First Institute Symposium Oct. 17

In the Fog about Blogs
A day-long workshop on Weblogs, an emerging communication tool.

Join B.L. OCHMAN, http://whatsnextonline.com/blogbook/, nationally recognized Internet and Outernet marketing strategist, publicist, author, and A-List Blogger, joined by local panelists for a day of informative presentations and discussions.

>> What do you know about BLOGS?
>> Should your company or organization be BLOGGING?
>> What should you BLOG about?

Get the straight talk about BLOGS and how they should be a part of your PR and Marketing strategies.

Featuring St. Louis Mayor Frances Slay
Mayor Slay will discuss using blogs for community relations and public affairs. His blog keeps St. Louis residents up to date on developments at City Hall and within the city.
www.mayorslay.com/desk

Additional information:
http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/news-politicalfix/2005/10/slay-offers-blogging-tips/

Monday, October 17, 2005
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Webster University
Emerson Library
101 Edgar Road
(Parking in the Garden Park Plaza)
$125 per person
Includes lunch

Registration deadline Monday, Oct. 10. For information click the link below:
http://http://www.webster.edu/depts/comm/fogblogs.html

Click on this link for a registration form:
http://www.webster.edu/depts/comm/fogblogs.pdf

For more information call Nancy Higgins at 314-968-6959 or e-mail at higgins@webster.edu

Blog Symposium Agenda
8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast/Networking
Emerson Library Conference Room

9:00 a.m. Welcome/Introduction of PR Institute
Introduction of Speaker
Dean Debra Carpenter

9:15 a.m. Session One: B. L. Ochman

Blog 101: How to tell a blog from a bagel
What is a weblog?
What are the advantages and pitfalls of blogging?
How did weblogs get started?
Why do 60 percent of blogs fail?
What’s the difference between a blog and other online discussions such as listservs and discussion forums?
What do blogs have to do with the PR and marketing efforts of an organization?
Why search engines love blogs and how blogs can hurt or help search engine rankings?
What about fake blogs?
What kinds of technical skills to you need to blog?
How do you find blogs?
What are some of the most the resources for bloggers?
What aresome examples of companies that missed blog opportunities?
What is RSS and how can it help you?
What is RSS better than e-mail?
What is podcasting and what do you need to know about it.

10:30 a.m Break

10:45 a.m. Session Two: B. L. Ochman

The Business of Blogging: What Businesses are Doing with Blogs
Who is blogging?
What are they blogging about?
How do you measure a blog's popularity?
What kind of companies would benefit from a blog, and which would not?
Who should write the blog?
Should company blogs provide links to competitors, customers, regulators, analysts, and trade pubs?
What kind of content would attract readers and what would not?
What products and services would attract readers to corporate blogs, and what kinds would not? How do you build an audience for a blog?
How do you create a blog that looks like a blog and not like a typical corporate website?
Should corporate blogs be part of corporate websites or on their own websites?
Should company blogs provide links to other blogs of customers, suppliers, and competitors?
Should corporate blogs allow comments, and do they have to be moderated?

12:15 p.m. Lunch - University Center Commons and Sunnen Lounge

2:00 p.m. Session Three: B. L. Ochman

Responding to Blogs
How do you monitor blogs and why?
What are the consequences of not doing it?
Case studies: Fed Ex, Dell, Kryptonite Locks
What are blog swarms and how do you respond to them?
How can you pitch bloggers?
What are Flickr, Delicious and other terms I need to know?

3:00 p.m. Break

3:15 p.m. Session Four: B. L. Ochman

The Future
Are blogs a good buy for advertisers?
Is there a way to monetize a blog?
Wikis and beyond

4:30 p.m. Wrap Up/Closing

Webster PR Institute
an advanced, professional development program
for communications, marketing and public relations professionals