Blogging and Social Media Workshop for Writers

My November 9^th workshop on Blogging & Social Media for Writers was held at the Mississauga Central Library. It was the second workshop in the “Telling My Story” workshop series conducted by Rise Up! Rise ABOVE! (Ru!RA!), a not for profit organization dedicated to empowerment through creativity.

The workshop navigated writers with differing levels of social media proficiency, exploring anything from the Twitter gospel of using hashtags (#) to why a blogger should also use Facebook. Writers from a wide range of genres were eager to learn and generated exuberant discussion.

“When I decided to attend the session on blogging, I was sure in myhttp://riseupriseabove.ca mind that I will not find the time to do it; but I just wanted to

Nina teaches about blogging

know about it all the same. Nina's enthusiastic and yet demystifying class, converted me. She made the activity of blogging both enjoyable and somehow a necessary aspect of modern life - the new communication to connect with the World, the people, our audience.”—Prata Reddy, Toronto writer 

The workshop overviewed the history of social media; we reviewed the five most common and useful social media and what their best uses are; and I described the structure of a typical blog. I reviewed: branding, SEO (how to bring and keep traffic coming to your blog), tagging, content, times and schedules, comments and linking to / from other social networks. Through my own example over a dozen blogs (both my own and guest blogging) and as many social media, I explored a system that allowed me to create a strong Internet presence—and still have time to go to the beach!

Nina Munteanu with RuRA's Cheryl Xavier

The Blogging & Social Media Workshop for Writers is ongoing through RuRA! If you’re a Toronto writer and starting a blog or just wondering if you should, this workshop is for you. Contact Ru!RA! for the next Blogging Workshop in the GTA.

For more information on the Telling My Story workshop series and on RuRA! visit my previous post here.

Contact:

For more information on Ru!RA! and their programs go to their website or contact the director, Cheryl Antao Xavier at cxavier@riseupriseabove.ca.

Ru!RA! Website: http://riseupriseabove.ca

Telling My Story: Blogging & Social Media Workshop November 9, 2014 in Mississauga, ON

Rise Up! Rise ABOVE! is holding its second "Telling My Story" Workshop on November 9th (2014) in the Mississauga Central Library from 2-4pm.

The workshop specifically covers Blogging and Social Media as story telling.

In this interactive 2-hour workshop, I'll explore the elements of storytelling for this specific media, how to create a good blog, how to use it, SEO techniques (with other social media) and the pros and cons of keeping one. The workshop will also cover how to do research, and privacy issues.

Worksheets are included. Educational books and DVDs will also be available for sale.

I've been blogging for over seven years. I created and continue to run over five of my own blogs and have guest blogged on many others, including community/interest ezines (e.g., Scribophile, Amazing Stories, Europa SF, Strange Horizons, IROSF, etc.); but I still have time to go to the beach. Find out the secrets that took me years to figure out. If you like the beach, you'll come. See you there!

Where: Room 2, Mississauga Central Library, 301 Burnhamthorpe R. W, Mississauga, ON; 905-615-3500.
When: Sunday, November 9, 2014, 2-4 pm
Fee: $20/person (cheque or cash at workshop)
Pre-Register: via email to cxavier@riseupriseaabove.ca

Ru!RA! is a not-for-profit corporation (registered federally in Canada) with a mission to bring about Empowerment through Creativity. RuRA! uses a creative arts approach (writing, art, music, dance) to get past stumbling blocks/trauma/discrimination/mental health issues that hold us back as individuals or communities from moving forward with our lives.

"The creative process helps immeasurably in externalizing the trauma/issue and holding it at arm's length while we learn coping skills and (hopefully) discover a passion for a particular form of creative expression. Our reach is to all communities with a focus on women, youth and native groups. We are developing workshop models around art/poetry expression and "Telling my Story" is one of them."--Cheryl Antao Xavier, Executive Director

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.