Five Free Online Social Media And Public Relations Courses

Education Portal (via Lifehacker) recently featured a list of Universities offering free online university courses.

Digging through the list, there are woefully few courses on PR and social media.

However, I’ve picked out a few specific courses that PR and social media folks may want to check out:

Social Media

1. New Media Literacies (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

   On the surface, this course looks at literacy theory in media contexts.

   In practice, this is a great introduction to new media tools (including podcasting, blogging, wikis and more), complete with comprehensive lecture notes and slides for reference.

2. Stanford on iTunes U (Stanford University)

   Stanford University, one of the world’s leading academic institutions, has joined forces with iTunes U to provide access to Stanford courses, lectures, interviews and more, all in audio format.

   Head to the ‘Science and Technology’ section, then click ‘Technology’ in the centre panel, for lectures on Facebook (with Mark Zuckerberg), Google, podcasting and more.

Public Relations

1. Marketing Communications As A Strategic Function (The Open University)

   This course emphasises the strategic importance of marketing communication, rather than seeing it as merely a tactical tool. This is essential if communications is to have a seat at the senior management table.

   Features complete course materials and useful references.

2. Stanford on iTunes U (Stanford University)

   Stanford University, one of the world’s leading academic institutions, has joined forces with iTunes U to provide access to Stanford courses, lectures, interviews and more, all in audio format.

   Check out the ‘Communications and Media’ section:

   • Clicking ‘Media’ gives a series of lectures on the modern media, including ‘Public Life in a Wired World’
   • Clicking ‘Journalism’ gives a large series of classes, including ‘Journalism and the Internet’ and a look at whether newspapers can survive in the new world of journalism
3. Communication Technology and Policy (University of Southern Queensland)

   This course looks at the diverse roles played by communication technologies in contemporary society, and in the regulations and policies that govern the use of these technologies. It includes a look at some of the challenges thrown up by the rise of digital communication, and the future of journalism and citizen journalists.