What a year! Last October I volunteered at this conference I\u2019ve never been to before and had the time of my life. A few months later, I was selected to be a screener for the Online Journalism Awards. Today, I am a full-time ONA staffer, currently working on packing our supplies for this year\u2019s conference in Austin. (Two weeks away!)<\/p>\n
As I reflect on my whirlwind past year riding with ONA, here are some of the things I\u2019m most looking forward to at ONA18:<\/p>\n
These people sure enjoy welcoming everyone, and they hook you up with all your conference tools and swag.<\/p>\n
The Registration and Help Desk \u2014 located across from the JW Grand Ballroom on the fourth floor \u2014\u00a0will be open 7-9 p.m. on Sept. 12 and from 7 a.m. on Sept. 13. Visit the desk to pick up your badge or if you need help with anything during the conference. For help, you can also find a volunteer wearing a bright orange shirt or tweet with the hashtag #ONA18Help.<\/p>\n
I am looking forward to catching up and taking selfies with old friends and connecting with journalism leaders and professionals from across the globe to hear their stories. (This year we are expecting roughly 2,500 attendees!)<\/p>\n
You can definitely find me at the Opening Night Reception at ACL Live<\/a>, and I\u2019ve also been working on a wishlist of must-see sessions, including \u00a0Early Career Tips From Our MJ Bear Fellows<\/a>, How Facebook is Going for Local News<\/a> and Journalism\u2019s Poverty Problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t wait to learn how emerging technology like 360 video is changing the way we report<\/a>. There\u2019s also Journalism 360\u2019s immersive storytelling festival<\/a> on Friday morning that I\u2019ll be sure to drop in on.<\/p>\n The Online Journalism Awards<\/a> celebrate excellence in digital journalism around the world and will be presented on Saturday evening. This year we introduced the ONA Community Award<\/a> to honor a behind-the-scenes journalism leader who does incredible work supporting other journalists \u2014 I can\u2019t wait for the big reveal of the inaugural recipient!<\/p>\n Diana Lopez<\/b> joined ONA in August 2018 as the Administrative Assistant, responsible for general operations and program support.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What a year! Last October I volunteered at this conference I\u2019ve never been to before and had the time of my life. A few months later, I was selected to be a screener for the Online Journalism Awards. Today, I am a full-time ONA staffer, currently working on packing our supplies for this year\u2019s conference […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3951,"featured_media":4320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"start_time":0,"end_time":0,"moderators":[],"hashtag":[],"soundcloud":[],"scribble":[],"viafoura":[],"youtube":[],"vimeo":[],"facebook":[],"trint":[],"slideshare":[],"livestream":[],"resources":[],"video_embed":[],"first_name":"","last_name":"","title":"","organization":"","website":"","twitter":"","_sponsor_url":"","_sponsor_tagline":"","_sponsor_level":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[55,1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ona18.journalists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2018\/08\/14245619233_891894f7ed_k-e1535659250422.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n3. Getting up close and personal with the latest technology for journalism.<\/h3>\n
4. Discovering this year\u2019s OJA winners.<\/h3>\n
5. In sum: Celebrating journalism with my peers!<\/h3>\n
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