Tech Planning for Arts Managers: A Nuts and Bolts Webinar on Implementing Technology at Your Organization

On September 2nd Brad Stephenson, host of the popular monthly Technology in the Arts podcast, will lead a new webinar entitled ”Technology Planning for Arts Managers”. Designed to meet the needs of today’s arts managers, this workshop will focus on ways in which arts managers can use technology to best meet their missions and goals. Stephenson, the former Director of Projects and Marketing for the Center of Arts Management and Technology, worked closely with numerous organizations who wanted to find the best technological tools to improve their efficiency.  He "helped these organizations with a number of things, including the evaluation of technology vendors, the design and development of web-based marketing and development tools and the selection of software and hardware products."

Organizations commonly make some mistakes that actually impede the organization/technology synergy.  Too often Stephenson witnessed organizations either failing to align their technology with strategic plan, or worse, failing to develop a strategic plan at all.  Without a plan, there is no way to guide technological decisions in a way that will best serve an organization.  Additionally, organizations often failed to do research--such as calling similar organizations to get thoughts on the tech tools that were of most use to them.

Stephenson strongly believes that an organization that fails to plan for technology is "committing a major arts management sin," one which may compromise the organization's mission and unwisely drain resources: "Everyone on staff doesn't get an iPhone just because they're cool."  Stephenson has designed this workshop to coach organizations through the process of integrating technology into an organization's operations.  "Tech projects are really no different from other projects within an organization.  You still use the same basic project management approach to building a new website as you would producing a new play.  One of the best ways to start any new tech planning process or technology project is to ensure that you have buy-in from everyone on your staff."  Meeting resistance?  Stephenson will discuss ways to address such resistance during the September 2 webinar.

In today’s climate it is necessary for arts managers to understand technology and its application within their organizations. While it’s easy to say “integrate technology into your organization,” in practice it can be overwhelming. This workshop provides a step-by-step examination of an effective technology planning process, coupled with an overview of the major technology concepts with which arts managers should be comfortable. Participants will gain an understanding of three key concepts:

1. Creating a technology plan for your organization or project 2. Analyzing your current environment to make efficient use of existing technology and effectively target resources 3. Making the right technology choices through proven evaluation methods

To register for the webinar, and for more information, please visit the link below. Technology Planning for Arts Managers September 2, 2009 2:00pm – 3:30pm Eastern Register today for $25.00

Arts Advocacy via YouTube

Check out the inspiring video from Pittsburgh Filmmakers entitled "Arts and Citizenship":

It feels particularly appropriate today as Pennsylvania's House Appropriations Committee discusses (and potentially votes) on the Senate's proposal to zero out arts funding within the state's budget.

Facebook for Arts Organizations - Webinar Series

Due to the high level of interest in all things Facebook, Patron Technology has announced a webinar series designed to take you beyond the basics, with detailed instructions, tips and examples of what other organizations and brands are doing successfully. Patron Technology clients: Free registration (click here to register) Non-clients: Session 1 is free.  Session 2, 3 and 4 are $45 per session or $99 for all three (click here to register)

Session descriptions:

Fans Are Better Than Friends (Encore Presentation) Thursday, June 4 | 2:00-2:45PM EDT

This session will give you a broad overview of the options for arts organizations (and other businesses) on Facebook, and some essential tips about what you should be doing.  This is an "encore" presentation of a session originally presented in April.

Are You Content with Your Content? Tuesday, June 16 | 2:00-2:45PM EDT

The most important part of maintaining a Facebook Page is making sure to update it frequently, with new and interesting content. But, that doesn't mean you have to spend all your time taking photos and writing new blog posts! There's plenty of shareable content on the web already, all you need to do is gather it and share it with your Fans. In this session you'll learn:

• What makes an engaging status update
• How to share photos and links
• How to "listen" and find content to share on your Page

Apply Yourself! Tuesday, June 30 | 2:00-2:45PM EDT

Not all Facebook Applications are just for playing Scrabble and throwing sheep. There are some really useful apps that have been designed specifically for Facebook Pages. In this session you'll learn:

