2:00 PM
to 3:00 PM
Writing Workshop with @BettyDraper: Saying It Short
99 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Helen Klein Ross
event::about In this age of attention deficit and time deprivation, brevity is critical to successful communication. Rules of writing succinctly are essential learning for storytellers of all persuasions: advertisers, marketers, PR practitioners and fictionistas. Learn from Shorty award winning voice of @BettyDraper how to create memorable communication in abbreviated space. Glean expertise from masters of the short form, both commercial and literary--including Hemingway, who wrote a story in a mere six words: "For sale: baby shoes. Never worn."
3:30 PM
to 4:30 PM
The Accidental Writer: Great Web Copy for Everyone
111 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Melanie Seibert
event::about Great copy is critical to the effectiveness of nearly every website. Yet often, a business owner, designer, or developer, perhaps pressured by budget and time limitations, will write the copy him- or herself. This session will tell you when that's a good idea, and when it's not. For those times when it's okay to be the "accidental writer," you'll learn quick tips for crafting effective web copy. For those times when you really need to bring in a pro, you'll learn how to work with a web writer to get the best copy for your website, as quickly and cheaply as possible.
event::tags Solo, #accwriter
5:00 PM
to 6:00 PM
Not My Job: The Ultimate Content Strategy Smackdown
202 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
event::about OK. So let's say your business has a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a blog (or lots of blogs), an email newsletter, some SEO stuff, and eighty bajillion landing pages you forgot about back when it was still funny to rick-roll someone. Who's doing all this content? Are they talking to each other? Should someone be in charge? Who? Come feel the love as a marketer, a CMS wonk, a UX designer, and a typical SME are brought together (Jerry Springer-style) to discuss the joys of cross-channel content strategy.
9:30 AM
to 10:30 AM
Changing News Rooms and News Consumers
53 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Andrew Haeg, Bruce Koons, Emily Bell, Lisa Frazier
event::about How are newsrooms adjusting to the changing digital news environment? How do they balance transparency and objectivity? How are news consumers responding to information published in new ways? What behaviors and skills are news consumers developing to help them negotiate and evaluate the validity and trustworthiness of the news? What mores and values are emerging from news producers and consumers? This session is sponsored by the Knight Foundation.
event::tags Panel
11:00 AM
to 12:00 PM
The Self-Publishing Novelist: Report from the Trenches
33 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker John Sundman, Carolyn McCray, Jane Friedman, Nicole Galland
event::about We've been hearing for a while that new technologies for authoring, designing, printing, publishing, marketing, distributing and consuming books will disrupt the traditional book publishing business model and empower the everyman self-publisher. The combined effect of new technologies will supposedly blast open the floodgates that have been simultaneously protecting readers from hordes of hack writers and arbitrarily keeping down literary geniuses whose works don't fit into obvious conventional pigeonholes. With Print-On-Demand technology for paper books, with distribution channels such as Amazon and the Apple Store to connect book sellers with book buyers, with devices like the Kindle, iPad and Nook for readers to consume books anywhere, it has become fashionable to say that writers no longer need publishing houses, that the poisonous stigma attached to self-published books is losing its venom. But is it true? Self-publishing is not the walk in the park that some would have you believe. This panel brings together four writers who are explicitly concerned with the novel/novella form. We're not merely self-publishing writers, we're self-publishing novelists. We are custodians of an art form that is under threat by the very technologies that open the marketplace to anybody at all who claims that their manuscript is a novel. How shall novelists and the novel itself survive?
event::tags Panel, #futureofnovel
12:30 PM
to 1:30 PM
Tell & Sell Your Story
35 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
event::about Beyond taking your story from blog to book and beyond, this interactive discussion walks you through the steps needed to cull your blog posts and random emails into a cohesive work with a clear beginning, middle, and end, covering: - They key steps to writing a book proposal - How to find a literary agent - How to come upon an inspired idea, and how do you recognize when you've found one - Exploring the most useful writing apps and software - Learning about helpful online brainstorming communities and writing exercises
3:30 PM
to 4:30 PM
Care and Feeding of Blogs and Book Contracts
34 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
event::about Tricia Lawrence hosts a mix of authors/publishing/social media/Internet marketing experts to talk about maintaining a blog, ramping up a blog, and getting a book deal from that blog. Tricia and the panel will explain how publishing currently works, how publishing has changed in the past year, and a few of the best tips and tricks (and plenty of resources) for people interested in the blog-to-book wave. Tricia and every single one of the panelists believe that the Internet is the world's biggest brand maker and also come from the point of view (which several of the panelists share with everyone without shame constantly) that authors and bloggers are capable of becoming bigger brands than traditional publishers. Tricia and her panel also explain some of the emerging electronic publishing options (Kindle, iBook, Booklocker, CreateSpace) as well as showing off a bit of their Internet marketing backgrounds by encouraging bloggers to get connected, build their tribe, and create raving fans, all with a mind to someday sell back to those fans--that tribe--their latest books and infoproducts. Tricia and the panel of experts believe that authors are uniquely poised to capitalize on the social media boom. Tricia and her fellow panelists will present personal successes and social media and Internet marketing strategies to benefit everyone in attendance.
