If you think that a hashtag is an illegal substance, that being pinned sounds painful, that you have to visit Western Union to send an Instagram, or even that to friend or unfriend someone, you must first actually have met them, you might want to check out Wiley’s Social Media Learning Lab in booths 1838–1839. The Social Media scientists in residence are there to help ease your transition into the latest communication trends: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. There will be hands-on demonstrations, two 15-minute classes in the Digital Classroom video training area on Thursday and Friday and one on Saturday, and introductory presentations to Wiley’s E-Learning for Dummies self-paced online courses. Wiley personnel assure Show Daily that there will be “something for everyone,” from the most newbie Facebooker to the most advanced Tweeter.
And because this is BEA, not a social media convention, there will be books available. Real finished books, not those new-fangled e-books. Jeff Korhan will sign copies of Built-in Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business (Apr.) today, 1–2 p.m., and 3–3:15 p.m. John Carucci will sign copies of Digital SLR Video & Filmmaking for Dummies (Feb.) tomorrow, 10–11 a.m. and 2–2:15 p.m. Amy Lupold will sign copies of Raising Digital Families for Dummies (May) tomorrow, 1–2 p.m., 3–3:15 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.-noon.
For those interested in more traditional forms of social interaction, Dr. Ruth Westheimer will also be in-booth today, signing the revised Sex for Dummies, 10–11 a.m. After all, despite the technological advances of the past two decades, some things involving two or more human beings are just much more fun and satisfying when done in person, if not face-to-face. If you’d like to follow Wiley in up-to-the-minute detail, check out #wileyatbea on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