• How to find and add useful Facebook apps
• How to direct new visitors to a specific section of your Page
• How to add your own content to your Page using a "blank slate" HTML app

Fan-ning the Flames Tuesday, July 14 | 2:00-2:45PM EDT

Once you've put all this time and effort into getting your Page set up, how can you aggressively attract more fans? We'll look at some ideas that work, and I'll share one case study of an org that went from having 600 fans to eight THOUSAND fans-in one week! In this session you'll learn:

• How to link to your Page from your Web site and e-mails
• How to create Facebook Ads to attract more fans
• How to understand the stats and analytics that Facebook provides

Introducing Corwin Christie

While I realize that summer does not officially start until June 21st, I have always viewed Memorial Day as the advent of the summer season.  Maybe its the warm weather, maybe its finally being able to wear white pants and shoes again - who knows?

In honor of this summer jumpstart, it is my pleasure to introduce Corwin Christie as our new Social Media Assistant.  A recent addition to Carnegie Mellon's Master of Arts Management program, Corwin comes to us from Denver, Colorado where she founded Uncorked Productions Theater Company in an effort to "redefine theater for a generation that is more comfortable with television and at-home-dvd delivery than with what is too often perceived as the unpredictable and inaccessible act of theatergoing."

In her new role as Social Media Assistant, Corwin will be responsible for maintaining our social media presence and engaging the arts administration field in a tech-related discussions through this blog and other online channels - including our Facebook page and LinkedIn group.  Please, join us in welcoming Corwin to Technology in the Arts!

TITA's Back With New Blood

Okay, okay...I have to start by apologizing.  Brad transitioned into his new position at the end of January, and Technology in the Arts went silent for many weeks. What happened?  I think if we are honest with ourselves, then we have to admit that we had come to rely on Brad to carry the social media torch for TITA - blogging, podcasting, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  During his transition, many of his responsibilities were re-distributed to other staff members (oh, the joys of a hiring freeze) - but the social media fell by the wayside.

No more!  We're back, and we've brought new blood with us. Starting tomorrow, Social Media Assistant Thomas Vannatter will be coming at you twice a week with bloggy insights. Apparently, he has a major hate-on for Twitter, so this could get interesting!

Thomas will also be working with us to manage and refine our content strategies for the various social media tools we use. We will be working through questions like:

• Should we be discussing/sharing different content on our Facebook Page than we do with our LinkedIn Group?  If so, what factors should influence the decision regarding where to share which types of content?
• If we share an RSS feed that grabs the best articles on the net regarding technology in the arts, then what content should we be sharing through our Twitter feeds?
• How should the social media strategies for service organizations differ from producing, presenting and other types of arts organizations?

So over the next two months, you will see a new, evolving strategy for Technology in the Arts.  Please, let us know what you think as we move forward.

By the way, Brad is not dead to us.  He and Jason Hansen will continue to produce the Technology in the Arts podcast on a monthly basis - so stay tuned!

No Comment - Bloggers Should Let Their Readers Respond

The other day, a colleague shared with me a link to a post on Lee Rosenbaum's CultureGrrl blog speaking out against the recent the call for a U.S. "culture czar."  While I see where she is coming from, I wanted to share with her and my fellow readers some thoughts regarding the issue.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that there is no place to post a comment.  The only option is to engage Ms. Rosenbaum in private discourse via e-mail.  Here is an entire blog post devoted to providing a counterpoint to other online voices, and yet the author provides no opportunity for her readers to engage her and her readers in a public discussion. As my fellow texters might scribe, "WTF?" Okay, I'm gonna get up on my soapbox here for minute.  We've all heard about Web 2.0 and the cuture of sharing, etc.  We drank the Kool-Aid and started blogging, podcasting, social networking, posting social media, creating wikis - experimenting with a variety of forms for sharing content with each other.  For many of us, there is an understanding that this online sharing is of a reciprocal nature.  If you throw your content out into the universe, then you cannot truly engage with anyone until you allow them to respond.  And for the record, a private e-mail doesn't cut it.

