News-Record.com

John,

I'm curious, if you could develop your own forum/lecture at the ASNE what would it be?

Good question, Brian. Do I have to choose just one? The one thing I'm sure of is that I wouldn't do a forum or lecture. Instead, I'd adapt/steal Dave Winer's unconference idea, explained here:

http://scripting.wordpress.com/2006/03/05/what-is-an-unconference/

Here's the deal: "The sum of the expertise of the people in the audience is greater than the sum of expertise of the people on stage."

At ASNE, there are editors from dozens of newspapers doing innovative interesting things, touching on every topic I mentioned above. (And I'm not talking about the big boys. I've been to ASNE and the editors at the large papers are nowhere to be found during the sessions, unless they're on the panel.)

Imagine the discussion, the learning, the networking and the idea construction!

Exactly, John.
So let's do it: Let's create the unconference for the news business -- the National Norg.
Game?
I'll bet I could get a venue in New York.

Yep. We'll talk.

The forum I'd like to see is newspaper editors discussing why they seem to want to destroy the franchise.

The last 12-15 years have featured one terrible decision after another. Instead of focusing on substantive issues, wonks debate tiny design details.

Hiring is subjective and atrocious. I like the continuing myopia toward recent college graduates, too. The discussion about being "trendy" hardly conceals the real motive: Hiring the cheapest workers possible.

So I guess the title of my forum would be: "How do we get rid of the current regime?" Slamming would be encouraged. There might even be punch and pie.

Here's something always missing from the discussion (Jeff, if you're still reading, listen up -- sorry I missed you at USA TODAY):

Sports.

The story making the rounds about clueless old Old Media is that a bunch of CEOs didn't recognize "Craig" from Craig's List. I wonder how many of the blog evangelists would recognize Chris Berman or Jay Bilas. Because they're just as big a threat to local papers as "Craig" is. Newspapers haven't fought back against ESPN, and the buzzer is about to sound.

> "But it's not what I need. About every presentation described in the daily ASNE reports, I already felt I knew"

John, you hit the nail on the head.

I think what we're seeing is the beginning of a conferences-as-usual collapse too - why would any web denizen want to go and listen to a lecture of as-yet-undemonstrated value? (where you can't click away from the speaker, who's squelching your freedom like a malware-infested website...)

Just as newspapers need to evolve to meet their newly-spoiled readers' expectations, so too will conference organizers.

> "Imagine the discussion, the learning, the networking and the idea construction!"

(it'd also be nice if there's a back channel, for those who compose their ideas better via keyboard than via public speaking.)

also - on norgs and unconferences - look into Open Space meetings and the Law of Two Feet.

(the following's from an email I sent to a conference planner; apologies for the length)

for me, the "sit for 8 hrs and listen to at most 1 person speak at a time, with no choice as to who or on what" drives me batty and is low return-on-investment.

Open Space meetings are a different way of "large group facilitation" -
eg http://www.freechild.org/Firestarter/OpenSpace.htm
or
http://www.chriscorrigan.com/openspace/whatisos.html

inspiration for it - “I can’t believe that after all these meetings, workshops and conference sessions, the most valuable time for me was still during the coffee breaks, when I met with people I wanted to meet with and talk about the issues I wanted to talk about.” - Harrison Owen, author of Open Space Technology: A Users Guide

best aspect:
Open Space has one law and that is The Law of Two Feet...if you find yourself in a particular working group and feel that the discussion is not rewarding for you then instead of complaining, you simply vote with your feet and move to another group where you can be engaged more productively.

and it can be combined with (preceded by) group presentations(lectures).

the whole "predetermined authorities on stage, talking down to The Public Mass below" seems archaic and drives me bonkers.
=========================
p.s., Practical consequences of the Law of Two Feet:

"We are all often in meetings or discussion groups where one member tries to dominate the discussion and effectively wrecks any possibility of an open conversation or the full participation by all the members of the group. Typically, some members sit in silence waiting for the session to end while others get into a heated argument with the protagonist. But there is a third way. Here is the law:
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" Sometimes it happens that overly zealous participants feel that their ideas are so important or powerful that everybody in a particular group (or even in the whole conference) should pay attention and listen. This one has to be nipped in the bud -- carefully. The way out is not to directly challenge the person, but rather to remind the assembled group of the Law of Two Feet. If everybody truly wants to listen, they should do that. But if that is not their desire, they have two feet which they should use. There is no need to argue and shout, just thank the group and leave. Egomaniacs quickly get the picture when everybody leaves."
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"Now this wont work in every circumstance but it will work in many. If the leader or facilitator makes sure that this law is communicated as 'acceptable practice' at the start of the meeting or discussion then it will work that much better."
(found at gurteen.com)