Panel plan

Here are the panels I plan to attend (and the one I'm speaking at). And here's the full conference agenda. For several of the sessions, I'm undecided on which panel to attend, so do let me know if you have a recommendation for one panel over another.

Wednesday, Oct. 17
Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. So You Want to Shoot Video?
Join washingtonpost.com's Chet Rhodes, an award-winning videojournalist, as he walks participants through the fundamentals of shooting news video. The session will include hands-on training, including how to set up shots, gather quality audio, frame the subject, work with lighting, capture action and more. Participants will each shoot some video as part of the training, and Rhodes will evaluate their work while discussing strategies for successful implementation. Rhodes also will show examples of published video shot by those who have completed his video training workshop.

6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Special CBC News Forum: The Future of the Future of News Technology is rapidly transforming the way citizens consume media and how the media communicates information. This forum will explore how technology -- such as citizen journalism and Web 2.0 tools -- can be used by the media to provide greater public service to citizens and communities. The forum will be streamed live on CBCNews.ca and segments from the discussion will appear on CBC TV and CBC Radio. Participants include: Andrew Keen, author, The Cult of the Amateur; Leonard Brody, CEO, NowPublic.com; Rahaf Harfoursh, Research Coordinator, "Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything"

Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.Breakfast Discussion Groups Sponsored by the LA Times

9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.Keynote: Hilary Schneider, Yahoo!

10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Either: Getting Started With Databases PHP, MySQL, ASP, Ajax, Django, Python, Ruby on Rails: The list of options and techniques for using online databases can be staggering. Hunker down for a hands-on workshop for beginners that will help you get started creating great database projects. David Milliron, Caspio Inc., session leader

Using Serious Games to Engage Readers There's a reason people like to play games - they're fun! But that doesn't mean they're frivolous. So come to this fun - and not frivolous - panel to learn how news Web sites can use games to engage readers and better convey information. After all, people learn better from doing stuff than from having stuff explained to them. And with this panel, the audience will "do stuff" too. Larry Dailey, University of Nevada, Reno, moderator; Chris Swain, EA Game Innovation Lab, USC; J. Paige West, MSNBC.com; Marc Prensky, Games2train

1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
One of these three:What Makes Web Sites Work? Analysis and Design DecisionsPage view reports aren't just for the advertising, business and marketing departments. How can editorial read, understand and make use of page view reports to inform coverage and design? What hidden gems can editors, reporters, designers and producers find to help them create a more informative and more engaging news Web site? Experts present their research and offer tips on how to improve your site. Nora Paul, University of Minnesota; Laura Ruel, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill


Becoming a Community Evangelist
This might be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Learn how to harness the passion and creativity of your community to become a local sensation and a meaningful online gathering place. JD Lasica, moderator; Rob Curley, washingtonpost.com; Jay Rosen, New York University; Dan GillmorThe Future of PublishingThe Web is quickly being transformed by social media platforms and, in some cases, supplanted by alternative content delivery methods. What happens when the Web is no longer enough? Digital media gurus discuss innovative new ways that companies outside of journalism are starting to use cell phone networks, instant messaging services and more to distribute editorial content. Amy Webb, Webbmedia Group, moderator Erik Schwartz of foneshow; Gary Baumgarden of Paltalk.com; Brian Gruber of Fora.tv; Hiram Enriquez of Yahoo!

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.Covering a Tragedy Among the many questions asked following the tragedy at Virginia Tech was a this journalistic one: how did people on campus get their information? And where did journalists turn to look up names and faces? From Facebook to SMS, new resources and tools are helping people find each other in a crisis. How does this impact journalism and journalists? What resources might journalists want to consider; what lines might they not want to cross? Bill Mitchell, Poynter Online; Amie Steele, The Collegiate Times; Meg Smith, The Washington Post; Austin Morton, Virginia Tech student; Tom Mallory, The San Diego Union-Tribune.

4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
one of these three:
Covering ElectionsElections always get lots of coverage, but how much of that really informs the electorate? With the U.S. presidential contest already underway - and several other countries girding for their own elections - this panel will take a look at how online news organizations can prepare themselves and come up with new ways of helping readers understand and take part in the process. Wendy Warren, TheNextMayor.com and Philadelphia Daily NewsJosh Tyrangiel, Time; Kevin Rooney, opensecrets.org;

Using Metrics to Make Your Site Sticky How do you know if you have a successful site? What do traffic numbers really mean, and do they reflect your actual user audience? How can you turn a story viral, so that eventually directs more traffic to your site? How can you get the most out of blogs, video and other stories? Includes Consumer Reports focus-group study. Dorian Benkoil, consultant; Hosam Elkhodary, of The Web Analytics Co. Ltd.

Managing Online Communities
One of the greatest challenges news sites face is how to encourage - and cope with - community interaction. What are the best practices for ensuring your message boards, user blogs and more are successful havens for dedicated users, rather than lairs for spiteful trolls? Adam Glenn, a2g media, moderator; Blake Williams, Topix; Robin Miller, Linux.com/Slashdot; Marc Mercer, Advance Internet

Friday, Oct. 19

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Either:The Cutting Edge of Online Data The Web is bursting with data being gathered and presented in astonishing new ways. Take a tour of the latest trends in online information and learn how these methods can make your site a must-have for your users. Adrian Holovaty, washingtonpost.com, session leaderor: Web 3.0 Overview: Semantic WebWhat is Web 3.0, and will the "semantic" web really work? How much data are we going to be able to store, sort, read, knead, and spit out? Will this emerging search technology eventually help - or hurt - mainstream journalism? (Session leader to be named.)

2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Integrating Multimedia in Storytelling As the use of photo slideshows, Flash graphics, audio and video proliferates online, how are sites working that content into their site? Are they separate elements, or integrated elements? Different approaches work for different content and sites. See examples of success stories and how to make multimedia as much as part of the story as it deserves. Don Wittekind, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, moderator; Len De Groot, South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Matthew Ericson, The New York Times; Xaquin Gonzalez Veira, Newsweek

3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Integrating User-Generated Content What issues are facing organizations as they try to adapt to a user-generated content world? How can that content be integrated into news sites without compromising journalistic integrity, confusing the reader, and informing the coverage? Our panel discusses how to encourage meaningful contributions, rely on users, and integrate that content into the site. Dean Wright, Reuters, moderator; Linda Strean, GreatSchools.net; Patrick Cooper, USA TODAY; Lila King, CNNTime:

4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Superpanel: Journalism Next: Impact of Aggregators, Blogging and Social Networking on the Industry Should today's online journalists embrace, fear or ignore YouTube? What about the bloggers who are scooping beat reporters and developing robust sourcebooks to break news? With Google News and other increasingly popular aggregator services delivering news content catered to individual tastes, are editors worrying too much about what to put on the front door? Hear the diverse viewpoints of leaders from new media outlets and the online arms of traditional news sources in our special ONA SuperPanel. Maria C. Thomas, vice president and general manager, NPR Digital Media, moderator; Josh Cohen, business product manager, Google News;Ian Clarke, founder, Thoof; Meredith Artley, executive editor, Latimes.com; Anil Dash, chief evangelist, Six Apart