event::tags Panel, #blogtobook
5:00 PM
to 6:00 PM
The Secret Lives of Content Sites
42 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Joe Stepniewski, Alicia Navarro
event::about Online editorial is yet to be fully recognized in the process of creating purchasing intent. With many thousand sites now utilizing Skimlinks' monetization technology, we have been able to collate a wealth of data on the performance of different types of online content publishers, and prove the value they add in the buying process. This presentation will offer new, page-level data showing just how publishers are driving highly qualified traffic, with the added benefits of terrific brand exposure, and even that longed-for SEO boost. With case-study based tips for publishers on how they can optimize their own content, and advice for advertisers on harnessing the power of editorial; this session would prove valuable for a wide audience at SXSW.
event::tags Solo, #Skimlinks
9:30 AM
to 10:30 AM
15 Slides, Three Writers, Three Ways -- One Hour
150 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Jim Coudal, John Gruber, Michael Lopp
event::about In this presentation, you will see the same set of 15 slides -- three times. Three different writers will walk through the same set of slides and explain their approaches to getting started, editing ideas, figuring out how to get unstuck, and understanding when they're done. Part improv and part preparation, this presentation will give you three totally different and unexpected perspectives regarding the art of writing.
event::tags Panel
11:00 AM
to 12:00 PM
Hacking the News: Applying Computer Science to Journalism
46 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
event::about Reporters and editors work in ways that are still largely tied to old print and broadcast models. Applying lessons from computer science can help make journalism more scalable, flexible and personalized. This panel will discuss developments such as object-oriented programming, model-view controller frameworks, database-driven Web applications and social code repositories -- and explore how these principles can be applied to journalism and create the future of storytelling. For example, making stories in an object-oriented mindset can help journalists work more efficiently, reusing and building on past work. Stories can be created as structured data that can be mashed up and viewed in more flexible ways by readers. Readers can get personalized stories that highlight what's new to them -- rather than having to read through what they already know to glean the latest news.
event::tags Panel, #HacksHackers
12:30 PM
to 1:30 PM
Bloggers Fight Back: Legal Workshop for Music Bloggers
12 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Mehan Jayasuriya, Michael Weinberg
event::about Have you ever received a takedown notice for an MP3 or video you posted on your blog? Did you get clearance from a publicist only to have the label accuse you of illicitly distributing their content? Did Google delete your Blogspot blog? Are you scared to post MP3s on your blog at all for fear of being sued? There's a lot of confusion and disinformation out there when it comes to bloggers' rights--especially where the nuances of copyright law are concerned. In this workshop, we'll teach you how to make sure you're in the clear when posting content on your blog, exactly what your responsibilities are as a blogger and how to fight back if you're wrongfully accused. The presenters--both of whom work for the Washington D.C.-based digital rights non-profit Public Knowledge--will bring a wealth of expertise from both sides of the issue to the table. In addition to overseeing Public Knowledge's outreach and new media efforts, Mehan Jayasuriya is a freelance music blogger and photographer who has worked with publications like PopMatters, Stereogum and DCist. Michael Weinberg is a staff attorney at Public Knowledge, where he focuses on telecommunications policy, in addition to copyright reform and entertainment law.
event::tags Dual, #BloggersFightBack
3:30 PM
to 4:30 PM
Media Tomorrow: The Message is the Messenger
49 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
event::about Disruptive technologies and corroding trust in business have combined turn Marshall McLuhan’s adage “the medium is the message” inside out. Information now spreads laterally, triggered not by institution but by individual. The message is the messenger. This panel will explore how four individuals are reshaping the design, consulting, PR and journalism industries by understanding how information is consumed today. This session is sponsored by Eloqua.
