*** Sessions with a three-asterisk notation require either prerequisite knowledge, pre-session preparation, specific equipment or computer software files/formats. read prerequisites carefully.

¥ Reservations are required for laptop labs. Reservations are made at the same time you register for conference. You must select the labs you wish to attend at that time. Seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Paul Gillian
 

Twitter for Journalists

Twitter is the world’s best source of immediate information about breaking news events, a great tool to drive bonus readership of your stuff and a way to find sources. The biggest challenge most Twitter users face is building a following of interested and engaged people. That’s where this session will help.

You’ll get practical, actionable and time-tested tips for creating a great Twitter experience for both you and your followers. You’ll learn how to find responsive and engaged followers who promote your work and answer your questions. We’ll show you how to:

• Find the right people to follow
• Offer the right incentives for people to follow you
• Focus your content strategy to keep your audience engaged
• Respond and retweet to build relationships
• The magic of hash tags
• How to construct the perfect tweet

Write in Pictures: Five Tips That All Good Writers Should Know

Winston Churchill said he needed 15 minutes to prepare a three-hour speech and two weeks to prepare a 15-minute speech. Writers can relate. Good writing is difficult, but in an information-saturated world, readers may spend only a few seconds looking at your story before deciding whether to move on. How are you going to grab their attention and turn them into loyal fans who follow your every word?

Here are ideas culled from years of experience writing, teaching writing and working with top-notch writing coaches. Paul draws on his experience as the author of four books and more than 200 articles over the last five years to share his five favorite tips for making even mundane topics fun to read. He shows examples of how to apply each principle. Rule #1: Write in Pictures. Come to this session to hear the other four.

Content Marketing on a Shoestring: How to Mine Value Out of Stuff You Probably Didn’t Know You Had

Content marketing is all the rage these days, and that’s got a lot of business communicators nervous. They don’t have the staff or budget to produce a lot of professionally written material. The technical geniuses in the organization think the blog is a waste of time and no one’s reading the content the communicators are managing to produce.

The fact is that most organizations produce far more content than they know. They just don’t think of creative ways to package and share it. If you can get into the habit of search-optimizing, promoting through all available channels, measuring results and doing more of what works, you can cut wasted time and get more mileage from the resources you’ve got. The key is to stop doing the same thing everyone else is doing and think differently about content. In this session you’ll learn:

• How to create a unique and attractive voice
• How to repackage content for bonus impact
  

  

• Mining good content out of the stuff people are now throwing away
• Curation’s cure for the budget blues
• How to test, measure and revise to continually improve quality and performance

. Len Edgerly, whose weekly Kindle Chronicles podcast has an international following among e-book readers, will see that you leave this session with your article in Amazon’s queue for Kindle publication and purchase within 24 hours. Prerequisites: Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Bring a 1,000 to 2,000-word article/blog post to format. Have an active account at Amazon.com, a fully charged laptop computer with WiFi capability and Microsoft Word or other word processing program that can export a .doc file. Although not required, you may want to attend Len’s June 5 preperatory webinar for POMA members. Registration opens May 15, 2012.

Kelly James Enger

Self-Publishing, A Myriad of Options (Print-on-Demand, e-Books and More)

You’ve got the content for a book, or maybe you’ve already got it written. What’s next? Self-publishing used to be the “lesser” option—the route that authors who couldn’t sell their book to a traditional publisher took. That has changed. Today, more authors are using print-on-demand, or POD, publishing companies and e-books to get their books in front of readers. So how do you decide which option is right for you and your project?

In this session you’ll learn about today’s publishing options, including:

• The advantages (and drawbacks) of using a POD publisher;
• Why most POD books fail—and how to make yours a success; 
• Why you should consider publishing e-books;
• The most common mistakes e-book authors make and how to avoid them;
• Why POD isn’t “true” self-publishing and how to decide whether the latter is right for you; and
• How POD and e-books can help you attract a traditional publisher.

Make a Bundle Ghost Writing

Regardless of how long you’ve been writing, you may not know about one of the most lucrative writing niches—ghostwriting. A variety of clients hire “ghosts” to pen books, articles, and blog posts, which means that demand for talented ghostwriters is continuing to grow. Yet not every writer can ghostwrite—it takes a certain skill set, attitude, and ability to capture another person’s voice.

In this session you’ll learn:

• What skills are necessary for successful ghostwriting
• How to get started and market yourself as a ghostwriter
• How to attract and “vet” potential clients
• Warning signs of problem clients—and how to avoid them
  

  

• How to negotiate fees and make more per-hour with project fees
  

   

• How to work efficiently and improve your hourly rates
• Tips on capturing each client’s voice, and
• How to make more money by providing clients with “extras”

Jason McDonald
 

SEO Basics: Get to the Top of Google Search, for Free!

