BlogWorldExpo 2008 - Sep 20, 2008

STATE OF THE BLOGOSPHERE: In his address, Jalichandra will present findings from Technorati’s 2008 State of the Blogosphere report, the definitive and most cited source on the pulse of the new media industry. This recent report marks the most comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis ever released, offering deep insight on the growth, statistics, and market trends at play in this fast growing market. Jalichandra will explore bloggers and the state of blogging today, including:

•Who they are, where the are, and why they blog •The impact of blogging on their lives and work •The time spent, money invested and returned •Amateur vs. professional blogging •Tools and platforms in use •Demographics and psychographics of bloggers and the audiences who follow them •Global view: where is growth occurring and what are the differences by region, language, and emerging areas? •Number and growth of blogs overall and segmented by genre

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: The Past, Present and Future of Blogging. Join Anil Dash and Chris Alden for an entertaining and insightful look at how blogging's inspiring past and exciting present point the way to a bright future. Learn how to be a successful blogger today and hear about their bold predictions for tomorrow.

Podcasting is a remarkable distribution strategy of new media content– this is understood by almost all industry experts. Yet, while a
podcast enjoys a unique place in the content development strategy of
new media producers both small and large alike, many developers
struggle to deliver quality media. Implementing the “Ten Rules for an
Effective Podcast” will help new media producers at all levels fine- tune their digital media products and better meet the needs of their
audience. It’s rocket science, just basic development strategies for
producing polished media!

BlogHer's March 2008 Social Media Benchmark Study, in partnership with Compass Partners, illustrated in hard numbers what most of us already have intuited: Blogging is becoming mainstream, addictive and trusted across a huge, diverse swath of Internet users. Women, in particular, are abandoning other media channels to get their information, entertainment and product advice. Women, in particular, are becoming early adopters of every new Web 2.0 tool...striking out into technical territory that many of their backgrounds would never have predicted.

But this acquisition of information, entertainment and advice is only a by-product of acquiring something much more powerful: empowerment. And this early adoption of technology is not about cool-hunting or personal empire expansion. It's about building trusted community. It's about love. The fact is that blogs are changing the world in ways large and small, and like any true cultural phenomenon, the power and glory of blogging is best communicated via storytelling. Stats are great, but stories are powerful...come hear amazing stories about bloggers you may know nothing about, but should.

The people formerly known as the audience" have changed the course of journalism history through the pursuit of what is commonly referred to as "citizen journalism." Yet in a few short years, citizen journalism has morphed in a variety of fascinating ways. Today, citizen journalism sites run the gamut from international news-gathering sites to hyperlocal news and reportage. Join us for a discussion on where citizen journalism has been in the past few years, and where it stands in today's news ecology.

In the wake of a successful military surge in Iraq, waning media attention and an election year, are MilBlogs as relevant to the national conversation on war as they once were?

Andrew Jones, social entrepreneur and mission consultant, will explore the phenomenal rise of faith blogging over the past decade and what it will take to see the church fully utilize this window of opportunity.

Whether you are new to the blogosphere or a sports blogging vet, marketing your site efficiently and effectively is key. Hear some of the most well-known personalities in the sports blogosphere discuss how they got themselves noticed and how you can create more exposure for your site in any stage of your blogging career.

Consultants, self-proclaimed strategists, and pundits of all sorts wax poetic on the merits of myriad social media tools and approaches. Yet few provide tangible examples of how social media marketing programs work-or fail-for business. Join this motley crew of social media strategists from Cadence, HP, Intel, and Yahoo as they discuss their real world successes and failures in this emerging space. From blogs and communities to Facebook and forums, this team of professional social media practitioners provides a unique look at how some big companies are using new media effectively, or not.

This panel features an all star panel of Twitter "power-users" representing different fields - from Marketing, PR, Blogging, Real Estate, Non-profit and Social Networking - discussing how Twitter can be used to build relationships with their customers, markets, and other Social Media Users. General dos and don’ts for those trying to figure out how to get into the conversation stream and use it as an effective communication tool. Examples of Twitter users who are setting the standard for their industries – what they do that others don’t. Crafting your Personal Brand on Twitter and other micropublishing platforms and avoiding the most common pitfalls.

This session is designed for individuals or businesses who are new to blogging or just getting started with various aspects of new media. Basic terminology will be defined and commonly used practices will be demystified. Attendees who have never used new media before will leave the session with a basic understanding of the industry, while more advanced users will gain a better understanding of different forms of new media applications.

Big-time money making bloggers provide live insights on how they would monetize user submitted blogs. Get real-time strategy and tips from the minds of professional bloggers who make money blogging.

With the rise in viewers of online content, come new strategies for production, distribution, and monetization. Have you adjusted your strategy for this shift? There are hundreds of sites where you can upload video content and even more social networks

Blogging opens endless doors for exposure and growth of your identity and your brand. But someone has to forge the path to determine what might constitute too much exposure. Jake and Alex talk about some examples of openness and identity online and share some tips and examples of taking the smart risks when blurring the line between your work and your life.