event::tags Panel, #PersonalBrand
5:00 PM
to 6:00 PM
Why New Authors Should Think Like Indie Bands
28 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Gavin St Ours, Alan Porter, Amelia Gray, Timothy Sanders
event::about The publishing world is wrought with uncertainty. Traditional book sales are down, digital publishing is in its infancy, and publishing houses, faced with shrinking budgets, are forced to shy away from publishing novels written by new, untested authors. The rules of the industry are changing. Before approaching agents and publishers, new fiction authors are working to self-publish and grow audiences with social media tools. When they approach a publisher with a new novel and a built-in audience, they take note. On this panel, hear from literary agents and authors describe the way the industry is changing and why it doesn't mean doom-and-gloom for unknown fiction writers. They'll share success stories, practical advice, and opinions on the future of publishing.
event::tags Panel, #indieauthors
9:30 AM
to 10:30 AM
Geppetto's Army: Creating International Incidents with Twitter Bots
17 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Greg Marra
event::about Twitter has proven to be an invaluable tool for communication during intense periods of political unrest and social suppression. When thousands of people tweet about oppressive regimes and violence against protesters, the outside world gets a chance to understand events on the ground. But what if none of those thousands of people were real, and the events never happened? Previous research has shown that Twitter bots can build up a following, garnering hundreds of emotionally invested followers who are fooled into believing the bots are real. A single puppetmaster could create hundreds of Twitter bots, letting them live perfectly normal and believable lives for months while they build up followers. Then one day, a careful crafted false story unfolds on the stage of social media, played out by a single director with hundreds of actors. Incidents like Balloon Boy demonstrate that powerful stories can become widespread before there is time for fact checking. Before anyone realizes all the TwitPics of the massacre are faked, the fake event will have made international headlines. This presentation will discuss the technical feasibility of such an attack on the global media infrastructure and discuss the implications of a news system that trusts "recent" over "reputable".
event::tags Solo, #twitterbots
11:00 AM
to 12:00 PM
Rebooting the Media Industry: A How to Guide
26 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Bram Cohen
event::about BitTorrent didn’t invent the Internet. It just changed the game. In 2001 the BitTorrent protocol was launched into the world. It turned rich media distribution economics on its head by making efficient use of consumer bandwidth and enabling transfers to get faster the more popular a file is. Fast-forward to today and the whole media industry has been turned upside down. From newspapers to music to film, the way content is distributed and how users want to consume it has completely changed. The growth of the Internet created a disruptive model that caused a shift from physical to digital media, and many in the media industry unprepared for the change have been left scrambling. Resistance doesn’t stop change from happening, but it can make it more painful. If anything, the dramatic consolidation in the newspaper industry should be a lesson for other media industries that evolution is not a choice, but a best practice for creating a sustainable business model. Paid download, subscription, ad-supported or freemium. Which business model will be most effective in generating value? There is not a clear winner, but different online communities as well as types of content will lend themselves to each in varying ways. Continued product development will provide choice to the consumer and they will vote by their actions. The different consumption models and tastes of users will create number of opportunities for monetization by creators as well as more options for consumers.
event::tags Solo
12:30 PM
to 1:30 PM
NPR’s API: Create Once, Publish Everywhere
77 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Zach Brand
event::about Over the last year, NPR's total page view growth has increased by more than 80%. How did we get that much growth? Our API. The NPR API went live to the public in July 2008 and was designed with the philosophy of Create Once, Publish Everywhere (COPE). Through COPE, NPR has been able to quickly and efficiently distribute content to virtually anywhere, including NPR stations, partners and the general public. The biggest impact that the API has made, however, is with our mobile strategy. The API has enabled NPR product owners to build specialized apps on a wide range of platforms and devices, liberating them from being dependent on custom development to access the content. Through this process, we built our iPhone and iPad apps, mobile sites, open sourced Android app and HTML5 site, some of which were turned around in a matter of weeks! Delivering more than one billion stories a month and serving thousands of product owners, partners, stations and public users, the API has clearly become the centerpiece of the NPR's digital media and mobile strategy. In this session, you will learn all about the guts of this mission-critical system (from a technical and business perspective), our publishing processes, our moblie strategy and other related aspects of our digital distribution approach.
3:30 PM
to 4:30 PM
Will News Apps Re-Invent Journalism?
