Conferences

UPDATE (August 31, 2010 at 12:22PM ET): Eric Olsen from Lewis University is the winner of the SIM Tech conference pass. Congratulations, Eric!

Fall is always a busy conference season (very similar to summer, actually). Once we’re done with the mandatory “break” from mid-August to mid-September to welcome students, things get usually very busy in October and November.

This year is no exception with Higher Ed Web in Cincinnati, OH (Oct 10-13), Educause in Anaheim, CA (Oct 12-15), SIM Tech in Las Vegas, NV (Oct 20-22), eduUI in Charlottesville, VA (Nov 7-9), the AMA Symposium in San Diego, CA (Nov 7-10) and a few CASE conferences.

So, why am I talking about SIM Tech in this post?

As I explained in my email newsletter last Tuesday, this year’s SIM Tech conference is a must-attend for anybody who is serious about using web analytics in higher education.

Avinash Kaushik, the guy who actually wrote THE book (actually 2) on how to use web analytics and coined several of my favorite phrases about analytics (I love his definition of bounce rate: I came, I puke, I left) will be giving the keynote. As soon as you’ve learned a bit about Analytics, you understand that this great expert has made a tremendous contribution to this field. He is the real deal. Believe me.

I’ll have to follow in his footsteps – I’ll be speaking about a topic dear to my heart: the higher ed analytics revolution I’m trying to nurture (well, fuel might be a better term for a revolution) – and I cannot tell you how stressed and excited at the same time I feel. Imagine talking about a project to walk on Mars after a keynote on the topic by Neil Amstrong. Fortunately, Shelby Thayer from Penn State University – who has been working on the revolution as my lead expert and presented several webinars about the nitty gritty of Analytics for Higher Ed Experts – will offer some support and expert insights. The goal of my session is to give you the talking points, tools and resources necessary to get you started and rolling with Analytics in a higher education context.

Jessica Krywosa from Suffolk University and Rick Allen from Babson College will co-present a session on how to get from your “business” (or institutional if you prefer) goals to the success metrics you’ll need to track. They will talk about strategy and how analytics can give the answers to the questions that matter for your institution.

Joshua Dodson from Lincoln Memorial University will show and tell all the nitty gritty advanced options to use Google Analytics to its fullest and automate some of the work.

If you attend SIM Tech this October, you’ll leave Vegas with all you need to not only get started with analytics in higher education but to go really far.

And you know, what’s even better about this conference?

You’ll also get to hear about other big topics in higher ed web communications and marketing (content strategy, facebook, Foursquare and Cie, etc.) in just 3 days.

I hate to say that (because it’s organized by a vendor – and if you’ve been reading this blog for some time you know how I love to stay away from higher ed vendors especially on this blog – blame my previous-life journalistic background) but this is the kind of conferences I would have like to put together. The speakers are hand-picked for their expertise or their insights – and that’s exactly what I try to do when I design a webinar series for Higher Ed Experts. It’s probably not a coincidence that several of Higher Ed Experts current and past speakers will be at SIM Tech: Tim Nekritz, Dave Olsen, Michael Fienen, Karlyn Morrissette, Nick deNardis and Shelby Thayer.

Have a look at the speaker line up and the program, you be the judge.

If you decide to go, try to register before tomorrow (August 31st – it’s the end of the early bird).

And, if you can fly to Las Vegas and book your hotel, post a comment below to enter today’s conference pass give away. I got a single pass to offer to the readers of this blog (that is if you made it thus far, I guess ;-).
No need to tell me anything special to get a chance to win, just post a comment. I’ll do a simple drawing and post the winner name tomorrow at 12PM ET at the top of the post.

Disclaimer: You should know I’ve tagged the links to the conference website mainly to walk… my talk – hey, I’ll be speaking about analytics – and not because this post is a piece of hidden advertising (I’d also like to find out if what I tell you push you to act in any way). While I was asked if I could mention the conference in a blog post, I chose to do so because it looks like this conference – especially with this year’s focus on Analytics – deserves it. If it doesn’t, I’ll make sure to blog about it to let you know ;-)

I’ve just arrived at the DoubleTree Hotel in Chicago for eduWeb.

