of their lives and communities. Among them: Juanita Espinosa told the story of a young mother’s experience of the digital divide and Vangeline Ortega told her own story of kidney dialysis and transplants, which disproportionately affect Hispanic communities. In the Our Stories section, we focus on indivduals telling their own stories. In March that included a Haitian immigrant, anti-drone veterans, and Mark, one of the men who holds signs on street corners, asking for money. Our Community Voices section offered a forum for voices including MPS Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson, the Center for the American Experiment’s Mitch Pearlstein and individual community members, such as Luwam Arefe and Margarita Luna. Of course, our great citizen journalists continued to contribute coverage of the HERC controversy, early childhood education, the Sisters Camelot labor dispute and much more.

Community Engagement Editor Lolla Mohammed Nur reports:
We’ve been working on community engagement and continued outreach with neighborhood organizations and nonprofits, such as Navigate MN, the Harrison Neighborhood Association, Organizing Apprenticeship Project, Seward Neighborhood Group, and Cycles for Change, among others. Community outreach has led to more stories being published in the Our Stories section, which focuses on individuals who have a unique story, life experience, or an innovative vision to share in their own words.
The highlights of the past month include a Haitian immigrant working to build the Minnesota Haitian community, Kenyan Minnesotans’ opinions on the election in their home country, and an anti-drone rally in Cedar Riverside. We have also been working with our Media Skills Fellows and publishing their stories.

Community Asset Mapping / Neighborhood Engagement Specialist Maggie Pearson reports: March has been a busy first month for the Asset Mapping team. We started our community mapping project on the West Side of St. Paul, and quickly found some hidden gems for snacks and services hidden throughout the Neighborhood. A group of artists on Smith Ave were kind enough to include us in a brainstorming gathering they hosted, which lead to Harry Kent’s Neighborhood Note. In addition to mapping out the West Side, Bruce invited me to join him in meeting with many of the community partners for his Bush Grant work, which led to numerous valuable conversations about how I can work with neighborhood groups to map the community resources and get their news content out! We’re now wrapping up our work on the West Side with over 60 new listings made, and starting outreach to folks living and working in Hamline-Midway.

Volunteer to mentor Daily Planet citizen journalists!
We are looking for experienced professional journalists who want to share their skills by mentoring our citizen journalists. Interested?  We will meet with you to introduce the Daily Planet, including our assignment procedure, pre- and post-story engagement process, and expectations for stories. Then we’ll try to match you with a citizen journalist who would like help in improving reporting and writing skills. You’ll meet with the citizen journalist to get acquainted and then agree on how you can best help — probably by conferring about the story at the time of assignment (including pre-story engagement plans), reviewing/editing the first draft of the story, and discussing possibilities for post-story engagement and follow-up.  To volunteer, or for more information, contact Daily Planet editor Mary Turck, editor@tcdailyplanet.net.
Newsroom Cafes:

If you are interested in reporting for the Daily Planet, or want help with a story-in-progress, stop in at a Newsroom Café.

Newsroom Café with Mary Turck
Thu, 04/11/2013 – 7:00pm at Kopplin’s Coffee, 2038 Marshall Ave., St Paul , MN 55104
Wed, 04/24/2013 – 10:00am at the Black Dog Cafe, 308 East Prince Street in downtown St. Paul.

To find Mary, look for the laptop with the “I Heart the First Amendment” sticker!

Newsroom Cafes with Jay Gabler
Wed, 04/17/2013 – 3:00pm – 4:00pm at Nina’s, 165 Western Ave N., Saint Paul, MN 55102
Tue, 04/30/2013 – 3:00pm – 4:00pm at the Beat Coffeehouse, 1414 W. 28th St., Minneapolis, MN 55408
To find Jay, look for the laptop with the Freaky Deeky sticker.
Twin Cities Media Alliance Classes

Our location: Many of our classes are held at the Twin Cities Daily Planet office (though many are not—see each class listing for location information). Our office is centrally located, but it can be a little tricky to find if you don’t realize that we are in the Wells Fargo bank branch at 2600 E. Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis. Free parking is available in the bank’s parking lot; to get to our office, enter through the bank’s back door—from the parking lot. You’ll see the door to our office right across from the ATM. If the bank is closed, you can get into the vestibule by swiping any ATM card; otherwise, just step over to our window and give us a knock!