What if someone doesn't agree with you? That's okay. We frequently encounter people who do not agree with us, but that doesn't stop us from engaging in conversation. In fact, disagreement is not necessarily a negative thing. When approached from an inquisitive stance, disagreement may lead to clarification, exploration, and possible consensus.

And if someone out there on the Web responds to you in an insulting or derisive manner, you have three options: 1. Respond to them. 2. Take the "high road," and let your readers respond to them. 3. Delete the comment.

Now, I am not saying that Ms. Rosenbaum deliberately does not want her readers to engage her and each other in public discussion of her ideas. Maybe she never considered the implications of not allowing comments to her blog.

Ironically, there is a "Share This" icon at the bottom of the posting - so that you can share the author's thoughts with all of your friends and colleagues. Wouldn't it be nice if she returned the favor?

2009 MUSE Awards Call for Entries

The AAM Media and Technology Committee announces the 20th annual MUSE awards competition. Presented to institutions or independent producers which use digital media to enhance the museum experience and engage new audiences, the MUSE awards celebrate scholarship, innovation, creativity and inclusivity. Projects must be produced by or for a museum, including websites, podcasts, multimedia installations, interactive kiosks in the museum, cell phone audio tours in a garden, etc. Winning projects for each category are chosen by an international group of museum media professionals and the awards will be presented at the AAM annual conference in Philadelphia, PA from April 30-May 4, 2009.

• Categories and criteria
• Deadlines and procedures
• Previous award recipients

Online applications must be submitted January 31, 2009.  If you have any questions please contact Sarah Marcotte, MUSE Awards Chair.

Call for Session Proposals - 2009 Technology in the Arts: Canada

Proposals for sessions and workshops are currently being accepted for the 2009 Technology in the Arts: Canada Conference to be held in Waterloo & Stratford, Ontario from May 10-12, 2009. This year's conference is being held in conjunction with the Canada 3.0: Defining Canada's Digital Future Conference. The deadline for submitting your proposal is Monday, January 19, 2009.

The conference has two primary types of programming - Hands-On Training Workshops and Breakout Sessions.

Hands-On Training Workshops: Sunday, May 10th: Held in a computer lab environment on the University of Waterloo campus, Waterloo, Ontario, these workshops will provide "nuts & bolts" instruction to guide participants through technical processes toward concrete solutions to work-place challenges. Each hands-on workshop will last 2 hours and 30 minutes. Workshop leaders should anticipate using 25% of the time for informational lecture and the remaining 75% of the time for hands-on instruction.

Breakout Sessions: Monday, May 11th & Tuesday, May 12th: Held in breakout rooms at the Stratford Rotary Complex, Stratford, Ontario, conference sessions may use a number of possible formats to cover relevant issues relating to the use (or potential use) of technology in arts, heritage or cultural management and/or production. Breakout sessions will last 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Proposal Criteria: A panel of arts and technology practitioners will review all submitted proposals to select the final program in late January.  Sessions will be selected based on the following criteria:

Exploration of new or compelling ideas, technologies or practices

Speakers' expertise and/or experience with the topic

Session's relevance to the conference

In addition to the above criteria, the panel will be charged with selecting workshops and sessions with an eye toward providing a well-rounded program of topics and ideas for conference attendees that will include managers, staff and artistic/curatorial personnel from the arts, heritage and cultural sector, as well as individual artists.

SUBMIT YOUR SESSION PROPOSAL ONLINE HERE

Benefits for Presenters: Presenters will receive complimentary access to the conference for the day on which they present, and discounted registration for other days they wish to attend.  All session participants will be responsible for their own travel and hotel expenses.

Proposal Components: To be considered, proposals must include the following information:

Session title

Session type - Hands-On Training Workshop or Breakout Session

Session format - For Breakout Session proposals only

Description of proposed session

Explanation of relevance to the conference

Contact information for session leader

Other potential presenters and what expertise they would add to the session

Not an expert? You don't have to be!  Here are some tips for putting together a session.

Questions? Contact us.

The 2009 Technology in the Arts: Canada Conference is a partnership between the Centre for Cultural Management at the University of Waterloo and the Center for Arts Management and Technology at Carnegie Mellon University.

