At a time when news organizations are trying to expand into the competitive new media market, the conference will offer advice, best practices and spark new enthusiasm for online news. It will culminate with the 2008 Online Journalism Awards.

Participants will engage in lively panel discussions, workshops and training to glean skills and information that will enrich newsrooms, transform classrooms and further the goals of those seeking to tell innovative stories across all platforms.

The conference is aimed at new and veteran journalists, bloggers, educators and business executives charged with growing the bottom line. It is structured around several tracks:

* Multimedia Learning Lab Hands-on training sessions will deeply explore everything from blogs and podcasts to widgets and databases.

* How'd They Do That? A show-and-tell will detail how several innovative projects were conceived and successfully executed.

* Emerging Technology & the Newsroom In-depth discussions with journalists and tech experts will examine topics ranging from RSS to aggregation to new metrics tools.

* Teaching & Learning Panel Sessions will offer practical information on how to prepare everything from a syllabus to the next generation of journalists.

* My Digital Beat Presenters will teach how to get a local story noticed on the Web, crowd source data and get communities involved online.

* Be an Evangelist! Discussions will strive to answer questions about the business of publishing, monetizing content, driving traffic to a site and more.

The early bird conference fee for ONA members is $399. Early bird registration lasts until August 11. After August 11, the fee will be $499 for ONA members. The non-member rate is $699, regardless of registration date.

Reserve your hotel room by August 11, to get the ONA discount rate. The Capitol Hilton, Washington, D.C., is offering conference attendees a rate of $259 per night. After August 11, regular rates apply.