Tumblr 101 with Jay Gabler
Mon, 04/22/2013 – 6:30pm – 8:30pm
at the Daily Planet offices, 2600 Franklin Avenue E., Suite 2, Minneapolis, MN 55406 Enter from rear of building (see note above)
The social blogging platform Tumblr is one of the fastest-growing online networks, especially among young people and the “creative class.” What is Tumblr, and what can it do for you? Daily Planet arts editor Jay Gabler, who has multiple successful Tumblr blogs and has even visited Tumblr HQ in New York, will give you the basics on how Tumblr works, why it’s becoming so popular, and how you can use it effectively for your business and personal interests.

Tuition for this class is $10.00. Scholarships are available. Register at TheDataBank.

April Social Media Clinic

Thu, 04/25/2013 – 4:00pm – 6:00pm
at the Daily Planet offices, 2600 Franklin Avenue E., Suite 2, Minneapolis, MN 55406 Enter from rear of building (see note above)

Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest—wherever you are online, if you’re a little confused, you’re not alone! Come to our monthly social media clinics at the Daily Planet office and get a hand from Twin Cities Daily Planet associate editor Jay Gabler—in addition to connecting with other community members and sharing your own best practices. Our social media clinics are meant to help you successfully navigate your way through the online forest of information, and to reach the communities you want to reach for your nonprofit, small business, or personal interests.

WHO: Jay Gabler and up to ten registered participants.
WHY: As part of our nonprofit mission to help members of Twin Cities communities connect with one another and with our larger global communities using the power of new media.
HOW: We ask participants to pre-register so as to guarantee that space will be available and to pay the participation fee of $10 for each workshop. Participation is free for all Daily Planet advertisers (click here for more information about how to advertise with the Daily Planet), and scholarships are available upon request. Bring your laptop—wi-fi is available. If you want to participate but don’t have a laptop, inquire with us; we may be able to provide you with a computer for the session.

Eyes on the Street: Community Photojournalism Walk and Critique

Thu, 04/25/2013 – 6:30pm – 8:30pm
at the Daily Planet offices, 2600 Franklin Avenue E., Suite 2, Minneapolis, MN 55406 Enter from rear of building (see note above)

Learn the basics of photographing in the community in this hands-on class with freelance photographer Tom Baker. As a continuation of last month’s Community Photojournalism Basics (not a prerequisite), you’ll meet outside the Daily Planet office for a photo walk along the streets of Minneapolis. Tom will instruct you on how to photograph portraits and candids of community members and collect caption information about your subjects. After the photo walk, everyone will return to the Daily Planet office to share and critique their images. Cell phone cameras, point and shoots, and DSLRs are welcome. All cameras must be digital and have the ability to upload to a computer. Tom
 Baker 
has 
worked
 at 
three 
newspapers 
and
 has 
been freelancing 
since 
2006.

Tuition for this class is $10.00. Scholarships are available. Please register at TheDataBank.

Become a LinkedIn Power User at Wescott Library
Thu, 04/11/2013 – 6:00pm – 8:00pm
1340 Wescott Rd.Eagan, MN 55123
Do you have a LinkedIn account but have never quite figured out how to use it? With over 130 million members, LinkedIn is a network worth developing. In this class we will learn how to set up a profile accurately, discover new contacts and participate in groups.

This class will be taught by Marcos Lopez-Carlson. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 651-450-2900.

