I’m not known for my optimism. Pessimism is my default, and in general that serves me well as an editor and a business owner. (If you don’t see the glass as half-empty, how do you know the customer needs a refill?) So it’s rare for me to say something went off without a hitch — I can almost always find a problem. But the social media seminar I taught in January was pretty perfect. I can’t find anything to complain about. We had a fantastic group of students who all have interesting projects and businesses and were really motivated to learn more about how to use social media to connect with their communities. The day went smoothly and the feedback was fantastic. I feel okay telling you — I was nervous going into this. The seminar is long. It takes an entire day because we cover a lot of material, and I know that the people coming to hear me teach deserve real answers that will actually help them build a business. In short, I don’t want to waste my time and I certainly don’t want to waste theirs. To help me avoid time-wasting, I had a corporate trainer review my material and help me shape my discussion. But, being a pessimist, I was still nervous. So I was even more relieved and excited that the seminar went so well. The material you get in my class is a little different than the typical social media seminar. I pay more attention to people than analytics. I’d rather use my social media message to build real community than to increase likes. And I know that, while social media can be very good at building your brand, it’s not generally great for directly selling products. If you’d like to see what I mean, sign up for my February class. In one Saturday, I hope to give you tools to get started — but more than that, I also want to give you inspiration for what to post and some tricks that might actually help you enjoy using social media instead of feeling confused and slogging through it. Plus, there’s free lunch (from locally owned Taco Mama, The Pantry and Urban Cookhouse) and a free Church Street beverage, so it’s kinda worth coming just for that. Click here to find out more or to register. As always, I really appreciate your sharing this with friends or coworkers — and, of course, on social media!