2,000: A Membership Odyssey
If you’ve been thinking about becoming an ONA member, this may be the exact moment. Join as our 2,000th member — right now, we’re at 1,995 — and get a limited-edition Jennifer Daniel-designed tee. Of course, there are a lot more benefits to being a member, including a great big discount to ONA11, our annual conference. Check out the benefits and join here.
Ask the experts: Join our live chat on the Online Journalism Awards Thursday
Have a question about entering the OJAs? Toss it at ONA Board member Anthony Moor of Yahoo!, who has steered the OJA committee for the past five years, during an online chat Thursday at 2 p.m. ET. ONA Web Editor Sean Connolly will also be on hand to answer questions about the entry process. Check into journalists.org to join the conversation and find out more details about entry eligibility, rules and categories, hear about past winners and what makes an “excellent” entry. ONA has also been crowdsourcing the call for entries on Twitter; offer your suggestions and join the conversation with #OJA2011. You can read more about the awards and enter here.
Tick, tick, tick … ONA11 early-bird ends next week
Reserve your spot for the 2011 Online News Association Conference & Awards Banquet, Sept. 22-24, in Boston. Our extended early-bird registration ends June 14, so you still have time to get the best price: $399 for members and $699 for non-members. We also offer $49 off the regular registration for groups of 10 or more, but you’ll need to act fast to make the deadline. Register here, and reserve your room at the Marriott Copley Place here.
Free digital training at ONACamp: Denver
Registration is open and filling up fast for the next free full day of digital training set for Denver on June 23 at the Tivoli Student Center at Auraria Campus. Check out the program, which includes sessions on data visualization, mobile reporting, audience engagement, free tools, start-up strategies and business models, collaborations and crowd-sourcing, managing workflow and much more. More expert trainers will be announced soon, so keep an eye on #ONACamp. Thanks go out to our funder, the Gannett Foundation, and our co-host, the Denver Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The only cost to attendees: $5 to cover lunch. Head to journalists.org to register.
Lend a hand to colleagues in Joplin, Mo.
The May 22 tornado took its toll on Joplin, Mo., killing more than 130 people, including Joplin Globe page designer Bruce Baillie, 57. The homes of at least 26 employees of the daily were heavily damaged or destroyed. We’re asking members and friends to help out where you can. Donations can be sent to a fund established by the Missouri Press Association through the Missouri Press Foundation — 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the newspaper. Tax-deductible donations may be made here. Checks can be sent to the Missouri Press Foundation, 802 Locust Street, Columbia, MO 65201. Read more about the call for assistance here.
If you’re near Joplin, consider literally lending a hand by helping with online production, especially graphics. Get in touch with Kia Breaux at KBREAUX@ap.org. And thanks to IRE, Poynter and AP for their good work, and all who have responded to our campaign so far.
MJ Bear Fellowship update
Applications for the MJ Bear Fellowship closed May 30, and our selection committee is now reviewing the 34 strong domestic and international applicants who took the time to submit their innovative work. Fellows will be announced Aug. 1. Read more about the fellowship here.
ONA Local
ONA-SPJ Seattle is holding its third event in the #newsnext series on June 23 at 7 p.m. Join us at Jillian’s, where Rand Fishkin, CEO of Seattle’s SEOMoz, will share his thoughts on how the rise of social media will only make search engines better, more powerful and more relevant. The event is free. Register at meetup.com.
#ONADC‘s next meetup, June 20 at 6:30 p.m., sponsored by The Fiscal Times (TFT), just moved to a larger room to accommodate more guests. At this writing, there are four spots left — register at meetup.com. To be the first to know about future events, join the group on meetup.com. And speaking of the future, join the fun on July 13 at 7 p.m. with the D.C. staff of the Huffington Post Media Group. Enjoy a drink and mingle with ONA friends new and old on the rooftop of the D.C. bureau’s offices at 1730 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The event is free. Register today at meetup.com.
ONA Club at WSU welcomes 18 new Mideast students
The ONA Student Club at Washington State University has tripled its members, adding 18 new students to its ranks. Through a grant from the U.S. State Department, the Club will help train young journalists from the Middle East, including Iraq, Lebanon, Oman and Jordan, and offer access to ONA’s resources.