Journalism to host 'Mobile Me & You' conference

· 3 min read

Journalism to host ‘Mobile Me & You’ conference

Andersen Hall, home to UNL's College of Journalism and Mass Communications
File photo
Andersen Hall, home to UNL's College of Journalism and Mass Communications

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications will host the “Mobile Me & You” conference Oct. 28-30 in Lincoln.

One of the largest gatherings of digital and mobile media experts is coming to UNL. The conference is free. “Mobile Me & You” is bringing 20 notable speakers to campus from organizations such as Berkshire Hathaway Media, The Washington Post, Univision, Al Jazeera, CNN, Pew Research Center, NBC News Digital Group and the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.

The conference will focus on mobile media best practices and is a conference for professionals, academics and students in any discipline. It’s about everyday people using mobile tools to solve problems and participate in conversations.

The conference is funded by a generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

“We have an amazing opportunity to talk with these mobile media industry leaders about the problems they face in their organizations as media move to a mobile-first model,” conference organizer Gary Kebbel said. “These are problems industry leaders face every day, while we, as faculty, are trying to figure out how to teach students how to operate in this mobile-first world.”

Leaders in mobile media will be speaking at the conference, both individually and in panel discussions.

Speaker presentations include:

  • UNL Drone Journalism Lab founder Matt Waite will discuss the importance of drones and sensors to gather and publish data.

  • United States Misson, Nigeria, Information Resource Specialist Joseph Adah will highlight the importance of mobile in Africa and undeveloped countries.

  • BH Media Group Corporate Director of Digital Development Jeff Carney will present on how Berkshire Hathaway’s scores of newspapers think about mobile.

  • Pew Research Center Senior Researcher and author of “U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015” Aaron Smith will report the latest mobile research from Pew Research Center

  • NBC News Digital Group’s Breaking News Full-Stack Web Developer Andy Boyle will offer insight into how NBC’s Breaking News app uses geolocation to keep its audience informed.

  • Univision Vice President of Strategic Communications José Zamora will discuss why mobile is so important to its audience.

Panel discussion topics include: how to monetize mobile with new businesses; tips for using phones and tablets to gather information; going mobile first to reach the unreached audience; and best practices for investigative reporting and mobile media.

Representatives from international media organizations will also be presenting case studies, which include: Emily Ingram, mobile project manager, presenting on the Washington Post; David Cohn, executive producer, on Al Jazeera; and Damon Kiesow, senior manager for mobile initiatives, on McClatchy Newspapers.

For a complete list of speakers and bios, click here.

For more information on the “Mobile Me & You” conference and to register, click here.

Recent News