Request for Proposals | ONA 2008 Conference and Awards Banquet

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
2008 ONA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
September 11-13, Washington, DC

The conference committee has been hard at work on the conference agenda insuring that the conference program focuses on the key issues and challenges facing our industry practitioners. To that end, they have identified the tracks that will be covered during the proceedings.

If your knowledge, expertise, and or experience fit into these tracks, we encourage you to submit your ideas for consideration.

Before you prepare a formal submission, please note that the ONA is not able to offer honoraria or to pay travel/accommodation expenses, though conference registration may be waived in certain circumstances. Conference presentation rooms will include Internet access and big screens.

Each submission must include the completed form (below). Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

The deadline for submission is Monday, March 10 at 5 p.m. ET

Please include all requested information below and e-mail it to conference chairs Amy Webb and Tiffany Shackelford to info@journalists.org:

1. Your name, title, email and organization
2. Name of proposed panel/class
3. Identify the appropriate track (Please check one only)
__ Multimedia Learning Lab
__ How'd They Do That?
__ Emerging Tech & the Newsroom
__ Teaching & Learning
__ My Digital Beat
__ Be an Evangelist!

4. Please describe the panel/class in detail. What's new about this idea? How will ONA conference attendees benefit from this panel/class?
5. Who should teach this class/moderate this panel? Who should the other panel participants be and why? Have you/they spoken at conferences before, and if so, which ones?
6. What kinds of handouts would be distributed to attendees? Please specify.
7. What technology/equipment will be needed for this panel/class?
8. Do you have a blog or Web site? If so, please list.
9. Are you a member of ONA? What other associations are you involved with?

TRACK DESCRIPTIONS

1) Multimedia Learning Lab
CAPACITY: 20-25 per session
This track comprises 60-minute, hands-on detailed micro training sessions. Rather than a generic "Blogging 101" panel, for example, we'd like to have each session deeply explore a specific topic. Classes can be advanced and require certain skills, or they can cover more basic topics. A single instructor would lead each session.

Suggested/Examples topics:

Your First Facebook API

Widgets...

Interactive Google Map w/ Database...

Data...

Make a good intro and outro for your podcast

Make fantastic runners and graphics for your Web video

Instructors must have conducted hands-on training sessions before. All participants must receive detailed instruction sheets and sample files. Specify any pre-existing skills (MySQL, PHP, Photoshop, etc.) participants would need in order to take part in the class.

2) How'd They Do That?
Each session is meant to be a 60-minute show and tell of an innovative project, detailing how it was created and published. If your newsroom created a map with automated, searchable data, show exactly how you built that project, from start to finish. One or two individuals, rather than a large panel, should present.

Tip sheets and other relevant information must be available for participants. Presenters should use visual examples (via the Web, Keynote, PowerPoint, etc.) to showcase their work.

Suggested/Examples topics:

Using crowd sourcing to develop stories

Interactive databases

Interactive, dynamically updating maps

3) Emerging Tech & the Newsroom
These will be 75- 90-minute panel discussions about specific topics: mobile, RSS, semantic Web, aggregation, Web app development, new metrics tools etc. Sessions should feature a moderator and 2-4 panelists from journalism and from the tech industry.

Tip sheets and other relevant information must be available for participants. Presenters should use visual examples (via the Web, Keynote, PowerPoint, etc.) to showcase their work.

Suggested/Examples topics:

Wild Wild Mobile Frontier

What's Next: The Semantic Web

Metrics 2.0

Aggregate This!

Ten New Tech Trends You've Never Heard Of

Gadget Madness: What Every MoJo Needs

4) Teaching & Learning
More and more college journalism programs are attempting to weave in true computer science courses to their standard curricula. At the same time, more working journalists are serving as adjunct professors -- without any real academic training. And multimedia training is in ever increasing demand in all of our newsrooms. This track will offer sessions geared toward attendees involved in online journalism education. Panels will be a mix of individual presentations and moderated discussions. Sessions will last 75 minutes.

Sample syllabi, curriculum descriptions, tip sheets, sample homework assignments, etc., should be available for all participants. Presenters should incorporate visual examples (via the Web, Keynote, PowerPoint, etc.) to showcase their work. Hands-on sessions are preferred, however we also hope to offer several discussion-based panel sessions.

Suggested/Examples topics:

Your First Syllabus

Preparing Next-Gen Jurnos

Ideas for teaching digital tools to traditional journalism students

Innovations at programs around the world

Students Speak: What "Adults" Are Missing

5) My Digital Beat
How can you better cover a particular beat or topic area using digital tools? These 75-minute panel presentations will feature how-to's, available online tools (databases, etc.), best practices and ideas for new projects/publications.

Lists of best practices, case studies; tip sheets, contact lists, etc. should be made available to all participants.

Suggested/Examples topics:

Sports: trick out your stats, video, columns

Environment: getting better information online; exploiting the Web to investigate

Metro: crowdsourcing data and other information to generate story ideas and to get your community involved in your site

International: how to get your local story noticed around the Web

Politics: ways to represent polls, man-on-the-street interviews and other info

6) Be an Evangelist!
This track will feature hands-on sessions lasting about 45 minutes and delivered by one or two presenters. They should strive to answer questions about the business of publishing, blogging and community involvement, monetizing content, driving traffic to your site and more.

Lists of best practices, case studies; tip sheets, contact lists, etc. should be made available to all participants.

Suggested/Examples topics:

Get your independent site off the ground: how to attract investors, how to get noticed.

Evangelist Training: how to empower people in your newsroom and get them motivated to do digital stuff on their own.

Be an Innovator: how to innovate new projects and ideas at your publication/ site. Best practices of innovators.

How to sell yourself better: Getting advertisers and sponsors excited about advertising online with you.