Pre- & Post-Conference Sessions

PDF Brochure

Don't know where to begin with this new world of social media? No problem!

Choose from two morning and two afternoon pre-conference boot camps to learn the basics and start building your own blog, wiki, podcast or video blog.

Designed for beginners who want to learn the ins and outs of blogging, this highly interactive workshop will take attendees on a guided tour of the blogosphere, starting with the technology itself.

After outlining the anatomy of a blog and related technologies, we'll discuss the steps you need to follow to start blogging for your organization, including how to define your "corporate voice" and editorial focus, identify appropriate spokespeople, create employee blogging policies, decide whether to allow comments and how to measure success. We'll show you examples of successful corporate blogs and examples of where people went wrong, and break them down to explain why. In this hands-on, three-hour workshop, you will learn:

	The anatomy of blogs, RSS and related technologies -- and tips to use them
	How to decide on the best starting point for your organization to enter the participatory communications environment
	Typical corporate blogging policies and legal issues
	How to choose measurement techniques to track and justify your work
	Common blogging pitfalls and how to avoid them

David Parmet is a research fellow and a member of the advisory board of the Society for New Communications Research. Parmet is founder and CEO of Marketing Begins at Home. A veteran PR strategist, Parmet has worked with companies ranging from IBM to Internet start-ups. He blogs at http://www.marketingbeginsathome.com/.

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Wikis 101

Wikis are powerful collaborative platforms for communications. This session, designed for the nontechnical beginner, will introduce the technology and explain how communicators can use it in a variety of ways for their communications programs and work teams. We'll share examples of successful wiki use and outline some of the more public failures -- as well as the lessons learned from them. In this three-hour interactive workshop, you will learn:

	How a wiki can serve as a platform for educating and training staff on the art and science of new media
	Best practices in collaborating with distributed teams
	How to use a wiki to collaborate with the media -- the next frontier in PR
	What you need to get started

Giovanni Rodriguez is a research fellow and a member of the advisory board of the Society for New Communications Research. Giovanni is co-founder and principal of hubbub, a Silicon-Valley Based communications consultancy. He is also a member of the Corante Future Tense blog. He has represented and partnered with a number of social media vendors, including enterprise wiki company Socialtext.

There's a lot of hype around podcasting, but many people don't even agree on what it is. And, for a 2-year-old medium, the rules are still being written. Still, there's a lot you can learn about podcasting, from the elements of a successful podcast to strategizing content to support your communication objectives to recording a podcast that just sounds good. You'd be hard-pressed to learn from two better presenters -- Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz are the co-hosts of "For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report." The twice-weekly business podcast began airing in January 2005, a mere four months after podcasting's birth. Beginning with zero knowledge of the medium, they became authorities in both the substance and style of podcasting. In this dynamic, interactive session, you'll learn:

	How to strategize a business podcast
	The tools of podcasting, from recording to hosting
	Integration of your podcast with other online content
	How to build a community of listeners
	How to promote and create a successful podcast

Shel Holtz, ABC, and Neville Hobson, ABC, are research fellows and members of the advisory board of the Society for New Communications Research. Holtz is vice president of marketing for Crayon, a new marketing company. Hobson, also VP of marketing for Crayon, has 25 years of experience in organizational communication.

1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Videocasting 101

Videocasting, or video blogging, is the hottest new use of the emerging collaborative Web. With video capabilities being added to the next generation of mobile devices, the ability to quickly upload video to blogs is increasing. This emerging field will have tremendous impact on citizen journalism and corporate communications. This workshop will explain how video blogging works, take attendees on a guided tour of the emerging video blogosphere, and discuss some of the early successes and challenges of video blogging. In this informative, practical workshop, you will learn:

	What the new video technologies are and how people are using them
	Early examples of groundbreaking use in citizen journalism and marketing
	How to keep track of what is happening in video online
	Basic techniques and a primer on equipment
	How to get started and create your own video blog

Dan Karleen is a research fellow and a member of the advisory board of the Society for New Communications Research. Dan has been with Peterson's since 1994 in roles centering on Web publishing and new media development. He pioneered the company's podcasting efforts in early 2005. He authors the blog at Syndication for Higher Ed, is co-creator of the virtual conference HigherEd BlogCon, and heads Peterson's search engine optimization efforts. He is co-founder and contributor to Berks.TV, a regional video blog.

Attend our post-conference workshop and go home with a plan of action!

Sit down with an SNCR Fellow and design your social media strategy.

You've been to the conference sessions. Now it's time to plot your strategy. How will you build social media into your communications program? How will you sell it to your organization and its leaders? And how will you measure its effectiveness? Grab a box lunch, roll up your sleeves and join our experts for this can't-miss workshop. You will:

	Create your personal to-do list to take back to the office
	Connect your social media strategy to the business plan of your organization
	Consult with our experts "one-on-one" and get your questions answered
	Leave with a plan and timeline for getting it done

Join a group of conference speakers and Society fellows for this hands-on strategy session.