The political blogosphere was born after the divisive 2000 presidential election and has matured rapidly in the eight years since. The selection of a new president in 2008 will be a key transition for political bloggers who have been inspired or infuriated by the policies of George W. Bush. How will the "netroots" and the "rightroots" react?

A fascinating look at how the milblogging community was built, what its achieved and how deep and wide its reach has become. We’ll explore how milblogging gives a voice to supporters, parents and spouses of service members, and how that voice is effectively used to support an entire military community.

Sports blogs are growing rapidly in popularity and establishing a solid reputation in the world of online advertising. This means more and more opportunities arising for the effective monetization of traffic by sports bloggers. Experts from around the industry will share their success stories in sports blog monetization, as well as offer their thoughts on what the future holds for monetization in the sports blogosphere.

Marketers and PR people have found that Mommybloggers are the holy grail for their advertising. The problem with that is that many of them are going about it all wrong. This teaches marketers how to reach out and teaches Mom bloggers how to own the fact that they are a brand and what to do with that brand.

In today’s internet driven world, customers have more power than ever making it harder for brands to defend themselves. The time available to respond to a crisis, rumor, problem or embarrassing gaffe is a fraction of what it was in other years. As CPG companies learned in the pet food recall, and toy companies are still discovering, credibility is fragile. A CEO can go to bed and awake under the rubble of hostile buzz on Wikipedia, YouTube, blogs and Google search results. Still, all is not lost for brands. There are a host of steps that can be taken to defend and protect - and perhaps even grab the offensive - in a major crisis. But this requires a new model of listening, interpreting, and responding to early signals, and addressing fundamental questions. Through "consumer-generated media" -- blogs, social networking pages, message boards, product review sites -- even a single disgruntled customer can broadcast his complaints to an audience of millions. This session will educate managers, marketers, and business leaders on how to establish and maintain credibility for their brand by being authentic, listening and responding to customers, and forming relationships built on transparency and trust.

In today's busy blogosphere, it's not enough to have a blog. Using images, video, radio, podcasts and more can take a blog to a completely different level. In this session you'll learn why bells and whistles are important and how easy it is to implement new media into your blog.

Learn the secrets the top affiliate marketers usually keep to themselves. Turn your blog into a referral machine!

Military officials from the Department of the Army will join us for a LIVE Bloggers' Roundtable to discuss operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. These officials will be taking audience questions.

This panel, the first of two sessions about Social Media and the Writers' Strike, will offer an overview of how the writers used social media during the strike to inform the public, encourage and reward fan support and keep union members motivated. We will focus on community-developed sites like United Hollywood and the inpact of fan support as we discuss the overall impact of social media (vs. mainstream media) on the outcome.

Alternative media are rapidly becoming a critical part of the information flow for both professional and retail investors. When the subprime crisis emerged, blogs were telling the story months before the mainstream media took notice. This session will explore why financial blogs are often better positioned than traditional media to uncover and understand emerging trends. The panel will also look at blogonomics – which blogs might be the next acquisition targets and why; the impact of microblogging in the financial space; and how blogs are starting to act more like traditional publishers and vice-versa.

Why do some small businesses succeed with a business blog while others fail? How many hours a week should a business spend blogging? How much will it cost? How much business will it bring in? New business bloggers often struggle out of the gate, and much of the current blogging advice doesn’t focus on the small business owner. This session isn’t about selling ads or affiliate programs; it’s for business owners who want to build their business using blogs as part of an overall Web marketing strategy. A well-planned blog can improve a business’s search engine visibility, establish a blogger’s expertise, generate calls from journalists, and improve communication with customers and prospects. Get up to speed quickly on how to build a blog that builds your business. Learn techniques on how to promote your blog and how it fits into the rest of your Web marketing plans. Most importantly, learn about some of the biggest blogging mistakes and how to avoid them from someone who made them all.

You’ve probably heard the mantra that “it’s all about producing quality content”, but you and I both know that without the ability for people to find you when they look for information in your space, the best content in the world will languish and wither. In this session, I’ll take participants on a whirlwind tour of how search engines work and offer ten critical tips to help you maximize your findability in Google and everywhere else online. Circle this one: You won’t want to miss it!

In this ever-diversifying and increasingly multicultural online world, how are diverse cultures and ethnic groups using the web? How can bloggers, online communities, gamers, webmasters attract more diverse readerships and user bases? This panel has experts to address these concerns and open your eyes on how to communicate better with everyone. Race, gender, nationality, cultural differences and global thinking will all be explored.

Is it possible to generate revenue from doing video or audio podcasts? Yes it is. Our panel will show you how.

