Honestly- I think the first two classes are very boring. The fact that there is a 60 year old man sitting at a table is the antithesis of what this course should be to be honest.

This course provides out of date information, including on the peer-reviewed assignment. Google+ and Klout are gone--have to wonder what else is no longer up to date? Many of us found that SocialMention is all but useless--the keyword and hashtags are far too general, and/or irrelevant to the subject being searched. And the video seem endless! A list of the different free analytics tools for different media would be sufficient--we don't need 6-10 minute videos of them all. This class needs to be updated and streamlined. I would include a few quizzes that require brief hands-on exploration of some of the analytics tools for twitter, youtube, etc.

I quit doing this course half way through because of continued lack of support in accessing the tools that were necessary to do the course. I wrote multiple requests for help and when they were eventually answered, I was continually told to try things I had already tried and written detailed descriptions of the steps that had not worked. I tried every avenue and eventually gave up. Ironically, this course is called the Importance of Listening. I was extremely disappointed and frustrated.

While the lectures are worthwhile, the toolkit alone is worth paying for this class. You'll learn how to use various social tools, and you'll apply them in the peer-reviewed assignment (in week 3) that will require you to actually find and describe the top keywords, hashtags, influencers, and communities relevant to your business. Note: this assignment may take you considerably longer than the estimated 1-3 hours for the course that week.

Hi ya. I completed this course in a week. This course, "The Importance of Listening" concretely specifies the keywords and the influencers from the social medias such as Twitter, instagram, and Facebook etc. Then I learned the process of analysis, so I recommend it for learners who want to start the analysis while actually moving their hands. Best wishes.

This course is great because you get hands on experience with social listening tools. If you work in social media marketing and want to know more about listening, this class is worth the time.

I understand that it's important to know and get familiar with the tools but in my case I already use hootsuite to share and analyse my content. It was very confusing all the tutorials around the platforms.

more of an ad for all of these software companies rather than being taught anything.

Using MOOC 2, I was really hoping we would go more in depth on (free) tools like Google Analytics. I would have liked information on how to better utilize the information I get from Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook's built in analytics tools as well. I know I'm under-utilizing them at present, and there's good stuff there.

In spite of claims to the contrary, the Lexalytics and IBM Bluemix videos did feel like extended infomercials. Moreover, I work for a small non-profit, and we have neither the funds or bandwidth to utilize programs like this. I think the time could have been better used doing a deeper dive with Klout and SocialMention. I'm working on the assignment now and feel like we barely scraped the surface with both of these programs.

There are just too many tools being introduced in this MOOC, and not enough practical learning. Tools are fantastic, but it's important to be utilizing them properly, otherwise I end up feeling like I'm wasting time.

This course was difficult to follow and the free trials offered seemed forced upon us. Lexalytics isn't available for a Mac, so I couldn't even use it. I think this portion of the specialization would be much better if it focused more on the value of these tools rather than trying to get us to install them. It might be useful for some (especially those in B2C or willing to play around with the tech), but it was a waste of time for me. I would have preferred to just take a look at some proven case studies linked to the tools.

I am a bit frustrated, as the course is built around this amazing tool: IBM Bluemix, that gave us high hopes of extracting super useful information, but it is impossible to use. The instructions seem outdated and not relevant to the actual tool, there are lots of different sets that make it even more confusing and even after getting round a lot of the technical difficulties, the tool doesn't seem to be very useful... :( I feel like I wasted a lot of time trying to get this to work, with no results so far.

This course has some great information and guidance for delving into the social media landscape. However, the tools that come with the paid version are not easy to use or well explained for the lay person.

Needs updating. Several links no longer work.

I felt that this course threw a lot of resources at us, but did a poor job of explaining the resources. For instance when using Keyword Finder, how do I determine which keywords would be better to focus on in trigger communities versus passion communities? What do the various abbreviations/acronyms mean? How do I understand the value?

This course seems like the instructor tried to make updates about 2 years ago, but it ends up leaving the whole thing feeling choppy and inconsistent.

I regret to say that this course is not up to date any more. I sadens med to say so. The other courses I have take where superb. But this one is a dissapointment sadly to say.

I hope the can make a now version with up to date tools and interviews. You must remember this social media is moving very fast.

An outdated course

Disorganized.

Great course with real-world practice using real tools. Provides useful case studies for business building application. It requires you to actively post and use social media and tolls throughout culminating in a project assignment that combines many of the tools to develop the foundational components of your own social media marketing plan. I have dramatically increased my comfort level and experience in social media marketing dramatically. Thank you! My only recommendation is to regularly update and address the changes in some tools which are probably difficult to keep up with.

Just like MOOC 1, this class is absolutely incredible. Professor Hlavac is great at breaking everything down and making it easy to comprehend. The only thing I had trouble with were the analytic programs mentioned in the course. Bluemix required more programming skills than I had to get it to really work for me. Semantria, on the other hand, seems to be a fantastic program, but I don't use Microsoft Excel. I may have to buy Excel just so I can use Semantria! It looks great!

Great course! It enabled me to look further on social. Public (social) talk must not be taken for granted. People are talking about stuff that might become big in your industry or for your company. Helps the learner familiarize with social analytics tools that can be helpful for your company. There, indeed, is real importance in listening.

"Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak . . . "

James 1:19, NIV

Totally worth the money and time (weekly 2-3 hours work). Wish I had even more time to further cement my social listening skills, but obviously I am doing this while I try to lead and manage my company, so it can be a little bit hard to balance. I am so glad to start this Social Media Marketing Certificate. 2 down and 4 more to go to complete the whole thing. I am so excited and pumped!

More than amazing. The taco bell series are awesome! Best course ever, I have enjoyed a lot. Only problem? the "free" software provided are not free at all. I think you should work on getting agreements to have licenses during course duration with, maybe not full, but better access. IBM is a good example.

After having completed the first two modules in this course, I have decided to complete the entire specialization. It is helping me craft my plan, content and posts with more clarity and I can already see the engagements increase for my small business. A big Thank You to the Instructor and Guests!

This course has opened my minds! The tools and the paid access to tools like IBM BlueMix and Semantria, are mindblowing. It has not only helped me advance in my career but it has also opened my perspective towards building a holistic social media plan for my target market.

Great tools and insights to Social Media-The importance of Listening. Listen to what our audiences wants and we will be able to connect with them. The saying goes beyond social and applies to our personal lives. When we have insights, we better marketing decisions.