InterPlay, An Interactive Conference 9/19-20

The St Louis Bloggers’ Guild is putting on InterPLAY, an interactive conference this weekend in the loop. Also this weekend in the loop is PLAY:stl, a music festival.  Wristbands for the blogger conference get you into everything.  I’m on the last panel at 5pm on Saturday.

Here is some info as sent out by the St Louis Bloggers’ Guild:

We had so many wonderful ideas to choose from it was difficult narrowing things down to a range that we both afford to put on and manage. We opened it up to the community and asked ideas as well as talked to St. Louis area bloggers and social media participants. The feedback was phenomenal. We’re excited about the panels offered and our knowledgeable speakers and moderators.
Panels have been broken up into three tracks: Lifestyle, Geek Chic, and Bid’ness. Hey – we figured “bid’ness” was way better than plain ol’ “business.” We’re nerds, for crying out loud, come on.

Remember: the conference is part of the PLAY:stl festival; the interactive portion runs specifically on September 19-20th.
Locations:
Screenz – 6691 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 314.862.0009
Blueberry Hill (Elvis Room) – 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 314.727.4444
COCA – 524 Trinity Ave., University City, MO 63130 314.725.6555

Panels Friday, 9.19.08
Bidness – The Small Business and Social Media – Friday 4pm @Screenz
How prominent is your business’s online profile? Is it necessary to build relationships with bloggers and others in social media? Learn just how important social media is to your business – along with how to save your advertising budget dollars, build a viral marketing campaign, increase word of mouth, and other “guerilla marketing” techniques. Featuring Marianne Richmond, David Gray, Matt Homann, and Madalyn Sklar; moderated by Melody Meiners.
Geek Chic – Promoting Your Website – Ways to Increase Your Traffic presentation – Friday 5pm @Screenz
Learn how to use basic legitimate Search Engine Optimization techniques to increase your search engine ranking for relevant search terms. Discover how to use directories and aggregators to broaden your audience without cutting into your traffic and explore reputable ways to attract attention from metablogs. Featuring Will Hanke, Ellen Gooch; moderated by Jaelithe Judy.

Lifestyle – Sprout’s Invasion of the Mommybloggers – Friday 5pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
Discuss the growing, powerful community of mothers who write about the joys and trials parenting on the internet and why they’re so attractive to corporate America. What defines a so-called “Mommyblogger” and how are mothers in a world increasingly lacking in in-person social connections benefiting from relationships with other parents online? Is there a way to parlay this social connection into “meatspace?” And how does privacy figure into it? Featuring Angela Reiner Downing, Kelly Wickham, and Lisa Bertrand; moderated by Dana Loesch.

Panels Saturday, 9.20.08
Geek Chic – CSS for Rest of Us – Saturday 11am @Screenz
Consult with web programming pros in this workshop and learn how to use cascading style sheets to create a unified, professional look for your site. Featuring John Judy, Craig Mayhem, moderated by Melody Meiners.

Lifestyle – Blogging and Social Media 101 – Saturday 11am @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
An introduction to the world of blogging and social media. What is social media? What is Web 2.0? Learn that and more from those who were there when it all began. Featuring Ben Vierck, Tanner Hobin, and Mike Flynn; moderated by Todd Jordan.

Bid’ness – Bloggers’ Rights: Protecting Your Intellectual Property – Saturday 12pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
A brief introduction to basic copyright and trademark law and the Creative Commons copyright system, plus discussion on ways to confront and combat sploggers (spam bloggers) who take your work without permission. Pick the brains of prominent regional intellectual property and internet attorneys. Featuring Erick Kayira, Danica Mathes of Kayira Law, LLP; and Kim Dorsey of Senniger Powers; moderated by Dana Loesch.

Geek Chic – Multi-media panel: Podcasting & Vlogging – Saturday 1pm @Screenz
Learn the basics of creating a successful internet radio or digital video show. Talk with successful podcasters and explore different hosting options, ways to market your new show, and techniques to attract and keep loyal listeners. Featuring Craig Mayhem, Mutha Mae; moderated by Bill Streeter of LoFi St. Louis.

Bid’ness – The Emerging Ethics of Social Media – Saturday 1pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
A roundtable discussion on the ethical questions surrounding the world of social media. Topics addressed may include: privacy of bloggers and those whom bloggers write about; truthfulness v. artistic license; email and comment etiquette; and more. Featuring Todd Jordan, Jaelithe Judy, moderated by Matt Homann.

Bid’ness – If You Build It, Will They Come? Branding Yourself Online – Saturday 2pm @Screenz
Learn how to create and maintain a unique, instantly recognizable brand identity for all of your online endeavors from successful bloggers who have done it themselves. Featuring Bill Streeter, Kristie Love, Dana Loesch, moderated by Marianne Richmond.

Lifestyle – Cyberbullying – Saturday 2pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
An apropos topic in our state of Missouri – which became the first to outlaw “cyberbullying” with a controversial new law. This panel will host an open discussion on online safety and privacy issues that all internet users face. Explore ways to protect yourself and your family while still participating in online communities. Featuring Elizabeth Helfant, Matt Homann, Kim Dorsey, Dana Loesch; moderated by Lisa Bertrand.

Geek Chic – Beyond Point and Shoot: Taking Better Photos – Saturday 3pm @Screenz
Learn techniques to take a better photo as well as ways to bring out the best in your photography from some of the most popular photo-bloggers in the area. Featuring Raquita, David Gray, moderated by Jonathan Pollack.

Bid’ness – Beyond Banner Ads: Monetizing Your Website – Saturday 9/20 @ 3pm
Meet with bloggers who have successfully transitioned from amateur blogging to the professional blogging world. Learn basic, reputable ways you can begin to earn some monetary compensation for all the work you put into blogging, and discover pitfalls to avoid when seeking ways to turn your hobby into a source of income. Featuring Alanna Kellogg, Lisa Bertrand, Dana Loesch; moderated by Kristie Steinlage.

Bid’ness – Thinking Outside the Jewel Box: Using Social Media to Promote Your Music – Saturday 4pm @Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room
A special panel celebrating the new relationship between PLAYBACK:stl and the St. Louis Bloggers’ Guild! Explore ways musicians can tap into the power of social networking and blogging to promote their work, connect with fellow musicians, producers, and promoters, and engage directly with fans. Featuring Chris Loesch of Shock City Music Works, Kurt Kerns of New Tune of the Week, Ken Williams of iChannel, moderated by Bill Streeter.

Lifestyle – Webroots: Political/ Activist Blogging – Saturday 5pm @Screenz
As blogs are becoming the new penny presses, so are they now also the hottest grassroots tool for campaigns and for other political issues. Discuss impact “Webroots” blogs have on a community, the successes and failures of this medium, and the reason that compels these mavericks to do what they do. Featuring John Combest, Arch City Chronicle’s Dave Drebes, Steve Patterson of Urban Review STL, and Momocrats’ Jaelithe Judy; moderated by Dana Loesch (also of KFTK 97.1 FM Talk’s “The Dana Show”).