Welcome to Module 4:

This module will be about the following topics:

How Social Media can help announce you MOOC-ed
Which platforms or networks to consider

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This is a copyright free image from Pixabay and can be accessed at the following link: https://goo.gl/5vPlhB

As your course is fully online it makes the most amount of sense to market your course via Social Media. As so many individuals are connected via social media, this is one of the best way to market your course. According to Aaron Agius of Entrepreneur.com, "one of the best ways to build that (brand authority) is through the savvy use of social media" (2015). While you could argue that a MOOC-ed is not really a product and you are certainly not a brand, Agius is correct that you need to get the word out to people that you are offering a course. A relatively inexpensive way of doing this is via Social Media. However there are some important points to consider. Agius summarizes these points in his article, "The 4 Essential to Building Your Brand on Social Media"

They are as followed:

Choose Networks that Support Your Brand Image
Provide Valuable and Shareable Content
Leverage Influencers
Use Social Campaigns to Promote Content

It is important to point out that not all of Agius's suggestions seem to apply to MOOC-eds or to the field of education. I see the three most important being 1-2-3. Perhaps if you are planning to build a personal brand and market yourself as an online learning expert the number 4 would apply. Using a well known social media network helps to gain visibility as well as a mainstream recognition. Not everyone will want to participate but the more exposure the better. I feel that number 2 is the most important for MOOC-eds. Because participants are taking this course for personal enrichment (mostly) then you should make it worth their time. Also, if you continue to provide high quality content then you may eventually be considered an expert in the field. Always check and double check your sources and links. Finally, number 3 is also extremely important for reach. I'm following some heavy-hitters in the education field on twitter such as Suzie Boss, Don Wettrick, Alec Couros and even Sylvia Duckworth. It is worth the time to DM them on Twitter or PM them on Facebook to see if they will tweet your MOOC-ed out to their followers! You many be really surprised at how individuals (especially on Twitter) are willing to help out someone just starting out in online education. So harvest their social media star power and make it work for you. The worse they could say is no!

I recommend reading all of Agius's article above!

Have a nice week and I hope you enjoy the assignment this week!

Some additional reading on Social Media and how it can help with the teaching aspect can be found below:

Chen, A. 2016. "How Social Media Helped Me Become a Better Teacher" KQED Education (online) available here