Now that's a trip report!.

http://blogoehlert.typepad.com/eclippings/
2003/11/techlearn_trip_.html

Mark Oehlert lets us know that Michael Parmentier's notes from the recent TechLearn 2003 are now online. Having tried to produce conference notes myself, I am awed at the thoroughness and real usefulness of these notes. One can actually get a sense of what each of the speakers was focused on, and even an overall sense of the conference. A great model to emulate in the future. - SWL

[EdTechPost]
2:18:36 PM    

Reports from BloggerCon in Boston.

Running commentary from Roland Tanglao.

Photos from Dan Bricklin

Favorite Bits from Betsy Devine: Education Panel, Journalism Panel

Looks like a good conference, in that a lot of movers and shakers showed up, along with a few regular folks. The next question is, what comes out of this? It looks like some of the panelists are asking that, too, amid the self-congratulatory backslapping. Is this the start of The Next Big Thing, is it Friends of Dave W, or is it just a Saturday morning meeting of hobbyists? My guess is that it's something between the first two. (This just in: there is another view.)

But next year's event will need to be structured differently and to break new ground if it is going to grow, and not backslide toward becoming another SuperSaturday. Apologies to those not from Dallas -- SuperSaturday was a huge geek meeting that went on in the InfoMart hear from the early 80's well into the 90's, mainly for hobbyists. It may still be going on, I'm a bit out of touch. Not that good things don't happen at such meetings, but they don't lead anywhere.

I am very hopeful for BloggerCon, though sometimes it might not sound like it because I criticized the $500 fee and the location (which guaranteed it would be attended mostly by locals and by the wealthy or those in a position to make a lot of money from the blogging movement). Fifteen years ago, I helped start a series of conferences for technical trainers that continues to this day. Millions of dollars have been made because of what a handful of people got started, and nobody had much confidence in us, either, at the time.

3:08:06 PM    

Universal calls for papers collector.

When you register, you create a profile and tell the system what topic areas you’re interested in following. In addition to the existing topical categories (I subscribe to “Library and Information Sciences,” “Knowledge Management,” “Communication,” “Digital Arts,” and “Internet and Online Services”), you can specify up to five keywords to look for in announcements (I have “weblogs,” “blogs,” “social software,” “gender,” and “women”).

Each time you log in, it shows you current announcements in the areas you’ve selected. You can delete them if you’re not interested, or add them to a planner, which is a calendar that shows you upcoming submission dates, notification dates, and conference dates.

[Seb's Open Research]
9:40:08 AM    

MS Live Meeting misses the mark.

If you adopt Live Meeting as your standard for synchronous conferencing or training, be aware of the potential issues.

Live Meeting shows that Microsoft has work to do. Microsoft Corp. on Monday introduced a Web conferencing service -- and although it features minor integration with the company's enterprise products, the service falls quite short of the company's plan to offer its collection of collaboration software as an integrated package. [InfoWorld: Top News]

12:57:24 PM    

Google Page Rank Put To The Test.
News on Google
How much does Google Page Rank really matter? Having a PR6 or a PR0 does it really matter? What do people do to warrant a PR0, and can a website recover from a PR0 to regain a PR6? And if a website is awarded a PR0 how does it affect referrals from Google? How do the results pages reflect changes in the Page Rank Rating of webpages in a PR0 website? These questions and more Microdoc News is ready to find out. The Microdoc News site is put to the test once more. Everyone seems to know the theory and there are advisors out there who can tell you about page rank, but how many have actually put page rank to the test and observed first-hand what effects page rank really has on a site? [Elwyn Jenkins: MicrodocHeadlines] [John Lawlor: John Lawlor - business-blog consulting]
10:38:03 PM    

Tips About Setting up Online Events.

ChannelSeven.com: The Elegant Online Event

WebTrends' Director of Marketing Brent Hieggelke has been a driving force at NetIQ for the development of online events. Since his hiring in spring 2000, the product division has launched and steadily grown its investment in Webcasts. This year, it will produce four or five of them -- compared to approximately nine live events per quarter. [...]

Michael Kushner, director of integrated media solutions for Reed Business Communications, has been at the helm of several sponsored events and knows that getting the look and sound right is a prerequisite for spurring attention.

"For our sponsors, it's all about lead generation. I don't want to go to them with egg on my face and say we had five streams," Kushner said. He has found that tending to production values is key to preventing that.

Web conferences and webcasts are a cost-effective way to handle prospects that are quite interested in your offering (and probably quite far in the sales cycle already,) but are not ready to travel. That said, this article reminds us that attention to proper production values and technical details matters a lot.

[MarketingFix] [John Lawlor: John Lawlor - business-blog consulting]
10:37:11 PM    

How to Turn Webinars Into Sales Leads.

MarketingSherpa: When Traditional Software Marketing Tactics Fail, Try Adding Workshops to Your Web Site

A detailed look at how a software vendor in the commercial mortgage industry uses educational material such as online workshops to detect new business.

[MarketingFix] [John Lawlor: John Lawlor - business-blog consulting]
10:36:33 PM    

7 Tips to Increase Your Site's Ability to Get Leads.

ClickZ: Challenge: Get More Leads by Next Friday

Here's what this article suggests you do to improve your site's ability to collect leads from its visitors:

Message Must be Relevant (Identify the benefits and value your products or services confer)

No Jargon

Don't "We" All Over Yourself (The first rule of online success is it's never about you)

Keep It Need-to-Know (Ask for as little information as possible)

Help Them See It (Evaluate text scannability)

Qualify Better (Let visitors know briefly who you are, what you do, and what you offer)

Test, Measure, and Optimize

[MarketingFix]

[John Lawlor: John Lawlor - business-blog consulting]
10:35:51 PM    

Connecting people.

Presentation by Doug Ransom on April 16, 2003. [via syndic8.com]

11:29:29 PM    

Webby Awards ceremony canceled. The poor economy and fears about traveling are blamed for the cancellation of the normally flamboyant ceremony. Instead, the winners will be announced on the Internet. [CNET News.com]
12:38:08 PM