46 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
event::about Newspaper and magazine publishers tout applications for smart phones and tablets like the iPad as innovative revenue streams that will save their journalism by providing a new, more interactive kind of news experience integrated with emerging mobile technologies. Martin Nisenholtz, senior vice president of digital operations for The New York Times Company, called its news app "the best of print and the best of digital, all rolled up into one." Others are seeing the opportunity for integrated storytelling. How is this playing out, what are the early indications? Can publications replace losses from print subscriptions with application sales? Journalism organizations have tried diverse approaches. The Associated Press and BBC offer their app for free with an interface similar to the Web, and then embed advertising. Time and Wired offer a magazine experience that includes ads, but also comes with a per-issue price. Others are offering subscriptions along with the app. In this session, a group of experts will discuss the current state of news apps, emerging trends, and the future of professional news delivery.
5:00 PM
to 6:00 PM
Our Media: Building An API For Public Media
27 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
event::about Open APIs are sweeping through public media, just like the rest of the world, but folks at NPR, PBS and others are thinking even bigger. Public media is in an unprecedented project to build an open API called the Public Media Platform (PMP) that will help developers create applications that bring personalized public media content to new platforms. Come learn from the leaders of the PMP on how this project is rolling out, where it is headed and how it can benefit you. We will be discussing how public media is creating the right technology layer, as well as balancing business rules to build new opportunities for our media to be For, By and Of the People.
11:00 AM
to 12:00 PM
Conversational Journalism: Do's and Don'ts of Audience Participation
21 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Doreen Marchionni
event::about Journalists and scholars have talked on and off about the idea of journalism as a conversation for nearly 20 years. It stands in contrast to decades of traditional journalism as a lecture, in which the all-knowing journalist alone decides what is news and conducts a monologue with the public on such matters, or maybe a dialogue with public officials and other elites. Citizens here are at best passive bystanders. But no more. Now pretty much anyone with Internet access and a few Web tools can create and distribute news, collaborate with professional journalists in real time and select what news to follow, if any, from a dizzying array of choices. The media business and academia were slow to pick up on the change but are now taking heed. Curiously, little empirical research developed to help us understand what exactly we mean by conversation and then how to apply it to journalism's most treasured values, credibility and expertise. Until now. This presentation explores key practical tips from doctoral research on how best to incorporate citizen audiences into online media processes. Doing it haphazardly can mean loss of perceived credibility, authority and just plain likeability. Doing it well, however, can create the kind of sustained interest we all crave for our sites.
event::tags Solo
12:30 PM
to 1:30 PM
Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted. Not!
22 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Kevin Smokler, Richard Nash, Calvin Baker, Joanne McNeil
event::about For the future of both, it is imperative that technology and culture learn from one another. Doing more with less is a philosophy that has animated both, especially in recent times with the notion of the minium viable product, and the injunction against feature creep. But art and culture have always understood the concept of "less is more" even if it took till the 20th century of that to be coined so neatly. For art to be possible, rules are necessary. In the Assassin's Code, the death of God makes everything possible. Many believe that the netwrok makes everything possible. But if everything is possible, how does anything matter? In art, what is left out is as important as what is included. Can the rules of making art help us make more useful technology? Can such concepts as the minimum viable product help us do a better job of writing, editing, designing, and disseminating novels, films, music. This high interdisciplinary panel will help illuminate how the eternal verities of art and science, when properly framed, can help us be better movers of the hearts and minds of men and women...
event::tags Panel, #assassinscreed
3:30 PM
to 4:30 PM
Iterate or Die: How Media Businesses Must Adapt
17 schedule::attendees
Location
Sheraton, Creekside
eventtype Panel, Interactive
Speaker Kim-Mai Cutler
event::about In the past 15 years, the media and technology worlds have practically switched places. Tech companies have gone from needing to be 50,000+ employee behemoths to being teams of two guys that can ship products 1 million people love and that can change the world. All-powerful news organizations that used to support globe-trotting foreign correspondents reporting on human rights are now teams of 8-10 bloggers who must be glued to their computer screens at all times for a whiff or tweet of breaking news. Companies that leverage the content their users create like Facebook, Quora, Instagram and Twitter are getting better and better every year, while thinning profit margins are undermining the ability of paid media professionals to produce quality work. How should for-profit media companies evolve in an era when the audience has taken over the controls? What are the business models that media companies are using today and how are they changing? Which approach will you take?
event::tags Panel
footer::loading