My last eduWeb was in 2008: I met great folks, gave the closing keynote and… it took me 2 days to make it back home from Atlantic City due to flight delays in Philly :-)

The conference starts this Monday (tomorrow) with a few workshops in the morning followed by the keynote, Brand ArchiTECHture: Building Your Brand on the Web & Managing to Make it Thrive, presented by Terry Flannery from American University.

My session is scheduled just after the keynote (well after a short break so they can prepare the rooms) at 3:30PM CT. It’s about web analytics and measurement strategy.

Measure Twice, Cut Once: 7-Step Plan to Your Measurement Strategy for Online Marketing
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, email marketing, web advertising, mobile web and more: so many marketing and communication channels, so little time and money. With tight budgets and an ever increasing portfolio of new electronic tools, measurement isn’t optional anymore, but goes far beyond the creation of a Google Analytics account. Find out how to create and implement a measurement strategy that will inform your decisions and focus your efforts on what works in higher education and for your institution.

This session will also mark the official kick off of the higher ed analytics revolution I’ve been talking about – so if you’re at the conference, come start something big with us! I’ll share more details along with the results of our previous survey and my slide deck with everybody else after the presentation on this blog.

I’m also at the conference to learn more about what YOU are doing through the presentations but also the conversations – so, please come say “hi” if you see me at the hotel or in the neighborhood.

If you want to pitch an idea for a future webinar at Higher Ed Experts, don’t be shy. Come tell me about it. I’m always looking to recruit new speakers.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to do any serious live blogging (yeah, we used to do that before Twitter – and I kind of like it) because my laptop battery has just died on me, but I’ll try to recap the best of the sessions I attend with the help of a fantastic hand held device: a notebook :-).

This week, I spent a couple of days at The Mirage in Las Vegas to attend the Educomm conference, the conference put together by University Business publisher.

Originally EduComm was targeted to AV, IT and academic computing teams. They still seem to compose the majority of the conference attendees (with a total close to 1,000 according to UB Editor, Tim Goral). However, the conference has been trying to attract the Web Marketing and Communication crowd for the past couple of years.

With 2 of the 5 tracks focused on social media and digital marketing, EduComm has made a real effort to provide a wide range of sessions. I presented on Tuesday morning just after the big panel about Technology and Higher Education including representatives from Google, Cisco and Microsoft.

What I enjoyed the most about this panel (and you know when it comes to vendors, I’m a tough customer ;-) is the fact that there was a real effort to include feedback and questions from the attending and virtual audience via email and twitter. University Business editorial team also used Twitter a lot to quote some of the most interesting bits of the sessions – a really great social media integration powered by these designated conference Tweeters.

Last great feature of the conference: they recorded most of the sessions and make the recordings available to attendees for a full year. This is a really great idea and a good deal since you can send one team member to the conference and have the rest of the team watch the most interesting sessions later on.

In Tuesday morning panel, I was also very pleased (well, quite surprised actually, but that’s just my legendary and sometimes silly bias against vendors) to hear how much the panelist from Microsoft Education, Cameron Evans, really gets it. He spared us some of the corporate buzz-wordy talk his co-panelists from Google and Cisco used in some of their answers. The keynote given by NYT columnist David Pogue at lunch that day was entertaining and full of useful information at the same time. I learned a few things and really enjoyed his presentation style.

I used my session about Online Analytics to launch a new phase in the Higher Ed Online Analytics Revolution I mentioned when I did the survey. The session titled, Measure Twice, Cut Once: a 7-Step Plan to Your Digital Marketing Measurement Strategy, was an opportunity for me to test the waters with the audience and announce a very precise goal, a clear call to action and introduce the new website that will work as a basecamp for this revolution. If any of you are scheduled to present about online analytics, please let me know so I can add your presentation dates and slides when they become available to the website.

Revolution Bar at the Mirage Hotel by indichick7

We’re still fine tuning a few things, so I’ll tell you all more about it next month. I also plan to share the executive summary with the survey results at that time. I’m scheduled to present about the same topic at EduWeb in Chicago, and I don’t want to spoil anything for folks who plan to attend.

Next year EduComm will take place in Orlando, FL on June 13-15, 2011.

My latest UB column is now available in the June issue as well as online: “Embracing Web Analytics: Why and how to get a web analytics revolution started at your institution”

In this column, I’m trying to make the case for the Higher Ed Online Analytics Revolution I mentioned last month on this blog.

