A recent report from Forrester suggests that corporate blogging has had its day, the craze has passed and, frankly, companies don't blog very well. Corporate blogs can't drop corporate-speak, they fail to build up an audience and they're just plain boring. True or false? Another new report says that 39% of the Inc. 500 are blogging. And nearly 12% of the Fortune 500 have blogs, double the number of three years ago. So which is it: Myth or Reality? Come to this session featuring A-list corporate bloggers Paula Berg of Southwest Airlines and Mario Sundar of LinkedIn . Debbie Weil, consultant and author of the widely-praised THE CORPORATE BLOGGING BOOK, will lead a pointed discussion that answers the key questions: Can corporate blogs fulfill the promise of blogging as a two-way conversation with customers? Are blogs being eclipsed by social networks and online communities? What can we learn from the most successful corporate blogs?

This session shows marketers what the true power of services like Twitter, FriendFeed, Pownce, Flickr and Facebook have on a micro level. Also known as "micro blogging", micromedia has exploded with the growth of mobile technology and lets us look into the future of platform-agnostic marketing. Don't be left behind.

For new and experienced internet creators, getting the right mix of your message and the technology you use can be a big challenge. This session will address both the left and right brain aspects, to this task. For the left brain we will review the top 10 technology platforms for blogging, audio & video podcasting, analyzing the key features of each. We will also discuss the key requirements for creating a successful text blog, audio podcast, and online video series. We will look objectively at the pros and cons of whether to write, speak, or shoot, and then at the upside/downside of each method. For the right brain, we will explore how to find your inner message, and creative ways you can tell your story letting the tech help not hinder you. Being authentic is the #1 ingredient for having longevity with your new media. We will "inquire within" to make sure your message is aligned with your methodology. This session addresses both individuals and businesses.

Hear experiences and best practices from those leading blogging and new media communications at Fortune 500 companies.

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.

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.

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!

The current media environment has traditional media outlets like newspapers and television news operations struggling to maintain relevance and profitability. The session looks at current best practices from traditional media outlets using social media.

This is a must-attend session for anyone who has ever struggled to demonstrate the ROI and importance of corporate blogging to a CEO. As blogging is becoming an integral part of a company’s overall strategy, it is critical to have concrete measures and expectations around a corporate blogging strategy like every other facet of a business. In this session, Baggott is revealing practical tips with attendees on how to track, measure and adjust their corporate blogging strategy for maximum ROI. He is also sharing case studies of companies that have successfully turned their blogging programs into ones that produce measurable results, like higher organic search engine rankings and acquiring more customers.

This panel will discuss how not to approach social media for people looking to promote themselves and/or their companies through blogs, forums, social networking sites and other types of communities online. We’ll highlight and discuss strategies and tactics that can damage you and your brand, such as introtisements and adverquestions (veiled advertisements), lying about your affiliations, never giving anything of value, being ignorant of your surroundings and much more. The end result will be a better understanding of how to utilize the social web to get the word out about yourself and/or your organization. We learn not only from best practices, but from poor practices. Who you want to be, directly relates to who you don’t want to be.