We’re Everywhere! We’re Everywhere! Connecting to the PRSA and PRSSA Conferences Online

We are living in interesting times. Through social media tools, we share in experiences in ways we would never had access to a decade ago. Certainly, we had the Internet then, and with it instant messaging (ICQ, anyone?) and online forums (Kids? Go ask your parents about Usenet. Better yet, look up your parents using it’s successor, Google Groups. You won’t regret it). But more likely than not, even if your words were out there (and it was primarily words, not images, and certainly not video) only a small group of people were connecting to you, and even then it was only during the times you were online.What happened in the meantime is that we have opened our lives up so that if we chose to, our work histories are available on LinkedIn, our analyses of the last Presidential debate are posted to Twitter and our vacation photos are seen by anyone who can put together a search in Flickr. Tools to connect through the Web have become ubiquitous and fast, and for those of us texting on our Sidekicks while we clean the house it’s a bit like the brain-computer interface of science fiction made real: we are not “jacked in” per-se, but we are never “off line” either.It’s a bit scary yes, but at the same time quite amazing. For instance, having a backchannel open during presentations provides opportunities for learning and collaboration, as well as forcing speakers to be more transparent. But then that’s what happens when you can fact-check a statement through your web browser and then text your colleagues about your findings without once raising your voice.

Curious about connecting with the 2008 PRSA and PRSSA International Conferences online? Look through the list that follows for starting points, and remember — even if you don’t feel comfortable participating in the conversation, the value of listening cannot be understated.

Blogs and Websites

• ComPRehension will be the home base for blogging the 2008 PRSA International Conference. Check here for new blog posts from speakers and thought leaders throughout the conference. You can subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed here
• The PRSA Tactics and Strategist Online will have Conference highlights and news coverage. You can subscribe here

Facebook

• Follow the PRSA conference through the PRSA 2008 International Conference event, PRSA fan page or the PRSA group.
• Follow the PRSSA conference through the PRSSA 2008 National Conference: Detroit group.

Twitter

• To participate: Tag your tweets with hashtag #prsa08 so that they show up when searched. No hashtag has been launched for PRSSA

Following PRSA:

• Follow @PRSA2008Conf.
• Search for PRSA08, PRSA+detroit or PRSA+conference
• Watch all three PRSA conversations via Tweetgrid
• Download the PRSA 2008 International Conference Twitter widget on the comPRehension blog.

Following PRSSA

• Follow PRSSADetroit08
• Search PRSA+detroit or PRSSA+conference

Flickr

• To participate: Tag your photos “PRSA08” or join the PRSA 2008 International Conference Flickr Group. No group has been launched for PRSSA.

Following PRSA:

• Subscribe to the PRSA 2008 International Conference Flickr Group RSS feed
• Search for PRSA08 or PRSA (taken after 10/23/2008)

Following PRSSA

• Search for PRSSA (taken after 10/23/2008)

Audio & Video

• To participate: No tag has been agreed upon to identify video from the PRSA or PRSSA Conferences. However, videos can be posted at YouTube, Flickr, Google Video, as well as PROpenMic

Following PRSA:

• Audio and video content will be available through PRSA’s site – the PRSA 2008  International Conference website will show you where
• Video from the PRSA 2008 International Conference will appear on PRSA’s YouTube Channel, PRSocietyofAmerica
• Don’t forget to register to see the Opening General Session Keynote with Craig Newmark
• WebmasterRadio will be hosting podcasts from the PRSA International Conference. Subscribe to the Conference feed here.

FriendFeed

• To participate: To my knowledge there have been no Friendfeed Rooms set up for the PRSA or the PRSSA conferences. If someone launches one, please let me know!
• Following PRSA and PRSSA: You can follow many of the above RSS feeds through the PRSA Professional Resource Center FriendFeed.

Help this list grow!
While rss feeds and search tools make the online world more navigable, they by no means can provide you with links to every way you can connect to the PRSA and PRSSA conferences. That’s why we need your help and support to make this resource complete.

Please:

• Let me know if a hashtag or tag for the PRSSA 2008 International Conference is agreed upon to identify content on Twitter, Flickr, YouTube.
• Respond if there’s a PRSA or PRSSA conference oriented groups existing on Facebook, Flickr, Ning, Tumblr, etc.
• Respond/post a comment to this post including a link to your blog if you’ve posted about the PRSA or PRSSA Conferences and want to share your thoughts

Have a great conference everyone!

By Randi Mason, MLS, research librarian, Public Relations Society of America.