Among other things I share a few examples of how some institutions used insights provided by Web Analytics to improve their websites or their online videos.

If you’re trying to convince your boss or your team that using Web Analytics should be at the top of your priority list (and you are probably since 76% of the 399 higher ed folks who filled out my survey said they spend less than 2 hours per week on Analytics), this University Business column should help.

Embracing Web Analytics

If you’re going to the EduComm conference in Las Vegas next week, feel free to stop by my presentation on Tuesday morning. I’m scheduled to present on the topic – not about hardcore analytics – but about the strategy to get this Online Analytics Revolution started at your institution as well as in higher ed.

Co-conspirators or passionate revolutionaries are welcome to join online (just watch for my upcoming call) or in Las Vegas!

It’s “submit-your-proposal” season in higher ed with a few call for proposals recently launched or closing soon.

If you’ve never presented at a conference, why not try this year?

It would be nice to see new faces (nothing wrong with the regulars, of course) and hear new perspectives.

I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 speaking venues you should consider along with a few details (deadline, direct link to call for proposal online forms, etc.)

1. eduWeb Conference – Chicago, IL (July 26-28, 2010)
   Deadline: March 19, 2010
   You can submit a proposal for 4 different tracks via an online form.
2. Canadian Post-Secondary Web Conference – Brock University, ON (May 26-28, 2010)
   Deadline: I can’t find a deadline on the website, but don’t delay too much: it’s in May.
   You can submit a proposal for a presentation or a workshop via an online form.
3. High Ed Web Conference – Cincinnati, OH (October 10-13, 2010)
   Deadline: I can’t find a deadline on the website – maybe it’s a new trend ;-) April 1st, 2010 (no kidding – thanks to Colleen who let us know by posting a comment)
   You can submit a proposal for a presentation, a workshop or a poster session via an online form.
4. 2010 Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education – San Diego , CA (Nov 7-10, 2010)
   Deadline: April 9, 2010
   You can submit a written or a video proposal for a presentation/paper via an online form.
5. Higher Ed Experts Webinars – online all year long.
   Deadline: on-going
   Got an idea for a webinar or a webinar series? Just send me a short note via email at karine@higheredexperts.com so we can connect and talk about it.

Have I forgotten another good option? Let us know by posting a comment!

You might not know it, but I maintain a Google calendar of higher ed events and conferences where I keep track of anything interesting for web and marketing teams.

It’s a useful tool, but here’s a selection of the most interesting ones (as well as a recap of upcoming HEE webinars ;-) including highlights deadlines for registration, call for proposals and other interesting information like registration fees.

• Web Redesign Bootcamp -3-Webinar Series – February 16-18, 2010
  What you need to know before jumping into a redesign project
  This webinar series will feature 3 great higher ed web redesign experts: Stewart Foss (eduStyle), Ben Riseling (Duke University) and Chas Grundy (The University of Notre Dame).
  HEE Members: $350 per connection (HEE membership is open and free to people working in institutions)
  Register online by February 8, 2010 at www.higheredexperts.com/redesignbootcamp.
• 2010 CUPRAP Annual Spring Professional Development Conference – March 10-12, 2010
  Mainly targeted to the higher ed PR and communications professionals of Pennsylvania, this conference takes place at the Hershey Hotel in Hershey, PA.
  Member: $250; Nonmember: $315; Student $65
• Analytics 360 3-Webinar Series – March 10-11, 2010
  How to track and measure (and show to your boss) the ROI of your marketing initiatives
  This webinar series will feature 2 great higher ed analytics experts: Shelby Thayer and Joshua Ellis, both from Penn State.
  HEE Members: $350 per connection (HEE membership is open and free to people working in institutions)
  Register online by March 1st at www.higheredexperts.com/analytics360.
• CASE Conference for Media Relations Professionals – March 18-19, 2010 in Washington, DC
  Members $580, Nonmember: $825
  Register online
• CASE Editors Forum – March 24-26, 2010 in Boston, MA
  Members $760, Nonmember: $1060
  Register online
• Open Source CMS Fair 3-Webinar Series – April 13-15, 2010
  Why Drupal, WordPress/MU or DotCMS could be your next Web CMS
  This webinar series will feature 3 great higher ed professionals: Shelley Keith (SAU), Michael Fienen (Pittsburg University) and Blyth Morrell (Duke University).
  HEE Members: $350 per connection (HEE membership is open and free to people working in institutions)
  Register online by April 5 at www.higheredexperts.com/cmsfair.
• CASE Social Media & Community Conference – April 14-16, 2010 in Chicago, IL
  Members $690, Nonmember: $975
  Register online
• EduComm 2010 – June 7-9, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV
  Organized by the magazine University Business, this conference has 5 different tracks including Social Media/Web Innovation and Marketing Your Institution with Digital Media. This year, I’m a presenter with a session titled “Measure Twice, Cut Once: 7-Step Plan to Your Measurement Strategy for Digital Marketing.” Brad Ward and Mike Richwalsky will also present at this conference.
  Early Bird: $495 for Members, $695 for others Advance: $545 for Members, $745 for others
  Register online by April 23 for the early bird pricing.
• EduWeb 2010 – July 26-28, 2010 in Chicago, IL
  This year, the opening keynote will be given by Terry Flannery, Executive Director for University Communications and Marketing at American University.
  You can submit your proposal before March 19.
  Early Bird: $595, Regular: $695
  Register online by June 21st to get the early bird pricing.
• HighEdWeb Conference – October 10-13, 2010, in Cincinnati, OH
  The call for proposal isn’t open yet and no information about conference fee and registration is available now is open.
  Early Bird: $525, Regular: $650
  Registration will open online on March 15, 2010

