Civic Journalism and Blogging—13 September-15 September 2006
Three days of discussion and workshops run by the Center for Legal Assistance to Mass Media (Karaganda, Kazakhstan) and TOL/neweurasia (Prague/London) Day 1. Wednesday, 13 September 2006 9.00-9.30 – Introductions of the participants of the roundtable Session 1. The basics of blogging 9.30-10.00 – Specific features of the blogosphere. May one regard blogs as mass media? 10.00-10.30 – History of blogosphere development, particularly in the US and EU 10.30-11.00 – Types of blogs. In what way do blogs differ from other forms of information presented on the Internet? 11.00-11.15 – Summing up the results of the session 11.15-11.30 – Coffee Break Session 2. Journalists and bloggers: competitors or partners? 11.30-12.00 – Blogs as news sources, both reliable and unreliable 12.00-12.30 – Ways “mainstream” media can integrate blogs/citizen media 12.30-12.40 – Examples of successful integration of blogs by traditional media 12.40-13.00 – Summing up the results of the session 13.00 – 14.00 – Lunch. Session 4. Blog promotion 14.00-14.30 – How to create and launch a blog 14.30-15.00 – The possibilities of indexing a blog on search engines 15.00-15.30 – How to make a blog famous? 15.30-15.45 – Summing up the results of the session 15.45-16.00 – Coffee Break Session 3. Challenges to blogging as effective civic journalism 16.00-16.30 – Blogging: hobby or profession? 16.30-17.00 – Political blogs: to what extent is a blogger safe and anonymous? 17.00-17.30 – How to avoid censorship? Technical possibilities and information protection 17.30-18.00 - Summing up the results of the session Day 2. Thursday, 14 September 2006 Session 5. Media legislation and blogger ethics 10.00-10.30 – Media legislation and attempts to restrict freedom on the Internet 10.30-11.00 – The blogger’s responsibility for posted information 11.00-11.30 – Coffee Break 11.30-12.00 – May a blogger defend civic rights? 12.00-12.30 – Bloggers and authorities: confrontation or a chance for dialogue?
12.30-13.00 – Summing up the results of the session 13.00-14.00 – Launch Session 6. Prospects for blogosphere development in Kazakhstan and Central Asia 14.00-14.30 – The technological specifics of local blogosphere development (v-logs, audiologs, mobile blogging). 14.30-15.00 – Blogs and the business sphere: from rejection to mutual respect 15.00-15.30 – Possibilities to develop corporative and professional blogs 15.30-16.00 – Coffee Break 16.00-17.00 – Summing up the results of the roundtable, preview of the workshop (for full workshop program, please see below) Day 3. Friday, 15 September 2006: TOL/neweurasia workshop 09.00 – 09.15 Introductory remarks by Jeremy Druker, executive director, Transitions Online and Ben Paarmann, editor of neweurasia. Presentation of TOL/neweurasia joint blogging initiative. 09.15 – 10.45 Technical workshops: How does blogging work? Choice between: TECHNICAL WORKSHOP 1 (BASIC): How to set up a blog on various hosts? How to write a post? What technologies are available for making blogging a more rewarding experience?
TECHNICAL WORKSHOP 2 (PRO): How to improve a blog’s layout and functions? Hands-on Wordpress Tutorial
10.45 – 11.15 Coffee Break 11.15 – 13.15 How to write and read well Choice between: STYLE WORKSHOP: What constitutes a good blog post? Blogging Ethics, Credibility, Sources. Making a blog popular: The essentials
BRIDGE BLOGGING/OUTREACH: How to monitor and evaluate a 'blogosphere'. Finding out about voices already online. How to encourage other people blog?
13.15 – 14.15 Lunch
14.15 – 16.15 The target readership: Making sure bloggers stay safe but are being heard SECURITY WORKSHOP: How to avoid getting censored? How to protect one's anonymity?
16.15 – 17.15 Concluding Remarks and Discussion