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is all about getting your company, organization, product or even you to the top of Google search for free.  People use Google to find new companies, new products, new writers or consultants… Attend this fun, informative introductory session on SEO to learn the “secret rules” about who gets to the top of Google as well as the “to do’s” that will help get you to the top.

This session is for anyone who a) wants to get to the top of Google, and b) is involved in content, media, or marketing of any type.  If you are a writer seeking publicity, a marketer seeking to sell products or services, or a business owner seeking to generate buzz on Google, this session is for you.

*** Hands on SEO: a Practical Workshop in Implementing SEO (2 Parts) ¥ Reservations are required

Laptop Lab: Once you know the rules of SEO, how do you implement the “to do’s”?  The devil is in the details!  Bring your laptop and open up a blog post or product (or service) web page, and learn how to implement step-by-step, practical tactics to get your content to the top of a target Google search.

This “hands on” session will be a quick step-by-step review of “SEO Basics” and then focus mainly on implementation.  Anyone who wants to get to the top of Google (an author, a blogger, a videographer, a marketer, a businessperson), anyone who is involved in content, media, or marketing, and anyone who wants to fire up their laptop and get their fingers dirty creating Google-friendly SEO content should attend this workshop.  Learn by doing, as they say.

Part 1: During this 50-minute segment McDonald will dissect and critique a few POMA member blogs, promotional and product sites to show what works and what doesn’t in regard to SEO. Simultaneously, attendees will be reviewing their own websites/blogs and use McDonald’s suggestion to develop strong SEO ideas for their sites. Prerequisite: Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Select a blog post, promotional or product page from your website to bring up on your laptop and review during the session. Bring a notepad and pen.

Part 2: Those who want to apply what they learned during Part 1 and put it into action, will do so during Part 2. Prerequisite: Must attend Hands-on SEO Session Part 1. Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Know how to access the back-end of your website (to change content, html, page titles, etc.) Bring login information for your blog website.

Build an Internet Buzz, Become an Expert

In 1997, Tom Peters published a famous article called, “The Brand Called You.”  Today, the Web (Google, Facebook, Google+, Blogging) enables the “brand called you.”  Google+ in particular creates amazing, exciting opportunities for being THE guru of your niche.  Attend this session to learn PRACTICAL ways to leverage Google+, blogging, Twitter and even Facebook to build your personal brand on the Internet!

This session is personal.  It’s for writers, photographers, videographers and anyone who wants to build a personal brand and become the “goto” expert for a knowledge niche.  Companies and marketers who have expert CEO’s or spokespeople can also benefit from leveraging personal Internet branding.

Website & Blog Metrics: Inside Out

In today’s tough economy, everyone needs metrics!  How many people follow you on Twitter?  What’s your Klout score?  Who comes to your blog, and why?  What pages refer traffic to your website?  What’s your host rank on blekko? What is a landing page in Google Analytics, and why should you care?  This session will intensely focus on the Google Analytics platform as a way to measure how your website performs, as well as give key performance indicators you can use to measure how influential (and how saleable) your web content really is.

Anyone who needs to understand web metrics can benefit from this session.  If you are a business owner or marketer, who needs to know how people get to your website and what they do once they arrive, this session is for you.  If you are a blogger or content producer, and you want to measure your blog’s effectiveness, this session is for you.  Anyone who wants to understand how to measure performance on the Web, or anyone who sells their site as an advertising / marketing vehicle to others will benefit from this session.  Everyone needs metrics!

POMA Show & Tell: Members share great computer/electronic/technical tools and tips in a roundtable discussion.

Online Video, Simple as 1, 2, 3: Bob Robertson with Robertson Consulting will walk you through the basic equipment you need to shoot decent, even great video with, point and shoot cameras/video cameras and DSLR’s with video capability. He’s talk equipment, basic techniques for generating great content, file formats and more.

*** WordPress Build a Website/Blog: Laptop Lab. Sue Bookhout with Sue B Media will teach the basics of how to build a blog/website using WordPress.  Prerequisite: Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Set up a WordPress Account (free or hosted) prior to the session. Bring login information or the WordPress blog/website. ¥ Reservations are required

*** Twitter & Facebook Open Lab: Laptop Lab. Randy Bowden, will lead a group of POMA Twitter and Facebook users who can help you get the most out of your social media accounts. How to build and follow lists, how to schedule social media, look at analytics/insights and more. This is an open forum, not a static session, so bring your laptop and stay the hour or drop in when you can.  Prerequisite: Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Set up your Facebook and or Twitter accounts prior to conference, and spend a little time learning the basics.

