Calling All Colleagues

As a member of the 2011 ACE/NETC program committee, I've been thinking about what attracts people to attend a conference. And I believe we will have it all at ACE/NETC Ver 2.011.

As always, we'll exchange ideas and war stories, eat good food, have some drinks and laughs. What do we call that? Networking.

We'll get to hear what our counterparts at other places are doing, what worked and what didn't--the best and worst of their past year or so. Call that professional development.

We'll get to see some of the world's best educational and marketing products in the areas of "agriculture, natural resources, and life and human sciences." And some of them may be ours! Call that pride!

This year, in addition to the usual ways of classifying sessions, the program committee added some new categories:

• strategic positioning
  
• working differently
• collaboration
• new and interesting
  
• extension and outreach
• cross-cutting topics

We believed these might serve to prompt some ideas for sessions that would get to the heart of what we're doing more and more of these days. Call that innovation: working together in new and different ways.

Whether these topics helped to spur new ideas, we don't know. What we do know is that the sessions look outstanding. Your colleagues are offering you a treat this year. Don't miss it.

I hope to see you in Denver in a few months. Rocky Mountains, here we come!

Carol Whatley
Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Auburn University

Best of ACE honored in Denver

The 2011 ACE Critique and Award entries are in, and we look forward to acknowledging the winners at ACE/NETC 2.011 in Denver.

Many ACE members consider the opportunity to participate in ACE’s C&A program to be one of the most important member benefits in our organization.

The ACE C&A program has several purposes, but two stand out for me. First, it provides entrants with meaningful critiques of their work. Second, it showcases the best efforts of ACE members, with the winning C&A entries displayed and honored at the conference in June.

I’m not sure how others decide what to enter in C&A, but I always entered those projects that required more strategic planning, time, resources, or editing. I assumed if it involved an incredible effort, it was worth an evaluation.

It is truly amazing to review the breadth of projects entered in C&A, from the award-winning photos to the well-written news stories or the multi-faceted campaigns.

Please plan to join me in June as we recognize those winning efforts at ACE/NETC 2.011.

Elaine Edwards

ACE President-elect and Contest Chair for the 2011 ACE C&A Program

It's People Sharing Ideas

I've been fortunate to attend the ACE\NETC conference for several years, and I've discovered there's an incredible wealth of data and ideas floating around this conference just waiting to be captured. This year's conference allows each of us the opportunity to connect and learn from those that love the same work we do, speak the same lingo as us, and generally interact with kindred spirits of the Cooperative Extension system.

The value added from this year's ACE\NETC conference is in the sessions and in the halls of the conference as we learn from each other. Social media plays an important role in technology, but spending time with colleagues on your screen, or in 140 characters just isn't the same as spending even a few moments with the people behind these social media identities. Meeting colleagues face-to-face is still important and this is why the ACE\NETC conference is important to me.

As the subcommittee chair for technology, we are diligently working to provide the best technology experience possible at ACE\NETC 2011. Come join us June 10 -14 in Denver as we exchange information and learn from the experts.

Rich Phelps
University of Kentucky
College of Agriculture

Make your first ACE/NETC conferece a success

I was just a few months into my ACE membership and completely new to Extension when I attended the 2010 ACE conference in St. Louis. I’m not going to lie. I was at a serious disadvantage and painfully nervous. Everyone was a stranger, I didn’t know much about the organization, and it seemed that session topics had little to do with my work for Colorado State University Extension (I write impact reports).

While there was no formal effort to pair new members, or first time attendees, with a conference buddy—you know, an experienced pro who could show us newbies the ropes—everyone was so welcoming. By the end of my stay I had made a new friend from Wisconsin who was also a writer (and also new to ACE). I attended sessions that were relevant to my reporting niche, and others that gave me new ideas. I shared a gorgeous 6:30 a.m. run with a group of diehard Joe Marks Fun Run/Walk participants. I bid on and won a fantastic cookbook from Maryland at the silent auction. And, I developed a serious crush on the iPad.

Although my introverted self largely prevailed, I engaged where it suited me best and made the conference work for me. That’s all any of us can do when we’re new and not sure what to expect. If your uncertainty is holding you back, I invite you to let go and find your way to Denver. I also encourage you to set yourself a few select goals so that you’ll be sure to get something out of the conference. You don’t need lofty ones, just start where you are:

· Meet 10 people from around the country

· Learn a new skill/method that you can share with your work team

· Ask one question at each breakout session

· Decide how you’d like to contribute to planning the next year’s conference

Armed in advance with your own first conference strategy, you’ll be sure to walk away from ACE/NETC 2011 with great insight, new friends, and the desire to come back again and again.

Carol Busch

Impact Writer, Colorado State University Extension

Going Mobile: E-publishing workshop to kick off ACE/NETC 2011

E-publishing is here!

It's time to start converting all those Extension print publications into formats that can be read by electronic readers--Kindle, iPad, Nook, smart phones.

Reader habits are changing and many of our clients expect to get information from mobile devices and electronic readers. What's more, they expect (and demand) more than just a block of text.

ACE members know this, but exploring this new frontier in a time of shrinking budgets poses significant challenges. So how do you get started?

To help publication professionals navigate the new world of electronic publications, the ACE Publishing SIG is offering an e-publishing workshop on Friday, June 10, from 2 - 5 p.m. -- just before the start of ACE/NETC 2011 in Denver.

The workshop will provide practical guidance that participants can take home and start to use:

• An on-site trainer will give an overview of the technical, graphical, and editorial aspects of e-publishing,

• A case study will show how to convert an actual Extension publication into EPUB format; and,

• A panel of ACE members will share their experiences and answer questions about how their units are meeting the e-publishing challenge.

When planning your travel, be sure to arrive a bit early on Friday morning/afternoon to attend this important and useful workshop.

- Janet Byron
Managing Editor, California Agriculture journal
University of California Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources