HootSuite blog – Social Media Dashboard

Refreshed and Ready

A few months back, we launched the HootSuite Learning program to offer comprehensive training for social media professionals about the nuances and features of HootSuite. We also sought to offer an environment to exchange ideas and discuss trends, tactics and strategies for managing outreach and listening activities.

Now with the first batch of grads proudly displaying their badges, we’ve tuned up the Learning site to be a bit more “Hoot-like” with easier access to the courses, quizzes and the important directory of certified pros.

If you are already a student, take a look and see what you think. Not a student yet? Perhaps you’ll be inspired to join up.

Big Owls on Campus

Now that the quizzes are completed and the grades are in, we’re happy to congratulate the first group of HootSuite Learning program students who are now certified as “HootSuite Professionals.”

All graduates are listed on the HootSuite Certified Professional directory, plus you can identify them by the insignia proudly displayed on their websites.

The list of pros are sortable by city and country so you can find a consultant close to your location as needed from USA, Canada, UK, The Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Ecuador and more.

Guest Faculty

Along with the quizzes and learning modules, HootSuite Learning provides students with “stories from the trenches” as told by an assortment of experienced marketers, authors and managers.

As a recap: In the first month, Lewis Howes demonstrated the power of LinkedIn and shared tips on maximizing this popular business networking tool.

Up next was Lisa Kacerosky from legendary curator of humor, Icanhascheezburger.com. Lisa blew the audience away by revealing the 50+ different profiles she personally manages using the HootSuite and showed exactly how one person can accomplish such a huge task.

Then came Chris Garrett — co-author (with Darren Rowse) of the book “ProBlogger – Secrets for blogging your way to a six figure income — who discussed the business of blogging and creating compelling content for your social media channels.

Following up with a different perspective was Rich Harris, the customer support manager at hardware manufacturer Seagate who discussed tactics for providing customer support using HootSuite.

@ambermac -- photo by @kk

The latest speaker was Amber MacArthur, host of online shows, writer of columns and author of “Power Friending” who shared her insights about the power and benefits of networking.

Next up is Sean Malarkey discussing ins and outs of Twitter and then an encore webinar by Lewis Howes.

Plus Dave Olson, HootSuite’s Marketing and Community Director, has participated to share freshly released tools, as well as providing some context about how ideas become features in the HootSuite universe.

Ready to Join?

Sounds great! Get signed-up for the on-going HootSuite Learning University program for only $47/mo.

Sign-up for the ongoing HootSuite Learning University program

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School is in for Summer

School starts early this summer as we will be launching the HootSuite Pro-Certified training and testing on May 1st.

A number of great individuals and brand representatives have already enrolled in class, and we wanted to give you a checklist of what you will need for the training to prepare yourself for testing.

First off, What is HootSuite University?

The purpose of the HootSuite University is to give people a place to become more proficient with using HootSuite. There are a number of individuals using it, along with agencies, PR firms, and other companies who manage clients using the HootSuite dashboard.

The University will include a HootSuite Pro-Certified training session that will include 4 modules with a test at the end.

What do the modules include?

• Module 1. The basics and foundation – Setup, integration, populating accounts
• Module 2. Navigating HootSuite – Navigation, streams, keyword, monitoring
• Module 3. Advanced navigation – Teams, owners, people, granting permissions, adding/removing members, team settings
• Module 4. Advanced tools – Advanced strategies, shortening links, tracking, adding files, rss, reply to all, drafts, scheduled tweets, etc.

Once you complete the training for this, a test will appear and it will be pass/fail.  The test will be a number of multiple choice and yes/no questions. If you pass you will then become added to a directory of HootSuite Pro-Certified professionals.

What will certification do for you?

It will let others know that you understand HootSuite to it’s fullest potential, give you more credibility, and give you a badge of acknowledgment that you have gone through the training necessary to fully use HootSuite for multiple purposes.

What else is included in the HootSuite University?

Each month will include ongoing education with best practices using social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube,  and include training on blogging, email marketing, and other tools that will help you with your social media and online marketing efforts.

Monthly webinars with top brands or company using HootSuite will be conducted where we will be asking them questions on how they best use HootSuite and social media to market their message, connect with their current and potential customers, and build their business.

Students will also have access to a members only forum where they can connect with fellow classmates, ask important questions, find the best resources online, and engage with a community of those who “get it”.

How long will graduates stay in the directory?

