St. Louis Bloggers Guild

With just a few days left until this year’s Interactive Festival, I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone know exactly who and what they will be hearing on Saturday.

In addition to the breakout sessions, we also have three different areas of the building set aside and designated for Tweetups. This will allow you the chance to meet fellow tweeters as well as further your networking. Score!

I’ve already told you that we have an exciting line up of panelists; so who are they? Every day this week I will feature one or two of the panels, giving you a brief overview and introducing you to the speakers listed on that panel.

Photography for the Hobbiest

If you’re anything like me, you have the desire to take beautiful pictures, but you don’t have the fancy equipment or the training.  This session will be a tutorial on all things photography for those who just want the basics.  Learn how to take beautiful photographs and how to digitally enhance them with your basic point and shoot camera. 

Mike Wilkerson – Podcast Host and Entertainment Critic: Mike is one of many 2GuysTalking. Mike creates opportunities for new podcasts via The 2GuysTalking Podcast Network. Mike also writes professionally for a growing number of websites online and is a graphic designer by trade.

Gregg Mueller: Gregg has been a photography enthusiast since childhood when he had to carefully ration the 12 exposures on each roll of B&W film on his Kodak 126 camera!  He got his first SLR as a teen, and is rarely seen without a camera of some sort nearby. Gregg’s photos can be seen on his blog “One Dad’s Life” as well as on Flickr.

Intellectual Property, Privacy and Ethics Online

During this session, legal savvy speakers will be discussing intellectual property rights, the ethics that play into new media, your online privacy and how to protect it, what you should or shouldn’t be doing on Twitter during office hours and SEO cloaking.

Eric Kayria: Eric practices in the areas of business and intellectual property law, providing legal counsel to his clients on a wide variety of matters concerning today’s technology and new media companies, Eric continues to sustain a vibrant presence in the Sports and Entertainment industries – representing leading companies such as Shock City Music Group and Studio and representing stakeholders in acquisitions of professional sports franchises.  By drawing on his intellectual property, technology and business background, Kayira serves as general counsel for a number of new and developing technology and new media-based businesses, both locally and around the country. 

Dana Loesch:  Dana Loesch blogs at DanaRadio.com and Mamalogues.com and hosts her own radio show, The Dana Show, on KFTK 97.1 FM Talk. She was named the Riverfront Times Best Columnist of 2007 and she was selected as one of St. Louis’s “30 Under 30″ by the St. Louis Business Journal in 2008. In May 2009 she was named as one of the top 16 most powerful moms online by Neilsen. Dana is a contributing editor at Blogher, writes for Biggovernment.com, and vlogs for Momversation.

Paul Petruska: Paul is a partner at Williams Venker & Sanders LLC law firm in downtown St. Louis.  He practices in many areas of litigation, including employment, product liability, toxic tort, complex commercial litigation and construction law.  He is currently the co-chair of the Toxic Tort and Construction Law practice groups at his firm.  Paul is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and was recently named an Up & Coming lawyer for 2009 in Missouri Lawyers Weekly.

Kim (Dorsey) Schlau: Kim is the author of Parachuting Without a Net and Jessica and Kelli – A Celebration of Two Lives. After her eldest daughters, Jessica and Kelli, were killed in 2007, she took her blog public, as both a form of therapy and as a way to reach out to other parents who have lost children. Kim is the Outreach Director for the Guild.

Social Media for Small Business and Non-Profits

Experts will offer insights and small businesses can optimize thier use of social media tools, create authenticity in business blogs as well as address tactics for bolstering fundraising efforts and customer service.  They will also address the difference between CRM (customer relations management) and social CRM.

Lindsey Weber: Lindsey is the Marketing and Communication Associate for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. In March of 2009, Weber deployed on Red Cross National Disaster Assignment in a first-of-its-kind social media position and has been advocating social media ever since. A 2008 graduate of Stephens College, Weber holds a degree in Mass Media: Broadcasting and Digital Film Production.  

Chris Buehler Chief Executive Officer, Scorch Agency: Chris has spent the past eight years developing award-winning marketing campaigns for some of the world’s top brands including Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, Coca-Cola and NASCAR.  A seasoned creative professional and marketing strategist, he found his niche in beverage promotion and brand development working for several major agencies.  Chris is a powerful hybrid of director, copywriter, developer and now leader of Scorch.

Mike Tomko: The social web has long played a significant part in Mike Tomko’s life. He currently works as a Management Consultant for his family’s consulting firm, TomkoTek, is an adjunct faculty member in the Audio Production department at Webster University, and is the Director of Marketing and Special Events for The Firebird. Follow him on Twitter: @michaeltomko and @firebirdstl.

James Macanufo:  As a consultant at XPLANE, James helps Fortune 500 and government clients with their communication and marketing strategies. Most of the time James can be found in a conference room with a whiteboard, working with a group of geeks and executives to transform complex or jargon-laden messages into clear, compelling and visually understood stories. Some of his favorite work includes crafting change visions with the Department of Education and the Director of National Intelligence, and explaining future technologies with companies like Microsoft and HP.  James is also co-authoring an O’Reilly book on the future of work and in his spare time is inflicting his wife and son with invented card games and “kitchen innovations.”

The conference runs from 9:00-4:00 at Shock City Studios with breakfast and lunch provided. Tickets are FREE, but you must register in advance. If you haven’t yet registered for tickets you can do so here.

You can also read about more of the panels and speakers here, here and here.