Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010
9 am
Welcome
Mark Zusman, Willamette Week

9:15 am
Keynote Address
Presenter: David Bennahum, The Center for Independent Media

10:15 am (Concurrent Sessions)
Email Newsletters
You will NOT learn everything you need to know about email newsletters and associated products in a 45-minute session. Consider this panel discussion the start of a conversation you should continue at the hotel bar and at your next staff meeting. List-building, product development and revenue will discussed.
Moderated by Roxanne Cooper, Alternet.org
Panel: Patricia Calhoun, Westword, Jeff Lawrence, Boston's Weekly Dig, Colby Roberts, Seven Days

Mastering the Details in Interface Design
Typography, grids, colors, borders, textures, gradients, and drop shadows: using these basic elements of visual design properly -- and knowing when not to use them -- can challenge even seasoned interface designers. Yet these foundations upon which we craft our designs are often ignored -- or worse, they're cast about the canvas with reckless abandon. Attention to these details can help make a design beautiful -- and make an interface more usable and enjoyable. Learn how to pay attention to the details that matter, and watch as Dan Rubin shows examples of how the little things can make a big difference in the quality of a design.
Presenter: Dan Rubin

11:30 am
Truly Mobile
Over the past several years, we've seen a proliferation of high-speed wireless networks and multifunction, mobile devices. As we transition from the era of the laptop to one dominated by mobile devices such as the iPod touch and iPhone, mobile applications and the mobile web are increasingly becoming the primary means for users going online. This new era of the truly mobile experience will impact how content creators and publishers provide information services. In his talk, mobile entrepreneur and industry analyst Raven Zachary will share the current state of mobile technology and where it's headed, drawing upon his personal experiences building mobile applications for the Obama Campaign and some of the world's largest brands.
Presenter: Raven Zachary

1:30 pm
Nonprofit Journalism
After nearly eighteen years at the award-winning regional magazine TEXAS MONTHLY -- the last nine as editor -- Evan Smith quit to start The Texas Tribune. He'll talk about how and why he and his colleagues started a non-profit online news site, what the Trib is and isn't, how it's doing so far, and all the things he's learned.
Presenter: Evan Smith, texastribune.org

2:45 pm
Is Your Company Ready for the New Newsonomics?
As we enter the first truly digital news decade, many of the rules of publishing have changed. Ken Doctor, author of "Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape the News You Get" (St. Martin’s Press, Feb. 2) describes the building blocks of this new age and urges publishers and editors to challenge business as usual.
Presenter: Ken Doctor, contentbridges.com

3:45 pm
The Model of a Modern, Medium-Agnostic, Media Company
It's not about migrating your brand. It's about extending your brand. Doing print, web, mobile, twitter, events, whatever, all in a way that builds your community and makes money.
Presenter: Tim Keck, Index Publishing

4:45 pm
SEO -- Getting Down to Basics
Ever wonder why, after so many years, your site still doesn't appear on the first page or two of Google organic search results in key categories? Say restaurants or events or night clubs? How do Yelp, Citysearch and others get there but not your site? Recent SEO trends have focused a lot on social media and back links but a quick check of some AAN sites (both large and small) shows that most AAN member sites are missing the boat completely when it comes to the basic elements of SEO. Carol Flagg is not an SEO expert. She is, however, a small business owner who has learned that the SEO answers are literally right in front of you -- you just need to know what to look for. In this session she'll cover key areas that will improve search results, page impressions and bounce rate.
Presenter: Carol Flagg

Friday, Jan. 29
9 am (Concurrent Sessions)
Beyond 140 characters...
In between retweets and status updates, many AAN papers are using online tools to -- wait for it -- create great online content. Panelists will share examples of ambitious web editorial projects and online success stories.
•     Elaine Wolff, editor of the San Antonio Current, will present the Current's use of Skype, video cameras, laptops and NewTek Tricaster to create interactive political coverage, including an online interactive town hall with the mayoral candidates and live webcast election-night coverage -- with live music breaks and comedy -- that allowed readers/viewers to watch and participate.
•     Westword Editor Patricia Calhoun will talk about how Westword used the viral nature of the web for its medical marijuana coverage to create, yes, a huge buzz.
•     From gay marriage to sheep shearing, the videos created by Seven Days take narrative storytelling to new levels. Seven Days Creative Director Don Eggert will discuss the newspaper's emphasis on video, and how their videographer Eva Sollberger's web series "Stuck in Vermont" has created reader/viewer loyalty and buy-in for the newspaper's online presence.
Moderated by Julia Goldberg, Santa Fe Reporter

A Guide to Building Greater Digital Display Revenue
We have learned about CPMs; we know what share-of-voice means; now it's time to move past the digital basics and into understanding what alt-weeklies must do to continue being competitive in the digital business. We will concentrate on learning more about our inventory, our audience, our rolodex and our revenue models to create a more sophisticated approach to value building. What are the steps we have to take in the next twelve months to grow?
Presenters: Patrick Mersinger, Creative Loafing, Inc. and Amy Austin, Washington City Paper

10 am
Google Local
Have you noticed the map-like feature that appears when you do a search for things like "atlanta restaurants"? Have you noticed how generic searches are becoming specific for the location you are searching from? Those are two examples of how Google is making their search results specific to location. Thus the term "Google Local." Google's move in this direction has huge implications for us because we are all focused on our local communities. We need to learn the benefits and pitfalls of Google doing this and ways to take advantage of it. This will be a summary of how Google Local works and a few ideas on the possibilities of monetizing its features.
Presenter: Murray Grevious, Creative Loafing

11 am
Tweet your Facebook Off!
You can no longer expect readers to come to your homepage. You have to drag them into your site. How can you use tools like Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon and other social media sites to boost readership?
Presenter: Bill Jensen, Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC

Please note: Session times are subject to change.