Jtm-mn

The Media Giraffe Project, The Journalism That Matters collaborative, the Minnesota Journalism Center and the Minnesota News Council, with support of the Blandin Foundation and the Park Foundation, present . . .

A PASSION FOR PLACE

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One of the first national gatherings for local, online citizen journalists and entrepreneurs, sometimes called "placebloggers." Designed for existing and prospective journalists and entrepreneurs. Including workshops on the legal, business, journalistic, marketing, advertising and social aspects of starting and running a local online news and commerce community.

Principal sponsor

Contributing sponsor

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Key objectives:

Share best practices for community, business and social success of rural and neighborhood web civic/news initiatives

Learn about available tools, networks, software and partnerships

Understand and build relationships with legacy media

Consider forming national business/professional/advertising collaborative

WHY NOW?

Part pamphleteers, part reporters and part entrepreneurs, America's new online citizen journalists are inventing a new business and a new passion -- the business of building local, literate, digital domains on the web where community and commerce flourish. But there been only infrequent efforts -- and little structure -- to share best practices.

We invite you to join the Journalism That Matters collaborative, the Minnesota Journalism Center at the University of Minnesota, the Media Giraffe Project at the University of Massachusetts, the Minnesota News Council, MinnPost.com, Twin Cities Daily Planet, Minnesota Public/American Public Radio, Placeblogger.com, the Citizen Media Law Project at the Berkman Center of Harvard Law School and the Center for Citizen Media at Arizona State University at this national "placebloggers" convention.

We're inviting some of the best examples of local online news operations run/owned by citizen/journalists for a sharing of best practices. This is less an event to show these folks to the outside world and more an internal, sleeves-rolled-up working session for them to learn practical things from each other -- almost continuing education. These citizen journalism and new media entrepreneurs from Minnesota and around the country will share successes and failures, and collaborate to take the next steps to ensure quality storytelling in service to democracy.

• We'll serve as an incubator / think-and-do tank for those who are considering starting their own civic engagement / citizen journalism projects in urban/rural Minnesota and nationally.
  
  
• We'll use MinnPost, Public Insight Journalism, TC Daily Planet, [LocallyGrownNorthfield.org, Minnesota E-Democracy.org local issues forums, and other innovative Minnesota online journalism and community experiments and services as case studies, and ask their operators to share their solutions for sustaining growth.

Who should attend

Active citizen journalists and placebloggers sharing best practices.

Potential local website operators looking for advice and launch support

News professionals seeking citizen collaborators

Technologists with "open source" or low-cost tools to share

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VENUE PHOTOS: The McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota

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What to expect

Intimate, roundtable discussions about best business, reporting, community, people and legal practices and ethics.

Latest ideas on how to promote local, participatory democracy online

Advice on the future of placeblogging and local online services

Briefings on the latest technology tools

A workshop on cyberlaw -- including libel and defamation

Discussion about forming a co-operative national service organization for independently owned local placeblogs

Strategies for advertising and listing sales and network

Combined registration saves $70

The early-bird registration fee of $139.00 for the event, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, June 4, all day Thurs., June 5 and the morning of Friday, June 6, includes dinners both evenings, continental breakfasts and lunch. Our event ends just before opening of the Fourth National Conference for Media Reform,(Fri.-Sun., June 6-8) at the Minnesota Convention Center. Through a special arrangement with Free Press, convenor of the NCMR, Journalism That Matters can offer combined registration in both events for $270 -- a savings of $70 off registering separately. To register once and attend both events, go to:

Discussion hosts

Among Discussion hosts* and co-convenors will be (alphabetical order):

VillageSoup.com

Placeblogger.com

Richard Anderson, founder, VillageSoup.com

David Ardia, director, Berkman Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard

Stephen Clift, of e-Democracy.org local issues forums

Bill Densmore, Media Giraffe Project at UMass Amherst

Dan Gillmor, Center for Citizen Media at Arizona State Univ. (tentative)

Jeremy Iggers, director, Twin Cities Media Alliance / TC Daily Planet

Kathleen Hansen, director, Minnesota Journalism Center

Peggy Holman, author, The Change Handbook

Michael Orren, founder, PegasusNews.com, Dallas-Ft. Worth

Joel Kramer, CEO and editor, MinnPost.com

Chris Peck, editor, Memphis Commercial Appeal

Jan Schaffer, J-Lab, Univ. of Maryland-College Park

Stephen Silha, Washington News Council / Media That Matters

Eesha Williams, author of Grassroots Journalism [1]

Lisa Williams, owner, H2oTown and Placeblogger.com

Leonard Witt/Griff Wigley, Kennesaw State University / Representative Journalism

• -- We prefer the term "conversation host" to "speaker." Bookmark the discussions page

for evolving information.

Agenda

The agenda will be a mix of practical workshops on specific best practices and open, circle-round discussions. There will be ample opportunity for networking, and for planning collaboration. A detailed schedule, with tentative breakouts, will be posted by May 9.

Tentative schedule

Wed., June 4

• Noon -- Registration opens, McNamara Alumni Center, Univ. of Minnesota
  
• 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. -- Optional workshop TBA
• 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. -- Opening plenary session
• 4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. -- Talk: "A Passion for Place," Concepts for the American Society of News and Community Forums (ASNCF).
• 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. -- Reception
• 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. -- Dinner and program TBA

Thurs., June 5

• 8 a.m.-9 a.m. -- Continental breakfast and networking
• 9 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. -- Morning check-in/agenda setting
• 10 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. -- First breakouts and roundtable discussions
• 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. -- Second breakouts and roundtable discussions
• 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. -- Luncheon / speaker TBA
• 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. -- Third breakouts and roundtable discussions.
• 3:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m. -- Break
• 3:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m. -- Closing circle
• 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. -- Facilicated planning/launch session for ASNCF
• 5:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. -- Break
• 5:45 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. -- Hor d'oeuvres reception
• 6:30 p.m. - ???? -- Meetup with NCMR principals; entertainment

Fri., June 6 (optional)

• 8:30 a.m. -- Bus departs to St. Paul studio
• 9:30 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m. -- "The Passion of Place," a two-hour discussion about the motivation, passions, fears and successes of local online news/community entrepreneurs, facilitated and videotaped for public distribution. (Up to 30 attending local placebloggers/entrepreneurs invited to participate).
• 11:00 a.m. -- Conference ends

LOGISTICS

Lodging

• A block of rooms will be set aside at a nearby hotel. If you register, you will be advised when this is set up. The rate should be around $109/night.
• The Minnesota Journalism Center can arrange dormitory lodging for budget-conscious participants at the rate of $68/room single; $46/room double. Details are available if you register.

Food

• Registration covers Wed. dinner; Thurs. continental breakfast, lunch and dinner / plus Friday continental breakfast.

Wireless access

• The McNamara Alumni Center provides wireless internet access throughout the building and meeting rooms. You will be provided a logon password upon arrival at no extra charge.

SUMMARY

• Event Name: New Pamphleteers/New Reporters: Convening entrepreneurs who combine journalism, democracy, place and blogs
• Short Name: JTM-Minnesota: New Pamphleteers/New Reporters
• Location: Minnesota Journalism Center / Univ. of Minnesota / McNamara Alumni Center
  

Address: 200 Oak St., S.E.
City, State, Zip: Minneapolis, MN, 55455

VIEW MAP . . . . . REGISTER NOW . . . COLLABORATION SITE (under construction)