Many thanks to all the participants and attendees who made the Making Media Connections conference a success! Recaps of the panels and workshops will be available shortly on the resources and tips section of our site. Check back regularly or sign up for e-notes for updates on their availability. Until then, enjoy some photos from the event!

Can’t see the slideshow? Click here to view the photos!

Do you have photos of the conference you’d like to share? Post them on our Facebook wall!

Hope to see you next year!

Online Registration is now closed but walk-in registrations are welcomed for the Wednesday Workshops (Space limited) and the Thursday Conference.

Click here for the conference program and directions.

We’re looking forward to sharing with you our knowledge of groundbreaking new digital communications methods, how to get your story into the media, and how to be the most effective nonprofit communicator you can be! We can’t wait to see you next week!

Guest post by Marissa Wasseluk

Video creation and video strategy are two topics covered at the Making Media Connections conference. Here you can discuss your options for successful, simple, inexpensive video creation!

Statistics show that less than 10% of visitors to your website read everything you have to say. However, 65% of website visitors will watch a video to completion. That being said I’m going to shut up now and let you press play on the video below for further information:

Maybe I’m a little biased because I’ve been producing videos for over a decade now, but I feel like video is one of the best mediums for advocacy. In my experience, visually telling a story – showing your audience your mission, rather than just telling them  - helps create a connection that could be easily lost with a long, strongly worded paragraph. Also, general audiences these days have short attention spans (kudos to you if you read this far, btw). The average time spent on a site with text is 60 seconds. A visitor to a site with a video will spend an average of six minutes on that site.

You may think creating a video is costly and time-consuming. I’m not going to lie to you – sometimes it is. As with most well-constructed, creative work, good videos take time – and time is money. But, there are simple and quick ways to use video effectively. If you have the right tools and the right strategy in place, you can create videos to let general audiences know who you are, show supporters how you’re doing and how their donations are used, and remain on the minds of audiences everywhere – for little money and time.

Read more tips on nonprofit communication on the Nonprofit Communicator blog!

Ask Marissa and more communications professionals your video questions at the Making Media Connections conference!

We asked previous attendees of the Making Media Connections Conference what their favorite part of the conference was, and got some interesting answers! See what Marissa Wasseluk, New Media Associate at the Workshop, had to say about her “social media experience” at last year’s conference in the video below!

Ready to make some memories of your own? Hurry and sign up for the conference now! The Early Bird Rate is effective until Saturday only!

Still curious about what’s new at this year’s conference? For more information on MMC 2011, click here!

Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the annual Making Media Connections conference a success. This year our conference trainings gave attendees new skills to communicate more effectively in order to tell their stories. Our panels gave folks insights and best practices on everything from social media policy to pitching freelancers. Attendees also had the opportunity to connect and build new relationships with reporters and other communications professionals.
Here is what people are saying about the conference:

I really enjoy this conference. The networking opportunities are excellent and for the most part, the panel sessions and workshops
are helpful and engaging. Looking forward to next year! – Stephanie Kuenn, American Library Association

Your organization is terrific. Immensely helpful to me, and I’m happy
that is as helpful to the nonprofits doing truly noble work in our city. –
Guy F. Wicke, Lukaba Productions

I love this conference. It is always refreshing, and both the presenters
and participants are always so helpful and eager to share tips and
stories. Thank you for setting the tone. – RoiAnn Phillips, Health
Connect One

Wonderful value for the price…speakers were knowledgeable
and approachable. – Mayre Press, Freelance Writer

Here are some quick conference highlights:
Did you miss Deanna Zandt’s keynote speech on telling your story in the digital age? Well, no worries you can still check her keynote on “Stories and Strategy In The Digital Age.”

If you didn’t have a chance to check out the “Who’s A Journalist Now” roundtable, check out the videos and summaries of the event.

From mainstream to multimedia, Ray Hanania works “both sides of the wall”

Growing up on the Southside of Chicago prepared journalist Ray Hanania to wear many labels. His schoolyard detractors wouldn’t take “I’m American” for an answer. So, Hanania sought out his father’s advice.

“Well, geesh, you know, don’t tell them your Palestinian. Tell ‘em you’re Syrian or Lebanese,” said his father. Imagine a time when it was okay to be Syrian or Lebanese, says Hanania.

Hanania returned to school, fearful of being beat up by taunting classmates, and offered the bullies this answer:

“Well, my dad said I’m cereal. But I think my mother is lesbian. I don’t know.”

Closing out this year’s Making Media Connections 2010, Hanania admitted he’s technically not a journalist, but he is “the face of the future.” As an award-winning freelance journalist who writes for 18 blogs, pens a column for several Arab news outlets, hosts a radio show, does comedy, and serves as the spokesperson for Cicero, Hanania said he has no desire to go back to working in mainstream media. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out some of the photos from the 2010 Making Media Connections conference. Special Thanks to our photographers Bob Black, Olga Lopez and Jonathan Werve. They look great!

REGISTER NOW for Making Media Connections, June 9 & 10

If you’ve never attended the Making Media Connections conference one of the benefits of being an attendee is the relationship building that happens at the conference. You will be able to connect and expand your network with folks in the nonprofit sector and media.

Once you’ve registered for the conference you will get a special invite to our “Making Media Connections” Kick Off reception and vendor fair on Wed. June 9. Be the first to meet and greet nonprofit leaders and media movers and shakers over drinks and light snacks. Wait there’s more!

PLUS special book signings by:

Deanna Zandt, author of, “Share This: How You Will Change The World With Social Networking”

Jessica Clark, co-author of, “Beyond the Echo Chamber: How a Networked Progressive Media Can Reshape American Politics”

Tim Frick author of, “Return on Engagement: Content, Strategy and Design Techniques for Digital Marketing”

Our vendor fair offers the opportunity to discover communication tools to get your message across. Come by on June 10 from 3 to 6 p.m. to check out the vendors exhibiting at our conference.

Vendor Fair includes:  Amzo Zip Mailing Services, Chicago Access Network Television, Rush Powers Media, English Communication, Inc.,The WebFarm Inc., Wooded Isle Computer Consultants, Social IMPACT Research Center, Executive Service Corp. of Chicago, Association of Consultants to Nonprofits, Tweeting For Dollars Project, Careers In Nonprofits, Metro Chicago Information Center, Arte y Vida Chicago, Giftworks Fundraising Software

REGISTER TODAY AND GET CONNECTED!

Broadcasting: What’s new, what’s not
Thursday, June 9, 2010
Engage your audience by using the prime news source in America—TV. Panelists Shawn Campbell  (Chicago Independent Radio Project), Judie Garcia (WGN News), Mark Saxenmeyer (WFLD-TV Fox Chicago) and moderator: Raschanda Hall (Business Wire) will discuss how using visuals and sound can introduce your agency’s message to captive audiences. Discover the craft of visualizing your message for broadcast. Learn more

FREE — Making Media Connections Roundtable Discussion
The Chicago Community Trust’s Community News Matters initiative and Community Media Workshop invite you to a roundtable discussion from 3 to 5 p.m. June 10th at Columbia College’s Film Row Cinema, 8th Floor, 1104 South Wabash, Chicago. We’re all creating and reporting news and stories for and about our communities, our region, and beyond. Read more