When Zillah Barnes began her pet-sitting business, she relied on what she called “old-fashioned” techniques to run her business.
Six months after getting her first smartphone, Barnes listened while an instructor taught the basics of social media.
Thanks to the city of Phoenix, Barnes and others can learn about social media through a free class as part of Neighborhood College, a local program offering free classes to residents.
Created by the city’s neighborhood services department in 2012, Neighborhood College’s mission is to help residents grow as local leaders, according to the program’s page on the city of Phoenix website.
Neighborhood College comprises two separate components, Neighborhoodology and Navigate Phoenix. Classes taught by city employees cover a variety of topics, from grant writing to spray-paint removal.
Neighborhoodology is only available to neighborhood leaders and focuses on a series of classes designed similarly to a college-degree program. Participants must complete ten hours of classes that cover neighborhood mapping, how to amass volunteers and how to run neighborhood meetings. Officials involved in the program then give an assessment of the neighborhood.
“The program has been very helpful in just opening my eyes in getting my neighbors involved,” said Abraham Bernard James III, a leader of the Greater Green Gables Neighborhood Association and a former participant in Neighborhoodology.
The leaders of each neighborhood must then take two Navigate Phoenix classes and a course on sustainability and recycling. By the end of the program, participants will have developed an action plan for their neighborhood.
Navigate Phoenix classes are developed and taught by city officials, said Greg Gonzales, who heads the Neighborhood College Program. Each class is offered two to four times a year, depending on the popularity of the course. All classes are free and anyone who is a Phoenix resident can participate.
Neighborhood College has several classes downtown at Burton Barr Central Library. On Sept. 12, the library held one of its most popular classes, “Social Media and You/Safer Social Networking.”
This class teaches participants the basics of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and how to protect themselves on these sites.
“Even though social media is around, a lot of people do not understand how social media works,” Gonzales said.
For Barnes, 64, the class was an opportunity to expand on the advertising and media aspect for her business, The British Pet Nanny.
“I’m relatively new to the Facebook, to the Twitter, to all that kind of thing,” Barnes said. “And I see an advertising opportunity, but I don’t know how to go about it.”
Barnes was considering starting a Facebook page, not just for advertising, but also to help connect her clients with their pets through photographs while they are away on vacation.
James, a local architect, expressed similar concern about improving his business through social media.
“(The class) is an opportunity to learn all of the wonderful things out there as far as Facebook and Twitter and all of the horrible things going on out there as far as Facebook and Twitter,” he said.
“Some people had questions as basic as, ‘How do I make a status update?’” said Stephanie Ribodal Romero, spokeswoman for the city of Phoenix and an instructor for the Sept. 12 class. “For someone that’s never used it before it can be a little bit complicated. We just try to help them as much as we can.”
After the presentation, the instructors held a Q-and-A session for all social media lingo that participants see but do not know the meaning of.
The social media class’ popularity has led those in charge of Neighborhood College to rethink the structure of the program.
According to Romero, they are currently discussing splitting the class into two parts: a basic section and an advanced section. Gonzales and Romero said they hope to get the new social media class format produced in six months.
More classes will be offered at Burton Barr in the coming months, including another social media class.
According to the city of Phoenix’s website, there will be another class at Burton Barr on Sept. 26 titled “Project Partnerships, Policy and Funding.”
Another upcoming class at Burton Barr is a Business of Community Associations class that teaches participants the structure of community associations and the responsibility of leadership roles. The class will also cover how leaders can protect themselves from lawsuits. The class will be held on Monday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m.
Contact the reporter at Lauren.Hornberger@asu.edu