Have I missed any good conferences?
Please let us know by posting a comment.

I love conferences.

Unfortunately, I can’t go to all of them – especially when they take place in Europe. So do most of you, I bet.

That’s why I really enjoyed watching earlier this morning the live stream of the keynote given by Professor Derek Law (University of Strathclyde) at the IWMW 2009 conference held until July 30 at the University of Essex in the UK: Headlights on Dark Roads

IWMW is THE web conference in the UK.

The organizers have done a great job at integrating social media and video streaming to offer a great experience to remote attendees. All the plenary talks are offered live from the website of the University of Essex. You can even ask a question – as I did this morning – by tweeting it to @briankelly

Twitter / karinejoly: Question: Clay Shirky states that we are not faced with information overload but with filter failure. How can we fix the filters? #iwmw2009

Starting tomorrow (July 29) at 9AM ET, Higher Ed Experts will also offer the FREE webinar versions of 2 sessions presented at this conference that were pre-recorded a couple of weeks ago:

Just check out www.higheredexperts.com/iwmw2009 to find out how to access these recordings.

IWMW 2009 Webinar Series: Higher Ed Experts

As you probably know if you’ve been reading this blog for a bit, I maintain a Google calendar of higher ed events and conferences where I keep track of anything interesting for web and marketing teams.

It’s a useful tool, but sometimes a good old post does the trick as well – especially when it highlights deadlines for registration, call for proposals and other interesting information like registration fees.

• 2009 CUPRAP Annual Spring Professional Development Conference – March 11-13, 2009
  Mainly targeted to the higher ed PR and communications professionals of Pennsylvania, this conference takes place in the Hershey (yes, like the chocolates) Hotel in Hershey, PA. I’ve been invited to present the first part of a workshop about online communities on March 11. Mike Richwalsky from Allegheny College will present the second part of this workshop.
  Member: $250; Nonmember: $315; Student $65
• CASE Annual Conference for Media Relations Professionals – March 19-20, 2009 in Atlanta, GA
  Members $565, Nonmember: $800
  Register online
• Analytics 360 3-Webinar Series – March 24-26, 2009
  How to track and measure (and show to your boss) the ROI of your online initiatives
  This webinar series will feature 3 great higher ed analytics experts: Shelby Thayer, Joshua Ellis (both from Penn State) and Karlyn Morissette (Dartmouth College)
  HEE Members: $300 per connection (HEE membership is open and free to people working in institutions)
  Register online by March 16 at www.higheredexperts.com/analytics360.
• CASE Communications, Marketing and Technology Conference – April 15-16, 2009 in Boston, MA
  Members $670, Nonmember: $935
  Register online



• Web Redesign Bootcamp (On A Dime Edition) 3-Webinar Series – April 21-23, 2009
  What you need to know before jumping into a redesign project
  This webinar series will feature 3 great higher ed web redesign experts: Stewart Foss (eduStyle), Tonya Price (WPI) and Nick DeNardis (WSU and EDU Checkup).
  HEE Members: $300 per connection (HEE membership is open and free to people working in institutions)
  Register online by April 9 at

www.higheredexperts.com/webredesign.