Winmail.dat's Annoying

Here's a double-sided scenario that has plagued me for the past few months:

• I'm blazing on the keyboard at work - sending out e-mails through Microsoft Outlook like a madman - when I get a reply that reads, "Your attachment is a winmail.dat file.  I'm not able to open those. Can you resend in a different format?"  This does not compute.  (Sorry, bad pun.)  I sent her an Excel file.  Hmmm.  I try resending the file in PDF format.  Her reply message reads, "Sorry, I'm still getting a winmail.dat file.  What is that?"-OR-
• I'm blazing on the laptop at home - reading e-mail messages in Thunderbird.  A colleague has attached an important Word document to his message that requires my immediate attention and response.  As i go to open the file, I notice that it is listed as "winmail.dat".  Stubbornly, I click to open the file.  I am not surprised when an error message pops up to tell me that I am unable to open this file.

Does either side of this situation sound familiar to you?  If so, then you'll be happy to know that there are ways to overcome winmail.dat syndrome!

What is "winmail.dat"?

A winmail.dat file is a TNEF (transport neutral encapsulation format) attachment sent by a Microsoft e-mail application like Outlook, when someone has their Outlook set to generate e-mail messages in Rich Text Format (RTF) OR when you use Microsoft Word as your e-mail editor.

Sometimes the winmail.dat is a small file with formatting information that accompanies the original message; other times, the winmail.dat file contains the formatting information as well as the original message or other attachment files.

What can you do to make sure people don't receive winmail.dat files from your Outlook?

The most universal answer is to stop sending pretty e-mails.  In other words, configure your Outlook to send messages as plain text rather than rich text format.  This is an option in all versions of Outlook.  Learn how to disable rich text format here. You could select to send your messages In HTML format; however, not all e-mail recipients are able to view e-mail in HTML format.  All e-mail accounts are able to view plain text.

According to MozillaZine, people with Outlook 2002 (aka XP) and Outlook 2003 can take the following steps to disable sending out TNEF attachments:

1. On the "Tools" menu, click "Options", then click the "Mail Format" tab, and then the "Internet Format" button.
2. Set "When sending Outlook Rich Text messages to Internet ..." to either "Convert to HTML format" or "Convert to Plain Text format".

If you use a non-Microsoft e-mail application like Thunderbird or Lotus Notes, what can you do to convert winmail.dat files back to a viewable format?

There are actually a handful of tools that can help you to view winmail.dat files.  Below is a brief list based on your computer's operating system:

• Winmail.dat Reader - Windows 95X though Windows Server 2003
• TNEF -  Linux
• TNEF's Enough -  Mac OS9 and OSX

So if you're out there suffering from winmail.dat syndrome, put the sledgehammer down.  There's another way.  Cure your e-mail today!

Creative Commons - Building a Shared Culture

A few weeks ago, the topic of Creative Commons came up during a technology workshop I was leading, and a number of attendees were unaware of it and its potential for rethinking the way we approach the copyright of intellectual property. Recently, Creative Commons released a short video by renowned filmmaker Jesse Dylan, known for helming a variety of films, music videos, and the Emmy Award-winning “Yes We Can” Barack Obama campaign video.  The video “A Shared Culture” uses interview footage with leading thinkers behind Creative Commons to talk about the organization's mission, but perhaps the most impactful aspect of the video is its incorporation of photographs and music with CC licenses.

Next week at the National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Houston, CAMT's own Brad Stephenson will lead a panel session on the ways in which artists and arts organization may benefit from utilizing Creative Commons licenses in their work.  If you're at the conference, be sure to check it out.

Save the Museum, Save the World

Today not only marks the return of "Heroes" (for super-hero fans like me), it also marks the beginning of Superstruct, a multi-player online game from the Institute for the Future (IFTF) in collaboration with the Center for the Future of Museums, an initiative of the American Association of Museums.  Superstruct is the first Massively Multiplayer Forecasting Game—designed to help solve real-world problems by harnessing the collective wisdom of participants to create a collaborative, open source simulation of a possible future.

