What is Social? (Coursera)

What is Social? (Coursera)

The “What Is Social?" MOOC is for business owners, executives, and marketing professionals who want to significantly improve their abilities to grow their social strategy using effective, proven methodologies. This hands on, "how to" program won’t just tell you how to grow your professional persona using social – you will actually do it! This course is the first in the six-course specialization, Social Media Marketing: How to Profit in a Digital World.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

While the course can be audited for free, paid learners will receive additional content beyond the course basics. For MOOC 1, the toolkit includes a special video from Alessandro Acquisti on Big Data and a set of studies done by IBM on engagement and social marketing strategies with bottom-line profits.
This course has been designed to give you the tools, insights, knowledge, and skills to immediately impact your organization. In addition, we will help you network with thought leaders in social. After completing this course, you and your organization’s staff will be able to position, engage, and grow relationships with the consumers of highest value to you.
Today, we are living in a period of massive disruption. New technologies are changing the way people engage with each other and with the organizations that interest them. This course will start you on the path to growing your own social strategy using effective, proven methodologies.
Additional MOOC 1 faculty include:

  • Judy Ungar Franks (President, The Marketing Democracy, Ltd. & Lecturer, Medill Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern)

Course 1 of 6 in the Social Media Marketing Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction to Social Marketing
In this first module, you will learn about the goals, structure, and deliverables of the Social Marketing Specialization MOOCs, as well as gain an understanding of how the MOOCs in the Specialization will each build on one another to create a truly unique and immediately applicable experience.

WEEK 2
Social Trends
In this module, you will learn not only how the digital revolution has disrupted the marketplace, but also how you can make sense of this disrupted digital world.

WEEK 3
The Business of Social
In this module, you will learn how to view social as holistic, consumer/stakeholder focused, flexible, global, real-time and integrated. You will then complete a peer review assignment which will ask you to define your target audience on social.

WEEK 4
Social Overview
In this module, you will learn to understand the importance of big data and how to deal with all of the quickly changing social sites used today. You will also learn the difference between social networks and communities as well as the reasons that they form. Then, you will set up the social sites that you will use throughout the Specialization.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Introducción a la Estrategia (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Introducción a la Estrategia (Coursera)

En este curso, conocerás la importancia de la estrategia en cualquier tipo de organización; diferenciarás los modelos conductuales que se aplican en diferentes países, quiénes son sus principales actores y los intereses que tienen en una empresa. Partirás de la planeación estratégica para materializar tu idea de negocio, a través de la misión, visión, valores y objetivos. Identificarás la idea diferenciadora de tu empresa o idea de negocio, lo cual la hará única del resto. Leerás las señales internas y externas del entorno para poder reaccionar a tiempo ante los factores que afectan a tu empresa.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
FinTech Law and Policy (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

FinTech Law and Policy (Coursera)

Being a successful FinTech firm requires more than just great technology; it also requires an understanding of the laws and regulations applicable to your business. This course will provide you with that understanding. You will learn about the critical legal, regulatory, and policy issues associated with cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings, online lending, new payments and wealth management technologies, and financial account aggregators.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
The hidden value - Lean in manufacturing and services (Coursera) Coursera
École des Ponts ParisTech,Boston Consulting Group - BCG

The hidden value - Lean in manufacturing and services (Coursera)

Lean is a powerful methodology that enables managers and employees to shift their mindset and helps companies to keep their business sustainable by creating competitive advantage. Today, in an increasingly complex and dynamic world, where companies struggle to maintain competitive advantage, Lean is more important than ever. This course combines the experience of many senior experts and practitioners from the Boston Consulting Group and École des Ponts, and brings perspectives on Lean in manufacturing and services. It offers strong topic foundation as well as deep practical insights into the art of continuous improvement.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Business Implications of AI: Full course (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Business Implications of AI: Full course (Coursera)

In this course you will learn what Artificial Intelligence is, from a leaders point of view. How shall we, as leaders, understand it from a corporate strategy point of view? What is it and how can it be used? What are the crucial strategic decisions we have to make, and how to make them? What consequences can we expect if we decide on doing AI-projects and what kind of competences do we need? Where shall we start, and what could be a good second as well as third step? What implications for the organization can we expect? These are the questions answered in this course.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Corporate Finance Essentials (Coursera) Coursera
IESE Business School

Corporate Finance Essentials (Coursera)

Corporate Finance Essentials will enable you to understand key financial issues related to companies, investors, and the interaction between them in the capital markets. By the end of this course you should be able to understand most of what you read in the financial press and use the essential financial vocabulary of companies and finance professionals.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Innovation for Impact (i4i) The Carlson-Polizzotto Method of Value Creation (Coursera) Coursera
Northeastern University

Innovation for Impact (i4i) The Carlson-Polizzotto Method of Value Creation (Coursera)

Welcome! Partnering with Tech industry giants Curtis Carlson and Len Polizzotto, Northeastern University brings you “Value Creation: The Carlson-Polizzotto Method” a short-form course experience like no other. Building careers by solving for the value proposition - Curt and Len are responsible for driving the integration of the software technology behind Apple’s voice command intelligent assistant and creating the standard for high definition television - now known to billions today as Siri and HDTV.

Nov 2nd 2026
1 Week
Introducción a la Gestión de Operaciones (Coursera) Coursera
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Introducción a la Gestión de Operaciones (Coursera)

Aprende a analizar y a mejorar los procesos empresariales en servicios o en la industria. Aprende cómo incrementar la productividad y a ofrecer niveles de calidad mayores. Después de que finalices con éxito este curso, podrás aplicar estas habilidades en un reto empresarial del mundo real como parte de la Programa Especializado de Fundamentos Empresariales de Wharton.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Standardisation & Technology (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Standardisation & Technology (Coursera)

Welcome to the course standardisation and technology! Do you already know what standards are? Could you image a world without standards? It is certainly not easy to visualize a world without standards and the huge importance of standards is often underestimated in our society. That is because such a vast amount are common to us and have been for ages. We don’t even realise they are standards anymore.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Negotiation Fundamentals (Coursera) Coursera
ESSEC Business School

Negotiation Fundamentals (Coursera)

This course gives you access to negotiation practical tools and best practices gathered by Professor Aurélien Colson & his team from assignments in more than seventy countries and in a wide set of sectors, be they services, industry, high tech, or public organizations. In an interactive manner, this course will help you, among other topics: get prepared for any negotiation; avoid traps; know how to prompt value-creating partnerships; structure an effective negotiation sequence; bargain in an efficient and respectful manner; overcome deadlocks; and much more!

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Business Implications of AI: A Nano-course (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Business Implications of AI: A Nano-course (Coursera)

In this course you will learn what Artificial Intelligence is, from a leaders point of view. How shall we, as leaders, understand it from a corporate strategy point of view? What is it and how can it be used? What are the crucial strategic decisions we have to make, and how to make them? What consequences can we expect if we decide on doing AI-projects and what kind of competences do we need? Where shall we start, and what could be a good second as well as third step? What implications for the organization can we expect? These are the questions answered in this course.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks