Web Sessions
Secondary emphases are indicated in parentheses.
Please confirm the session times and locations in the program book you will receive when you arrive at the conference.
Sunday 12:30-1:45 p.m.
Defending the Doorway: What Web Managers Need to Know about Cybersquatting, Gripe Sites, and Malicious Links
Ontario
Get specific examples of ways critics and detractors can use various Web techniques to embarrass your campus. Discover proactive steps to deflect the damage.
John W. Paff, APR, Executive Director of Communications and Executive Assistant to the President, Huntington University
Sunday 2:15-3:30 p.m.
Remaining Grounded in the New Media Whirlwind
Ontario
Technology is evolving at a lightning pace, your audience's expectations are constantly changing, and your resources are limited. Factor in another challenge - the pace of many higher educational institutions - and you might find your electronic communications less effective and nimble than they need to be. You're not alone. Fortunately, traditional tools such as market and industry research, metrics analysis, and a constant eye on best practices can help. Learn how the IUPUI campus stays on top of trends, communicates strategically, and remains agile despite red tape and limited resources.
Steve Hodges, Electronic Communications Manager, Communications & Marketing IUPUI External Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Monday 2-3:15 p.m.
(Communications)
Writing Right for the Web: Engage Your Visitors and Improve Your Search Engine Visibility
Ontario
Your Web site navigation is clear. Your content is on target for the interests of your audience, but your visitors still aren't reading the content you want them to read. What's wrong? Your Web site is an online publication and if the writing style on your Web site isn't "Web friendly," people won't read the content you publish. Discover key guidelines to use when writing for external Web site visitors to best engage them in their critical first seconds on your page. And we'll review top writing tips to increase your visibility for better search engine marketing. After this session, you'll know more about: How people "read" your Web site; how to quickly engage your audience; the difference between "keywords" and "carewords"; the value and role of a Web editor; direct marketing copywriting principles to use online; practical tips for enhancing your Web pages; writing to increase your visibility for Search Engines Marketing
Bob Johnson, Ph.D., President, Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC
Monday 3:45-5 p.m.
(Alumni)
Making Online Networks Work for You
Ontario
Online networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn are changing rapidly. Though keeping up-to-date with the latest technologies can seem daunting, the benefits of these third-party services are worth investigating. Get a rundown on the essentials, including an overview of the differences between social and business networking, how internal networks interact with external global ones, and how these services can be used to engage alumni, postdocs and students. This session will include a snapshot of the Caltech Alumni Association's groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, outlining the motivations, benefits and the pitfalls of these endeavors.
Elizabeth Allen, Assistant Director for Communications, Caltech Alumni Association
Tuesday 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
(Communications)
Measuring the Success of Interactive Media
Huron
It's a growing trend: blogs, social networking sites, specialized news feeds, and podcasts are replacing broadcast media and print as people's first choice for news and entertainment. Shouldn't our message be there? Once we're there, how do we evaluate our success? Sharing examples from several higher education institutions, this session will show how to integrate, and evaluate the success of new communication tools, including Technorati, Flickr, Del.icio.us, Feedburner, Alerts, and metrics. We'll discuss setting realistic goals, weighing the strengths and limits of each tool, identifying evaluation criteria, and evaluating success.
Paul Baker, Senior Communicator, Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison
