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

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
MORNING PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP A
Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m. for the morning workshop attendees.

Social Media 101: What You Need To Know To Start Your Own Organization's Blogging/Podcasting Strategy

Are you planning to launch a blog? Interested in starting a podcast? This workshop will help you think through the questions that you will need to answer before you get started.

You will leave this interactive session with a solid understanding and an overview of the expanding world of social media including popular tools and destinations like YouTube, Flickr and Digg and with practical advice on how to integrate these into your communications strategy.

• The state of the blogosphere and other social media
• The steps you need to take to launch a blog or start a podcast
• Strategies for creating content and generating interaction with your readers and/or listeners
• Examples of how to measure success

You'll leave this workshop with blogging/podcasting best practices, policies and procedures, and the tools and skills that you and your staff will need to be successful in reaching your audience.

WORKSHOP LEADER: Kevin Reid is the Vice President of Issue Dynamics, Inc., (IDI) a leading Washington, DC-based public affairs firm which has been aligning allies, connecting voices, and promoting action for more than 20 years. Kevin heads up IDI’s Internet group, which manages online campaigns from design and development to messaging, mobilization and analysis. Kevin also oversees IDI’s Blogger Relations programs, including client blog building, monitoring, advertising and training. Kevin has more than a decade of experience in online communication and mobilization.

Testimonials From Past Kevin Reid Sessions:

"This was a great introduction! Very well done."

"Good stuff; loved the topic and I learned a great deal."

"Excellent information and presenter!"

"Great information with things to take back and share!"

"Very good for beginners…thanks!"

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

How To Measure The Role Social Media Plays In Your Overall Internal Communications Programs

As exciting as using new social media tools may be, they are just one more type of tool we can use when developing communication campaigns that support our organizational goals. This workshop will show you not only ways to measure how employees are using the new tools (measuring activity), but also to calculate their role in the success of the overall campaigns they are a part of (measuring outcomes).

• Identify the potential likelihood that various employee demographic subgroups would use different social media tools
• Electronically track actual usage of all web-based communication tools, including the "old" tools like intranets
• Calculate the impact social media may have played in a successful communication campaign

WORKSHOP LEADER: Angela Sinickas is President of Sinickas Communications, Inc., a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations achieve business results through focused diagnostics and practical solutions. An award-winning organizational communicator since 1974, she has been measuring the effectiveness of communication since 1981. She wrote the manual "How to Measure Your Communication Programs" and has developed a range of Communication Audit Starter Kits on CD-ROM for communicators to conduct their own measurements, as well as 40, one-hour audio CDs on planning and measuring communication (www.sinicom.com).

Testimonials From Past Angela Sinickas Sessions:

"Very good real world examples."

"Angela was worth the price of the whole conference. Very informative."

"I enjoyed the topic."

"Enjoyable; I have lots of tools to take back with me."