Promote Your Business with Facebook at Prior Lake Library
Thu, 04/11/2013 – 6:30pm – 8:30pm
16210 Eagle Creek Avenue South East
Prior Lake, MN 55372

You know that social media is a great way to market your business and share information about your brand, but where do you start? How do you find time to fit it all in? During this hour and a half workshop, learn how to set up a business Facebook page and engage your fans. Discover ways to curate and distribute consistent information and grow your fan base. This workshop will also offer suggestions for how to set up your own editorial calendars related to social media content, ways to maximize your Facebook efforts when your time is limited, and general best practices in social media.

This class will be taught by Steffen Ryan. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 952-447-3375.

Twitter 101 at Chanhassen Library
Sat, 04/13/2013 – 1:00pm – 3:00pm
7711 Kerber Blvd.
Chanhassen, MN 55317

What is Twitter, and how can you use it effectively to connect with your friends, colleagues, and—for business owners—potential customers? Go from being a novice to a power user. This class will be taught by Jay Gabler. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 952-227-1500.

Create a Website for Your Business at Hayden Heights Library
Sat, 04/13/2013 – 1:00pm – 3:00pm
1456 White Bear Ave.
Saint Paul, MN 55106

Learn how to develop a free or inexpensive website for your small business, community organization or blog using WordPress or another user-friendly platform. This class includes instructions how to set up a site, how to navigate the settings so that the site represents your business, and tips on how to generate traffic.

This class will be taught by Matt Bartel. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 651-793-3934.

Become a LinkedIn Power User at Shakopee Library
Thu, 04/18/2013 – 6:30pm – 8:30pm
235 Lewis St. S.
Shakopee, MN 55379

Do you have a LinkedIn account but have never quite figured out how to use it? With over 130 million members, LinkedIn is a network worth developing. In this class we will learn how to set up a profile accurately, discover new contacts and participate in groups.

This class will be taught by Marcos Lopez-Carlson. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 952-233-9590.

Promote Your Business with Facebook at Inver Glen Library
Sat, 04/27/2013 – 10:30am – 12:30pm
8098 Blaine Ave.
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076

You know that social media is a great way to market your business and share information about your brand, but where do you start? How do you find time to fit it all in? During this hour and a half workshop, learn how to set up a business Facebook page and engage your fans. Discover ways to curate and distribute consistent information and grow your fan base. This workshop will also offer suggestions for how to set up your own editorial calendars related to social media content, ways to maximize your Facebook efforts when your time is limited, and general best practices in social media.

This class will be taught by Steffen Ryan. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 651-554-6840.

Become a LinkedIn Power User at Pleasant Hill Library
Thu, 05/02/2013 – 10:15am – 12:15pm
1490 S Frontage Rd.
Hastings, MN 55033

Do you have a LinkedIn account but have never quite figured out how to use it? With over 130 million members, LinkedIn is a network worth developing. In this class we will learn how to set up a profile accurately, discover new contacts and participate in groups.

This class will be taught by Marcos Lopez-Carlson. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 651-438-0200.

Create a Website for Your Business at Scott County Government Center
Thu, 05/02/2013 – 6:30pm – 8:30pm
200 4th Ave. W.
Shakopee, MN 55379

Learn how to develop a free or inexpensive website for your small business, community organization or blog using WordPress or another user-friendly platform. This class includes instructions how to set up a site, how to navigate the settings so that the site represents your business, and tips on how to generate traffic.

This class will be taught by Matt Bartel. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 952-707-1770.

Making the Most of Google Docs at Highland Park Library
Mon, 05/06/2013 – 5:30pm – 7:30pm
1974 Ford Pkwy.
Saint Paul, MN 55116

You know that Google makes high-quality software from Internet search to e-mail to maps, but what about documents? Come and learn about Google Docs: Google’s version of documents, spreadsheets, forms, presentations, and drawings—all part of the Google Docs suite. Learn how to create, manipulate, manage, and collaborate with Google Docs. Google Docs comes automatically packaged with Gmail and Google Apps accounts, so this class applies to anyone with a Google account!

This class will be taught by Brian Roemen. Thanks to our partnership with the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), this class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 651-695-3700.

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