Based on projections culled from forecast research conducted by IFTF, the following extreme scenarios are proposed for museums as part of the game:

"It’s 2019. Your museum is informed that an international group currently touring your building was exposed to the latest deadly strain of Respiratory Distress Syndrome. You are instructed to lock down the museum and shelter staff and visitors in place while authorities determine whether anyone is infected. Are you prepared to deal with this?"

Other snapshots from 2019:

• Is your museum ready to help your community cope with an influx of refugees fleeing climate change, food shortages and political upheaval?
• How will your operations change in the face of soaring energy prices or collapse of the food production and distribution system?
• Your museum depends on its website to deliver information and attract visitors, but your content has been corrupted repeatedly in the past few months by hackers attempting to undermine your credibility. How do you adapt?"

To read more about the game, visit www.iftf.org/node/2098.

The Center for the Future of Museums intends to use the content contributed by museums as a jumping-off point for further planning and discussion within the museum field. To receive e-mail alerts from the Center for the Future of Museums about the museum-specific storyline in Superstruct, contact CFM.

Early Bird Extension and Other Conference Deadlines

Believe it or not, the 2008 Technology in the Arts Conference is only a month away.  I know how fast the days and weeks have been flying for me, so I wanted to highlight upcoming deadlines for those of you planning to attend (or thinking about attending): September 10th - Extended Early Bird Registration Deadline We've heard your requests and will be extending the Early Bird Registration deadline to Wednesday, September 10th. As a reader of this blog, you are eligible to receive 25% off all conference registration fees.  When combined with the Early Bird discount rate, your total cost for registering for the 2008 Technology in the Arts Conference is only $187.50.

To take advantage of this opportunity:

• Go to https://www.acteva.com/go/TITA2008 to complete the online registration form.
• In the box labeled "Activity Questionnaire," enter one of the following promotion codes.
  • If you have previously attended the Technology in the Arts Conference, enter TITA01.
  • If this will be your first Technology in the Arts Conference, enter TITA70.
  • Either code will deduct 25% from your registration costs during the online payment process.
• This discount applies to the Hands-On Training Workshops as well as general conference registration.

September 15th - Deadline to PA Residents to Apply for Conference Scholarships Thanks to the generous support from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, we are offering a limited number of registration and travel scholarships exclusively for artists and arts administrators living and working in Pennsylvania.  Click here to learn more and apply online!

September 16th - Hotel Reservation Deadline for Discounted Conference Rate Call 1-800-445-8667 and give them the group code - CAM - to receive the conference rate of $129/night.

OTHER CONFERENCE INFORMATION: Conference Schedule - Learn more about this year's conference lineup

• Hands-On Training Workshops
• Breakout Sessions
• Keynote & Awards Luncheon
• Social Networking Soiree at the 15 Minutes Gallery
• Closing Plenary

Scholarship Opportunities for Technology in the Arts 2008

Thanks to the generous support from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, we will be offering a limited number of registration and travel scholarships exclusively for artists and arts administrators living and working in Pennsylvania.

• Scholarships are available exclusively for artists and arts administrators living and working in Pennsylvania.
• Two types of scholarships:
  • Full registration:
    • Covers registration expenses for the general conference as well as the hands-on training workshops
    • Eight of these scholarships will be awarded in 2008
    • Available to both previous and new conference attendees
  • Full registration plus travel expenses:
    • Covers registration expenses for the general conference as well as the hands-on training workshops
    • Also reimburses travel and lodging expenses up to $700
    • Allowed expenses include:  air or train fare, taxicab, car rental, gas, mileage, and hotel accommodations.
    • Five of these scholarships will be awarded in 2008
    • Available ONLY to new conference attendees
• Applicants will be evaluated on their ability to articulate how attending the conference will assist them in their work and professional development.
• Applications MUST be submitted online.
• Applications MUST be submitted by Monday, September 15, 2008.
• Applicants will be notified of their status by Friday, September 19th.

Questions?  Contact David Dombrosky.

Apply Online Now!