Each member who passes the test will be added to a Premium HootSuite Members Pro-Certified directory. For each month they stay active in the University and stay up to date on the current training and education, they will stay in the Premium directory.

If a member discontinues their enrollment in the Hootsuite University they will be moved from the active member directory to an inactive members directory so others know they have passed the HootSuite Pro-Certified training, but are not undertaking ongoing learning.

This will let companies looking to hire someone with the online marketing and social media work a place to see if those who have passed the training are still getting up-to-date education on the latest social media best practices.

How about early enrollment?

We already have a number of consultants, agencies, and brands who have signed up for the University, and early enrollment ends May 1st so make sure you sign up before then to receive a discount on your education.

Unfortunately, a company can’t sign up all of their employees under one account, as each individual needs to have their own personal profile in order to share their unique voice in the forum and take the test under their own name.  So each employee will need to enroll separately.

However, we will be adding company names to the directory as well, and those who have more members of the company that have passed the testing will rank higher on the list, and will have the number of employees who have completed the training next to that company name.  So the more who join from each company the better.

See ya in class!

We look forward to seeing you on May 1st as that is the day the best practices training, along with the HootSuite Pro-Certified Modules and Testing will be available as well.  See you in class!

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The (fully soldout) Team Collaboration webinar is now available On Demand. Pardons for the delay – please enjoy at your leisure for info about the new Team Collaboration tools plus the announcement on HootSuite Pro-Certification program.

Webinar description:

Need better methods for coordinating with project teams? Great! HootSuite is here to help. Join us for a Webinar to explore HootSuite’s team workflow tools and learn tactics for power tuning your social media dashboard for monitoring conversations, spreading messages and tracking success across multiple networks. This webinar is particularly useful for: Agencies, Brands, Consultants, Teams with multiple contributors.

Hosted by HootSuite Community Director, Dave Olson and presented by Learning Specialist, Lewis Howes, attendees will learn expert tips and explore features designed to enhance team workflow. Additionally, we’ll announce a new program to increase your HootSuite skills plus gather your opinions about which topics and methods are best for you.

Related links:

HootSuite Webinars – keep an eye for upcoming sessions and details

HootSuite University – sign up at introductory rate for May 1st start

HootSuite Pro-Certified FAQ – all the details on the new program

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In today’s packed webinar session, eLearning Specialist Lewis Howes and I (Dave Olson, Community Manager) discussed the new Team Collaboration features in HootSuite which help teams coordinate messaging and conversation monitoring with granular permissions and team work. We also showed the new Reply to All features and the powerful RSS integration component.

Lewis then announced the new HootSuite Pro Certification Program which fills a need for training and professional accreditation for businesses, consultants, agencies and organizations who want to share the knowledge with others.

We’ll be replaying the webinars over the next few days but wanted to share a few details to keep the signups coming and the momentum rolling. So get your pencil sharpened because here’s your primer on HootSuite Professional Certified program:

Benefits

• Graduates will be listed on the HootSuite Pro Certified directory and can add insignia to their site
• Program participants can learn from training modules about HootSuite and related social networks
• Students can attend monthly participatory call-in webinars with experts, case studies and strategy discussions
• Participants will have access to private forums, video resources, .pdf transcripts, audio guides and more resources

Pricing

• Currently, you can signup for $27/mo. On May 1st the pricing changes to $47/mo.
• You are billed immediately upon sign-up and your recurring billing date is the monthly anniversary date of your sign-up date
• This special price lasts only until May 1st – you are encouraged to seek budgetary approval to get registered expeditiously
• There is no contract to be a student in HootSuite University – simply pay on a month to month basis
• There is no discount for signing up for an entire year of HSU – all pricing is month-to-month
• The monthly fee is per certified directory listing – whether that is an individual or organization
• You can cancel at any time but you will be de-listed from the directory or Certified Pros

Courses

• The HootSuite University program is ongoing with a library of standard modules plus new training modules released frequently
• Course material will range from basic skills for newer users to advanced strategy for social marketing experts
• The courses will cover the HootSuite social media dashboard plus strategies on associated platforms like Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook etc.
• Each month, there will be special guests, relevant case studies, and related resources as well as specific training on new HootSuite features

Certification

• You will become HootSuite Pro Certified upon completion of all tests and modules – regardless of timeframe
• You need to remain a HootSuite University member to continue to appear on the directory & maintain Pro Certified status

See ya in class!


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