Remaining Relevant in Changing Times: Jim Zumbo, John E. Phillips, J. Wayne Fears and other veteran members of the outdoor press corps will talk about how to remain relevant and stay in business when times are rapidly and radically changing.

Photography, Taking “Safe” Photos/Video: Think your images and video depict safe fishing, boating, shooting and hunting? You might be surprised. In this session, Tammy Sapp, Director of Communications with Kalkomey will take an interesting look at imagery that may not only show unsafe practices but show illegal practices, without the photographer even knowing.  

*** POMA Website, Bang for Your Buck: Laptop Lab. Do you know how to update your POMA profile, search, download and/or print member directories, post a news brief/release, share cool information with other members, start a member discussion, download a POMA logo, pay dues, find what you’re looking for? If not, join POMA staff to learn how to use POMA’s most powerful membership tool – the POMA member website.  Prerequisite: Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Bring your POMA website login information: username and password. ¥ Reservations are required

Effectively Working a Trade Show: One of the most common complaints organizations like the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) hear from exhibitors are trade shows like the SHOT Show, are about behavior of media members in attendance. Sure, everyone is at the show for one reason, to grow business, but there are tips and trick that are critical to effectively working a trade show, making a great impressions, presenting your business in a professional light, and getting all you can from days on and off the floor. A panel of media members and NSSF professionals, will offer a great blueprint for success to ensure you’re viewed as a professional in your field.

Speak Negatively in a Positive Way: Every content developer is faced with times when a product review, report on an issue or even account of a trip afield includes a less than glowing report, a statement by an important source that is questionable or a mistake in the field. Writer’s have two choices. Simply lay the crap out and let the chips fall where they may, which often means making enemies, or learn how to present negatives in a positive way. The latter is an art. In this session, Bill Miller of Bill Miller Outdoors will teach you how to become an artist.

Repurpose Content to Generate New Dollars: What are you doing with your old articles, B-roll video or images? In this session, a panel of POMA members talk about how they are repurposing/repackaging creative works and turning them into greenbacks.

*** RSS Feeds & Widgets: Laptop Lab. How do you pull news of interest from the Internet? How do you delivery news on your blog or website? Want to include a Twitter feed on your site? In this session the techies from OutdoorHub.com will talk about news feeds, widgets and how to make the most of news streams.  Prerequisite: Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. ¥ Reservations are required

*** Movie Maker, Easily Do Basic Video Editing: Windows-based Laptop Lab. This simple-to-use program comes with the Windows platform. Within minutes, users can edit video, drop in titles and sub-titles, add music, drop in still shots and more. Spend an hour with Bob Robertson turning a video clip, shot during conference into a video ready for uploading to YouTube.  Prerequisite: Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Bring a point and shoot video camera that produces a wmv, mpeg4, avi or mov file format to conference. Shoot a two-minute video during product showcase, POMA Camps or a session, and download the to your laptop before this session. During the session, you’ll edit your file. Equipment for session: Laptop with Movie Maker software installed (get it free), video file on the computer, head phones (if you want to use/hear sound). ¥ Reservations are required

*** YouTube, Optimizing Your Video Posts for Increased Traffic: Laptop Lab. Simply uploading videos to YouTube is fine for fun family use. But, it’s the wrong approach if you’re posting work-related videos that you want people to find and view. YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Internet. Sue Bookhout with Sue B Media will teach you how to format and post video to YouTube so your creative works are found and get views.  Prerequisite: Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Have a short video clip, on your laptop, formatted for use on YouTube (mpeg4, wmv, mov). ¥ Reservations are required

*** Photography, POMA on Assignment: When you pick up your badge at conference, also pick up your photo assignments. While at the Welcome Event, Product Showcase, POMA Camps and during sessions, shoot images related to the assignments. Turn in five of your images after POMA camps and get ready for some tough love. On Sat., a panel of POMA judges, lead by Tony Bynum, will critique a selected group of images (good and not-so-good) and select Best of Conference winners.  Prerequisite: Bring a digital camera with you to the conference. Learn how to access the WiFi system at the convention center prior to this session. Follow assignments for uploading images by the Fri. afternoon deadline. Use your own laptop or the computer in the hotel business center to upload images. POMA staff can not upload images for you.

POMA<25: Special welcome event for student attendees. A panel of POMA members talk about the conference and making the best of the opportunity and about the different types of communications jobs available in the outdoor industry.