Technology and the Media Arts

Earlier this week, Southern Arts Federation posted a podcast conversation in which Allen Bell and I talk about tools for new media and the impact technology is having on independent film and the media arts. Listen Now: SAF Podcast #38 - Technology and Independent Media

This conversation is a companion piece to an article that Allen and I co-authored for the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture about the only remaining organized tour of filmmakers in the U.S.

2008 ArtsTech Awards - Call for Nominations

Opens July 7, 2008 - Closes August 8, 2008

The 2008 Technology in the Arts Conference convenes representatives from the full spectrum of arts community, from the local to national levels, to explore the intersection of the arts and technology.

In honor of this exploration, the ArtsTech Awards recognize three categories of leaders in the arts and technology: artists, arts organizations and funding organizations.  For the 2008 ArtsTech Awards criteria, guidelines and nomination forms, visit the following category-specific links:

• Artists (Individual or Group)
• Arts Organizations
• Funding Organizations

Nominations must be submitted through our online nomination forms.  Nominations must be received by 11:59PM EST on August 8, 2008.

The recipients of the 2008 ArtsTech Awards will be honored at the Technology in the Arts Conference during the Keynote and Awards Luncheon on October 10, 2008.

If you have questions about the ArtsTech Awards or the nomination process, please contact David Dombrosky.

YouTube Opens Screening Room for Indie Shorts

Okay, so I love short films.  In addition to appealing to ADD-afflicted by not requiring us to sit through 180 minutes to "understand the narrative," short films are more financially viable for indie filmmakers to create.  The problem with short films is that you can usually only see them at film festivals -- until now.

YouTube has set up a virtual screening room to bring the short films of independent filmmakers to a global audience.  Not only can you view top-notch shorts (curated by a YouTube editorial panel), you can also buy them to watch whenever you want on your computer or portable device.  While the majority of these films have played at international film festivals, occasionally you’ll find films that have never before screened for wide audiences.

They just launched the screening room last week and plan to add four new films every two weeks.  So, show the indie filmmakers some love and check it out!

Click here to learn more about the YouTube Screening Room.

What I Learned at the Americans for the Arts Convention...

Remember those essays you had to write in elementary school - e.g. "What I did for summer vacation"?  That's sort of what this post feels like since Brad chastised me for being remiss in my blogging duties.  Of course, I fired him - again.  I do that a lot.  It just never seems to stick. AFTA held this year's convention in Philadelphia - the city of brotherly love (and sisterly affection).  The hotel sold out long before I climbed out of my procrastination long enough to book a room.  Thankfully, I found a room at a nearby hotel - directly across the street from where they were filming Transformers 2.  If only I hadn't gotten bored and walked out of Transformers, then I might have been more starry eyed.

After three days in Philly with Americans for the Arts, I return to the Burgh with three essential take-aways:

1.  Affirmation -- In a recent (soon to be published) environmental scan of the arts community conducted by Americans for the Arts, it has been determined that, "The influence of technology, unconstrained access, and the new immediacy of communication on traditional and new and evolving production/delivery mechanisms is not yet entirely understood."  While the influence of technology on production/delivery may not be fully understood, the impact of technology on the arts community has been seismic.  Between AFTA and the NPAC conventions this month, I come back to the Burgh knowing that our Technology in the Arts conference, blog, podcast, and site resources are truly useful tools for the field to assist them in navigating unfamiliar terrain.

2.  Futurists Rock -  The Keynote Address was given by futurist Andrew Zolli, founder of Z+ Partners and organizer of the PopTech conference, in the manner that I've yearned for at all of the conferences I have attended throughout my professional life:  highly engaging, provocative and witty.  He touched on a multitude of issues - from innovation and "the tyranny of choice" to experiential economics, "the Long Tail" and "Citizen Brand." I think it was the first time that I went to a conference where the keynote speaker talked for 45 minutes, and I wanted to hear more!  For those of you who were not able to attend AFTA this year (or for those of you who just want to hear more of what Andrew has to say), check out these video clips on YouTube.

3.  The RenGen is Here - On Friday, I had the pleasure of listening to Patricia Martin talk about the premise behind her book RenGen: Renaissance Generation - The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business.  Here's a brief bit from Patricia about the event that inspired her to do the research for this book:

I tried to run out to the AFTA bookstore to buy RenGen - but of course, it was already gone.  Amazon, here I come!

