The Online News Association’s (ONA) annual conference is a highly anticipated event for digital professionals everywhere. This year, ONA15 boasts more than 2000 attendees coming together to talk about the future of media and publishing, and we’re excited to be among them.
Over the years, I’ve found that one of the highlights of any conference is hearing from industry-leading experts. The unique insights and know-how they share has been invaluable, especially in successfully growing our startup. That’s why some of the keynotes I’m most looking forward to at ONA15 are:
Find the Metrics That Matter for Your Newsroom
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by data with the plethora of metrics available in the newsroom. At Viafoura, we work to provide actionable analytics to publishers, so they can measure their growth and returns. That’s why I’m eager to hear Anjanette Delgado (Gannet and lohud.com) and Rob Gates’ (The Courier-Journal and The Courier-Journal.com) insights on what metrics they think are key from a newsroom perspective.
A Three-Part Plan for Audience Engagement
Audience engagement is near and dear to our hearts at Viafoura — we firmly believe that audiences and communities are the foundation of digital publishing, and engagement the cornerstone. Greg Emerson (Newsday.com), Carla Zanoni (Wall Street Journal) and Alexandra Smith (Fort Collins Coloradoan) are going to be discussing engagement approaches to reach the widest audience, and we’re interested in understanding the challenges from a newsroom perspective.
Keynote: We Belong Here: Pushing Back Against Online Harassment
Online comments have been a hot topic almost since they were first implemented, because of their tendency to devolve into mudslinging. Several top publishers such as The Chicago-Sun Times and The Verge have turned off commenting already for that reason. We’ve also blogged our thoughts about the issue before (spoiler: we’re for them, but with moderation). I think the onus is on us as an industry to create a welcoming environment for all and I’m looking forward to hearing what Dr. Michelle Ferrier (Ohio University), Soraya Chemaly (The Speech Project, Women’s Media Center), Amanda Hess (Slate) and Laurie Penny (Newstatesman/Freelance) have to say regarding strategies for creating inclusive online communities.
One More Thing…
As we’ve mentioned, this will be our first year at ONA, and we’re pumped! We’ll also be up on stage sharing our insights on audience development in our talk, “Commenting, Article Sharing, Social Login…Do You Know the Value of Your Audience?” on Friday, September 25 as well as Saturday, September 26 from 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm in the California Ballroom. We’d love for you to join our discussion. If you’re interested in growing your audience and discovering the impact of engagement on your KPIs, you won’t want to miss it!
If you can’t make it to the talks, we’ll also be located at Booth 23 in the heart of Midway, debuting our new Audience Development Platform and holding one-on-one interactive sessions. Spots are limited, so book your session today!
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