Take social media from complexity to clarity through these interactive workshops guaranteed to jumpstart your conference experience. These workshops are a great opportunity to advance your learning and network with fellow attendees while taking a hands-on, common sense approach to mastering social media that will enhance your understanding of the informative, case study presentations throughout the entire conference.

Choose A or B or BOTH for maximum value and learning

Meet Social Media: How To Begin, Learn The Tools Of The Trade, And Strategize A Plan To Get Started In Your Government Organization

This session is intended for anyone who is responsible for social media programs within government. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or new to social media, you’ll find something you can use in this course.

• What social media is and how it revolutionizes communications, collaborative action and the formation of community
• How to make a business case for social media, when it makes sense to use it, and when to avoid it
• Impediments to the use of social media in a government context and how to overcome those impediments
• The state of the art in social media tools: which are most useful for listening, conversation, community building, and measurement

We'll look at examples of the successful application of social media in government contexts. What do the best examples of social media used by government share in common? What can we learn from them?

The session will be highly interactive. Participants will be encouraged to share the challenges you have encountered. The group will draw on the presentation material and experience to suggest strategies and tactics to resolve the problems being encountered in implementing social media in a government context.

Participants are encouraged to bring their notebook computer as this will be an interactive, hands-on workshop. However, there is plenty to learn with or without a computer.

WORKSHOP LEADER: Joseph Thornley is CEO of Thornley Fallis Communications and 76design. Joseph Thornley established Thornley Fallis in 1995 to provide senior executives with communications counsel and programs that contribute to achieving their business and organizational objectives. Mr. Thornley has a longstanding interest in the enabling potential of online technology applied to corporate communication. His blog, www.propr.ca, is dedicated to best business practices, practitioners and building the ideal PR firm. Mr. Thornley has been a driving force behind the establishment of the Third Tuesday Social Media events which bring together social media enthusiasts and communicators to explore new developments in social media and their impact on society, organizations and citizens.

Testimonials From Past Thornley Fallis
Communications Sessions

"I liked the presenter and the topic was very good. Well worth the cost."

"Very helpful, especially for an organization that's just starting."

"This was very well presented and interesting."

"Overall, very well done!"

12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Afternoon break/lunch on your own.

1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
AFTERNOON PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP B

With the vast reach of social networks, it's hard to be everywhere online at once. Through the use of social media monitoring, you can learn a lot about the people talking about the issues that are relevant to your government department and help identify the conversations you should address the most. By doing so, you can intelligently insert yourself into communities, develop relationships with key people and plan your responses to address the important issues and concerns of the Canadian public.

In this session, you will learn why it's vital to monitor the web to lead your social media efforts, plus how to choose and prepare a community ambassador to voice your web presence.

• Understanding the concept of RSS feeds and how to set up an RSS reader
• Looking at key free monitoring tools and how to subscribe to search results
• The importance of keyword selection
• Knowing where to listen to online conversations
• Preparing to respond and initiate online conversations when necessary – starting to really use social media

This workshop is designed for departmental and communications managers who are responsible for putting their agency's message out to the public, highlighting its accomplishments, and managing its reputation during crises. It is encouraged that you bring your laptop as this will be hands-on session.

WORKSHOP LEADER: After 10 years working in marketing as a copywriter at several traditional advertising agencies, Mark Goren, New Media Coach at Transmission Content + Creative, turned his attention and creative thinking to the field of social network marketing, all so he can help businesses reach people on their terms. Today, Mark consults with direct clients, advertising and P.R. agencies in the U.S. and Canada, as well as government departments.

Testimonials From Past Mark Goren Sessions:

"Excellent – hands on, worked us through each item. Very useful!"

"Speaker was able to engage."

"Very hands-on. Nice!"