My two favorite concepts that she talked about during her session are:

• RenGen is a psychographic NOT a demographic. What characterizes this psychographic?
  • Lifelong learners
  • Time-starved idealists
  • Sensualists
  • Eco-conscious
  • Fusionists
  • Inner-directed creatives
• Collective Creativity - a post on the concept from her blog.

Okay, folks, I have blogged enough today to keep the Brad at bay.  I pinkie-swear to do better!

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

This week saw the arrival of the second biennial 01SJ - North America’s newest and largest festival of digital arts, and a great deal more. From a hip hop, multi-media meditation on Antarctica to robot art, from conversations with artificial intelligence to operatic performances of Google headlines about the environment, from avant-garde cinema to new musical forms - well over 100 artworks, performances, screenings, talks, and workshops will be featured at 01SJ. Festival organizers expect it to be a perspective-altering experience that entertains, enlightens, educates and involves attendees in a new understanding of our changing world.

The 2nd Biennial 01SJ Global Festival of Art on the Edge consists of over 100 events, exhibitions, concerts, performances, lectures and workshops at many venues across the urban landscape of downtown San Jose.

According to Artistic Director Steven Dietz, “This has the potential to be the South by Southwest of digital media in the United States.”

01SJ aspires to become the North American answer to the Ars Electronica Festival – the annual celebration of digital art in Linz, Austria first staged in 1979. “Linz is now a cultural center for the country,” said 01SJ founder and board chairwoman Andy Cunningham, “We hope to do that with San Jose.

Get LinkedIn to Technology in the Arts

For those of you who use LinkedIn to build your own professional network, we invite you to join our new Technology in the Arts group on the site to connect with others observing and exploring the intersection of the arts and technology. LinkedIn Groups offers extra features to networks and group-based organizations to help their members stay in touch with one another and discover powerful new business contacts within their groups and beyond.

How might LinkedIn Groups serve as a connecting tool for other professional networks and member groups with which you interact?

Okay, folks, it's time for YOU to drop some serious knowledge!

Proposals for sessions and workshops are now being accepted for Technology in the Arts 2008 conference to be held at the Hilton Pittsburgh in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from October 9 - 11. The conference has two primary types of programming - Hands-On Workshops and Conference Sessions.

• Hands-On Workshops: Thursday, October 9th: Held in a computer lab environment, these workshops will provide "nuts & bolts" instruction to guide participants through technical processes toward concrete solutions to challenges. Each hands-on workshop will last 2 hours and 30 minutes.

• Conference Sessions: Friday, October 10th & Saturday, October 11th: Held in breakout rooms near Conference Registration and the Tech Expo, conference sessions may use a number of possible formats to cover relevant issues relating to the use (or potential use) of technology in arts management or production. Conference sessions will last 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Not an expert? You don't have to be one to organize a session. Here are some tips for pulling together a top notch session.

Proposal Criteria: A panel of arts and technology practitioners will review all submitted proposals to select the final program in early July. Sessions will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Exploration of new or compelling ideas, technologies or practices
• Speakers' expertise and/or experience with the topic
• Session's relevance to the conference

In addition to the above criteria, the panel will be charged to select workshops and sessions with an eye toward providing a well-rounded gamut of topics and ideas for conference attendees.

Benefits for Session Leaders and Participants: Individuals who propose sessions selected for the conference program will each receive a complimentary registration for the conference and hands-on training day. Other session participants or speakers will be offered a severely reduced registration rate of $50 for the conference and hands-on training day. All session participants will be responsible for their own travel and hotel expenses.

Proposal Components: To be considered, proposals must include the following information:

1. Session title
2. Session type - Hands-On Workshop or Conference Session
3. Session format - For Conference Session proposals only
4. Description of the proposed session
5. Explanation of relevance to the conference
6. Contact information and bio paragraph for session leader
7. Other potential presenters and what they would add to the session

Submit your session proposal online by June 30, 2008.

All applicants will be notified of their proposals' status by July 11. For questions or additional information, contact David Dombrosky.