BlissDom Canada 2011
Agenda

Friday, October 14

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Breakfast

9:00 am – 10:00 am

Opening Remarks

Catherine Connors

10:00 am – 11:30 am

Tribe Roundtables

11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Lunch and Expo

1:00 pm – 2:15 PM

Art Session 1

The Art And Science Of Finding Inspiration – And Using It

Do you feel like you don’t have anything to say anymore? Has writing (or photography or video production) turned in to an obligation instead of a passion? This can – and probably has – happened to all of us. Don’t ditch your blog quite yet: These panelists will show you ways to get your mojo back – as well as ways to figure out whether it’s time to change focus, or even move on.

Tanis Miller, Elan Morgan, Bon Stewart

Commerce Session 1

The Business Of Doing Business With Business: Working With Brands And PR

Public Relations and Marketing were foreign territory for many of us before we got in to the Social Media world. Now, it seems that there are opportunities to work with brands and PR everywhere. This panel will discuss how to figure whether or not you are interested in working with PR, what kinds of opportunities are out there, how to find them, what you can expect and what will be expected of you.

Kathy Buckworth, Alison Burke, Rebecca Brown, Martin Waxman, Barbara Jones (Moderator)

2:15 pm – 2:45 pm

Break

2:45 pm – 4:00 pm

Art Session 2

The Revolution WILL Be Tweeted: Using Social Media For Social Good.

You work hard to build your brand – you’re funny, or controversial, or articulate, or any other quality that draws people to listen to you. But once they’re listening, how do you turn that social media clout towards a good cause? Towards promoting political discussion? Toward starting a engaging, civil conversation about the things that matter to your community? These panelists have done it, and they’ve done life-changing things – but not without encountering challenges along the way. Find out what they’ve accomplished, what barriers they’ve encountered, and what motivates them to keep going.

Annie Urban, Shannon McKarney, Kady O’Malley, Aimee Wimbush-Bourque

Commerce Session 2

She Works Hard For The Money (And So Do You): Why And How You Should Be Making Money From Your Blog.

If you’ve got a great offering, it’s not hard to make a little money on the side with your blog. But then there are rockstars who’ve managed to turn their enterprise in to a full time money-making gig. Talk to panelists who’ve jumped in with both feet and find out how they did it – from posting their first banner ads to becoming juggernauts – and what they’ve learned along the way about starting their own business and about themselves.

Janice Croze, Andrea Tomkins, Susie Parker, Katie York

4:00 pm – 4:45 pm

Break

4:45 pm – 6:15 pm

General Session

Canadian-Ish: Being Canadian in A Borderless Digital World.

Canadians have always been influenced heavily by ideas, trends, and brands from outside of Canada: with the rise of digital media, and with what some would argue is the erosion of cultural borders that has corresponded to the rise of digital media, do we struggle even more to retain our Canadian cultural identity? Should we struggle? Or should we pocket our maple leaves and embrace the borderless media world? Join this inspiring discussion about identity, nationalism, and the Internet, eh?

Kyran Pittman, Allana Harkin, Catherine Connors (Moderator)

Saturday, October 15

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Breakfast

9:00 am – 10:15 am

Art Session 3

Take your Craft To The Next Level

There’s a fine line between writing something good and writing something fantastic. Between a mediocre photo or a great one. Between an okay video and one that blows you away. Whatever your content is, make it better by listening to our panel of creative geniuses as they tell you how to bring new techniques, creativity and professionalism to  your work.

Karen Green, Angella Dykstra, Aidan Morgan

Commerce Session 3

A Little Sprinkle Of Viral Dust: Making Your Message Blaze Across The Medium.

Did you look at the last internet sensation and wonder, how on earth did that catch on?  At the same time, other interesting or worthwhile things seem to get completely overlooked.  It’s Viral Dust, baby, and it’s anything but just plain luck: it’s about influence, networks, and simplicity.  Listen to panelists who’ve figured out how to use this virus to their advantage.

Eric Alper, Alison Kramer.

10:15 am – 10:45 am

Break

10:45 am – 12:00 pm

Art Session 4

What’s In A Brand? The Art Of Defining Yourself And Your Creative Work.

At BlissDom Canada 2010, we closed the conference with a rousing discussion of what it meant to define your personal brand. This year, listen to some of Canada’s best brand name personalities talk about the art behind their own personal and professional brands.

Kimberley Seldon, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, Dee Brun, Julie Cole (Moderator)

Commerce Session 4

Community As Strategy: The Business Of Group Blogs And Networks.

They always said there was strength in numbers. When you gather a whole lot of internet awesome in one place, the results are inspiring – but what you don’t often hear about is how much hard work goes into making these big, collaborative efforts a success. Talk to these bloggers who decided to create something bigger than a personal blog and venture into the tricky world of group blogs and networks.

Erika Ehm, Sarah Morgenstern, Minnow Hamilton, Jen Maier, Maureen Dennis.

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Lunch and Expo

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm

Art Session 5

To Publish Or Not To Publish: Taking Your Writing Beyond The Blog (Or Not)

Where are you going with your craft? Is your long-term plan to get your words between the covers of a book, or on the pages of a magazine, or in a newspaper column? Does success as writer mean getting into traditional print, or have times changed such that the printed page – or the e-reader page – matters less to that success? How has digital media changed the publishing landscape, anyway? These panelists have looked at writing and publishing from all sides, and will share their insights into the why’s, how’s and wherefore’s of traditional and new media publishing, and what it means for your career.

Ann Douglas, Jen Reynolds, Theresa Albert, Nadine Silverthorne

Commerce Session 5

The Internet Is For More Than Just Blogging: Tech, Transmedia And Other Interesting Corners Of The New Media World.

For many, writing has been the first – and usually only – venture into the digital world. But the Internet, and the digital world more broadly, is for more than just blogging: there’s a whole wide world of virtual (and not-so-virtual) platforms and spaces and opportunities that make pretty much anything possible. Video? Mobile? Multi-platform development? If you can dream it, you can do it in our brave new digital world, and these panelists will tell you how.

Tara Hunt, Robin Ahn, Laura Berg.

2:45 pm – 3:30 pm

Break

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

General Session

New Media Vs Old Media Vs Next Media: What’s On The Canadian Cultural Horizon

For generations, Canadian media has meant two things: television and radio. With the rise of the Internet, there’s a whole new platform for news and entertainment and whole new kind of Canadian media ‘personality.’ How does the new Canadian order of media fit with the old, and what’s their future together?

Amber MacArthur (Other Speakers TBC)

5:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Closing Remarks