Free State Social Conference – Lawrence KS

Lawrence, Kansas is very dear to me.  See, I grew up in Missouri surrounded by obnoxious Missouri Tigers fans… being an antagonist and also an observer of great history and talent, I decided to become a Jayhawk.  So, after a brief stint in the Army at the Defense Language Institute in both the Arabic and Russian Language schools, I eventually made it to KU.  I went to a couple junior colleges before finally going there.  Lawrence is one of the best towns in America.  I love this place.  The local newspaper, Lawrence Journal World social media all star team has put together a kick ass conference that is going on tomorrow, April 29, 2010.

Chris Brogan is opening up the shindig at 8:30am, which unfortunately I won’t be able to attend due to a previous engagement.  But, I will be able to see Sarah Evans and Jeremiah Owyang speak.

The one session that I am most curious to attend is:

Ellyn Angelotti – The New News Cycle

Media organizations used to be passive publishers of information that people simply read, listened to or watched. But people no longer wait for information to come to them during the morning newspaper or nightly news. They get news when they want and how they want it.  With the help of online tools like user commenting and online networks, media organizations have transitioned from being passive publications into interactive applications that people can engage with — before, during and after news is published. Much of this engagement is happening outside of the traditional news environment.  At the Free State Social, we’ll talk more about how the news cycle is changing. How these changes are in turn adapting journalistic roles. And the opportunities and challenges facing journalists in this interactive world.

Newspapers dropped over 29% revenue from 2008′s 37.56 billion to 27.51 Billion in 2009. Over 10 BILLION in revenue dropped in one year. Unreal.

Social media is taking over the world. The Mobile, Local and Social economies are driving commerce. The world is changing. I’m looking forward to it.

So if you are going to be in Lawrence or in the KC area, come check it out. April 29-30, 2010 The Oread 1200 Oread Avenue Lawrence, KS