The Online News Association, the world’s largest membership organization of digital journalists, will conduct its third Parachute Training Initiative, a full day of free, intensive hands-on multimedia training, on Saturday, June 5, in Birmingham, Ala., supported by a grant from the Gannett Foundation.
The sessions are tailored specifically to the needs of independent, community, non-profit, displaced and employed journalists, bloggers and students in the Alabama area.
The event will take place at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, with help from the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists.
The event is open to the first 100 registrants. Registration is $10, which covers lunch.
Parachute Training: Birmingham, Ala. Agenda
Twitter: Use hashtag #ONAUAB
8 a.m. Registration
Continental Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Welcoming Remarks
Session 1: 9 – 10:25 a.m.
Track 1: Free Tools to Kick Your Site Up a Notch
Take a whirlwind tour of free tools that will let you stream live video, edit digital photos, become a social media power user, create HTML charts, analyze search keywords, embed polls and create interactive slideshows.
Presenter: Danny Sanchez, Digital Platform Manager, Tribune Interactive, Hartford, Conn.
Track 2: Flip to iMovie
You hear video’s all the rage, but you don’t know how to get started? No problem! This session will give you the perfect workflow for shooting video on a Flip camera, importing it into iMovie, editing the video, exporting to YouTube, and finally embedding on your blog.
Presenter: Josh Hatch, Director of Interactives, USATODAY.com
Session 2: 10:35 a.m. – noon
Track 1: Emerging Business Models
Take a walk on the business side. Explore the rise of journalists as entrepreneurs, new forms of advertising, non-profit support, subscription models and other alternatives that are supplementing and replacing old business models.
Presenter: Tom Davidson, Vice President of Business Development, GrowthSpur
Track 2: Harnessing the Power of Social Media
Social media, aggregators and other tools can help you become a better reporter in this new media landscape. Plus they empower you to build your brand and distribute your content more effectively. In this session you’ll learn the skills of social network reporting, expanding your network, tapping into the power of crowding-sourcing, engaging with your community and delivering your content through different platforms. This new way of reporting gives your traditional content more depth and context, keeping you relevant.
Presenter: Robert Hernandez, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California, Annenberg
Noon – 1:30 p.m.: Lunch and networking
Session 3: 1:30 – 2:55 p.m.
Track 1: What You Need to Know about Internet Law
Legal issues are usually the last thing journalists consider. This session will show you why it should be the first. You’ll learn the basics of copyright, libel and plagiarism as it pertains to the Internet, the nuances of the term “fair use,” why websites display privacy policies and visitor agreements and the benefits of libel insurance. A Q&A period will follow.
Presenter: Jonathan Hart, Attorney, Dow Lohnes, PLLC; General Counsel, ONA (via Skype)
Track 2: Jumping from Print to Multimedia Journalism
Multimedia. The word has become a buzz phrase; some editors even call it the “future” of journalism. But rarely is it thought of as leading the journalistic charge rather than just being a pretty visual complement. And too few traditional print journalists realize that they (with some introspection and focused retraining) have the potential to be some of the best multimedia journalists out there.
Presenter: Peter Prengaman, AP multimedia operations, South region
Session 4: 3:05 – 4:30 p.m.
Track 1: Harnessing the Power of Social Media
Social media, aggregators and other tools can help you become a better reporter in this new media landscape. Plus they empower you to build your brand and distribute your content more effectively. In this session you’ll learn the skills of social network reporting, expanding your network, tapping into the power of crowding-sourcing, engaging with your community and delivering your content through different platforms. This new way of reporting gives your traditional content more depth and context, keeping you relevant.
Presenter: Robert Hernandez, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California, Annenberg
Track 2: Flip to iMovie
You hear video’s all the rage, but you don’t know how to get started? No problem! This session will give you the perfect workflow for shooting video on a Flip camera, importing it into iMovie, editing the video, exporting to YouTube, and finally embedding on your blog.
Presenter: Josh Hatch, Director of Interactives, USATODAY.com