For over 20 years, newspapers have gradually stopped publishing the types of content that creates a sense of a the lived experience of a region. Hyperlocal bloggers have stepped up to take the place of this, with a myriad of blogs covering local food, history, club events, etc. Should hyperlocal blogs stay independent of the local newspaper? Yes! And can they survive? Absolutely! Join us for a lively discussion on why it's important for hyperlocal news sites, blogs, etc. to survive and how to get them to thrive in the changing news economy.

Legal Risks facing bloggers will review the current legal landscape for bloggers, the risks inherent in all online publishing (bloggers) and online broadcasters (podcasters), the Top 10 things bloggers need to know about the law as it applies to their blog and some simple steps bloggers can take to minimize risk.

Reporting from the Green Zone is not an option for this gritty band of milbloggers. Today’s technology enables milbloggers and embedded reporters to report directly from the battlefield. We’ll talk with some of these milbloggers about their experiences in the combat zone.

The use of user generated content during the Writers Strike to both inform and entertain further validated the importance of the Internet medium. This panel, the second of two about Social Media and the Writers Strike, will dive deeper into the impact of websites and videos written (and often performed) by the writers and distributed through YouTube, United Hollywood and other Internet sites. Why did they work so well, and how has user generated content changed the entertainment landscape? What lessons can we apply to our own endeavors, personal, professional and corporate?

Online political junkies bemoan the fact that politicians are too cautious and don't engage in genuine, freewheeling conversations with "the people." But are the people, with new media in hand, actually fostering less straight talk and interactivity by "tracking" politicians with video cameras and tape recorders, and constantly replaying and mashing up every political gaffe, no matter how minor?

One of the keys to rockin' customer retention and loyalty is customer engagement. This session shares some of the best practices in combining social media with customer retention programs, an area relatively unexplored by many companies and social media discussions. Social media provides the ideal channel from which to learn about and interact with customers, both commercial and consumer. It is also a great mechanism for deepening customer relationships and empowering customers to become a company's best advocates. These two areas are especially important to businesses that want to break-through the noise and grow in spite of difficult economic times. Through the use of blogs, video, social networks, and wikis, executing customer retention programs can be cool again!

Wouldn't you love to spend an hour with some of the top search engine optimization and social media marketing practitioners on the web? Here's your chance. This panel discussion will cover important topics such as current SEO trends & tactics, what matters with Google, Yahoo and Live, do's and don'ts of search engine optimization and social media marketing, practical SEO tips and the difference between search spam and being a creative marketer.

Basic Analytics & Blog Monitoring 101 - Do you know where your traffic comes from and how you can use this information to increase traffic? Who is talking about you in the blogosphere? Or how many feed subscribers you have?

In this workshop you learn the basics about blog monitoring and analytics: how to set up a simple blog monitoring (also called Ego or Vanity searches) and how to set up and use Google Analytics, a free yet extremly powerful tool for all your website traffic.

This is also a good session for Podcasters to learn how to increase their listenership / viewers.

Discover the Ten Top Strategies To Promote Your Blog To Generate Profit!

Andrew Jones, social entrepreneur and mission consultant, will explore the phenomenal rise of faith blogging over teh past decade and what it will take to see the church fully utilize this window of opportunity.

Media do not merely carry content; they also create mentalities, sensibilities, and intuitions. As the medium of the internet has developed, few of its practitioners have considered how this new form of communication affects the larger ecosystem of culture and human interaction. We tend to assume that all new technologies (since they make certain aspects of our lives easier) must bring unalloyed progress for humanity. Christians should pause to consider how the habits and capacities encouraged by this new technology offer benefits and obstacles to our ability to reflect, converse, and act wisely in our cultural moment. Ken Myers, host and producer of the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, will encourage such pausing by exploring several dominant aspects of the media ecology shaped by the internet in general and by blogging in particular.

The role of the God-bloggers in the entertainment industry and why they should care: The internet has offered unparalleled opportunities for people of faith to break out of the religious ghetto and allow their ideas to be accessed by people who may not agree with them. What is the role of the Godbloggers in the mainstream media culture and how should Godbloggers write, keeping in mind that they are writing for people who may not agree with their beliefs?

An attendee favorite, this session is a massive gathering of top Godbloggers to converse about the issues addressed throughout the day as well as issues relevant to the Godblogging community both today and in the future. The best part is, your GodblogCon allows you to participate in this community brainstorming session of leading Godbloggers and fellow visionaries.

Private Dinner

An event not to be missed - His Highness Hollywood. The official World Premiere of NY Times bestselling author/award winning filmmaker Ian Halperin's much hyped film about how he posed undercover as a gay actor in Hollywood, hooked up with a bunch of A-List stars and infiltrated the Church of Scientology who tried to cure him of his alleged homosexuality. This film has been called by the media "Borat but with substance". Food and beverages will be served. Presented by Glosslip.com and BlogWorld Expo. Starring Bill Paxton, Brad Pitt, Sigourney Weaver, Jay Leno, Janice Dickinson and Ron Jeremy. Halperin will be present and will conduct a Q&A following the screening. Open to all registrants.