• Writing Right for the Web 2-Webinar Series – May 5-6, 2009
  How to get better at Web writing
  This webinar series will feature 2 great higher ed web writers and teachers: Mary Beth Kurilko (Philadelphia University and former Temple University) and Tim Nekritz (SUNY Oswego).
  HEE Members: $240 per connection (HEE membership is open and free to people working in institutions)
  Register online by April 27 at www.higheredexperts.com/writingright.
• EduComm 2009 – June 16-18, 2009 in Orlando, FL
  Organized by the magazine University Business, this conference will also cover cloud computing, sustainability, social networking, best business practices, etc.
  Early Bird: $495 Advanced: $545 On-Site: $595
  Register online by April 24 for the early bird pricing. I have a discount code of 10% off the registration fee for you if you plan to go, email karine@collegewebeditor.com to get it.
• Stop the Presses 3-Webinar Series – July 7-9, 2009
  This webinar series will feature 3 online magazine editors who went digital or even paperless with their publications: John Lofy (University of Michigan), Bonny Griffith (Ithaca College) and Karl Bates (Duke University).
  HEE Members: $300 per connection (HEE membership is open and free to people working in institutions)
  Register online by June 29 at www.higheredexperts.com/stopthepresses.



• EduWeb 2009 – July 20-22, 2009 in Chicago, IL
  This year, the opening keynote is Dimitri Glazkov from Google. Dimitri used to work for a higher ed CMS vendor and is an excellent speaker. He will talk about the next big thing. There’s also a new track this year “Get it Done” managed by Karlyn Morissette and Matt Herzberger. You can still submit your proposal before March 20.
  Early Bird: $550, Regular: $650
  Register online by June 8 to get the early bird pricing.
• HighEdWeb Conference – October 4-7, 2009, in Milwaukee, WI
  The call for proposal isn’t open yet is open as of March 6, 2009.
  Anticipated Early Bird: $500
  You’ll be able to register online starting May 1st, 2009
• AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education – November 15-18, 2009 in Boston, MA
  The call for paper is open until April 3, 2009. If your proposal get accepted, you’ll get one free registration.

Have I missed any good conferences?
Please let us know by posting a comment.

This is the second installment of my new series dedicated to vendor deals and other bargains to help you survive and thrive with tighter budgets.

After the first installment about a very interesting offer to send up to 10,000 email per month for free for institutions with non-profit status, this time we’re talking about a discount on a conference fee for the next Xpert Summit taking place in Las Vegas next month.

Organized by Brian Niles’ Target X for their clients – mainly folks working in admissions offices or in charge of marketing/communications to prospective students, this conference is open to others, but for a $200 fee.

Brian and his team are regulars on the conference circuit and are always providing great value (without too much pitching in their presentations). So, when Adrienne Bartlett, Client Concierge at TargetX, emailed me with this offer, she got my attention.

What’s the deal?

If you’re looking to get some practical tips on email, social media or college visits, to network with some of your peers and can find a good deal on hotel & travel, you can attend this year’s Xpert Summit for free even if you’re not a client. That’s a $200 saving.

What does the fine print say?

Be prepared to listen to some sessions including some product information – hey, it’s a user conference after all.

Want to have a look at the schedule and the different sessions?
Just download this PDF file.

How do you get started?

If you’re interested and want to sign up without paying the $200 conference fee for non-clients, just email Adrienne and to get the fee waived let her know you’re a collegewebeditor.com reader.

Here are the slides and links for this workshop I gave on November 16, 2008 at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

Workshop Slides

Workshop Links

All the links
Blogs examples
Interesting articles

UPDATE: after my workshop, I was invited by Tom Williams from Innogage to answer a few questions live on Ustream. Tom decided to cover the conference by broadcasting some live videos with speakers over his Ustream channel every day – There were a few people asking questions via chat and the session was recorded. I’m addressing a few points about blogging and you can also see what a 4-hour long workshop can do a speaker ;-)

Live TV : Ustream