Our conference, first announced a month ago is taking shape! This is an interim announcement of confirmed sessions and speakers, before we roll out a fully redesigned interactive conference website.

• WHAT: The First-Ever Conference on Healthcare Blogging
• WHEN: December 11, 2006
• WHERE: Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, co-located at Consumer Health World
• WHO: TMBN, Transmarx, leading representatives of new and traditional healthcare media (see below) and YOU
• WHY: Understand what YOU need to do to benefit from explosive growth of healthcare blogging and social media

Our all-new redesigned interactive conference website is on the way. In the meantime, please make a note of the topics we are going to cover and the distinguished speakers we have confirmed:

Healthcare Blogging: The New Rules of Marketing

Healthcare marketing and communications are facing a transformation, unlike any one seen before. Blogs and social media are emerging as a powerful new force that is challenging conventional wisdom and changing the rules of the game.

Transmarx and The Medical Blog Network (TMBN) are the first to present a forum that will help healthcare marketers and executives successfully navigate the tidal wave of change, driven by the New Media. Our all-star speaker lineup includes some of the leading authorities on the New and Traditional Media.

Whether you represent a hospital, a health plan, a pharmaceutical company or a physician organization, this event is a must-attend. Confirmed sessions and speakers include:

Keynote: The Blogging Revolution

Why Healthcare Will Be Transformed and How Other Industries Show the Way

Steve Rubel, Senior VP, Edelman

Why should healthcare marketers and executives pay attention to blogging and social media? Because the impact they have had on news, politics and consumer marketing suggests the shape of change coming to consumer-driven healthcare. Steve Rubel, a conversational marketing pioneer, A-List blogger and top new media strategist at Edelman, the largest independent public relations firm in the world, provides his perspective on the impact of social media. The keynote will focus on how the lessons from other industries will apply to healthcare.

Panel 1: Healthcare Blogging – Facts & Issues

Understanding Size, Influence and Rules of the Healthcare Blogosphere

Whether or not you are ready to participate directly, there are some things about blogging you need to know. As you are reading these lines bloggers may be writing about your organization and shaping the public opinion! How do blogs work? How many are out there? What is the source of bloggers’ trust, credibility and influence? What options does an organization have for responding to the activities of independent bloggers? What about the legal and ethical considerations? The panel will provide answers to these questions.

• Dmitriy Kruglyak (Moderator): Publisher, The Medical Blog Network; Founder of The World’s Largest Community of Healthcare Bloggers
• Fard Johnmar, MA (Report Presentation): Founder, Envision Solutions LLC; Author: "The Emerging Healthcare Blogosphere, What Is It & Why Does It Matter?"
• Robert L. Coffield, JD: Member, Flaherty, Sensabaugh & Bonasso, PLLC; First healthcare law blogger
• John Mack, MA, MS, MPhil: President, VirSci Corporation; Publisher, Pharma Marketing Network
• Mike Smith: President, Michael Smith Business Development 

Panel 2: Healthcare Blogging – People & Case Studies

Discussing the Value of the New Media with Blogging Healthcare Leaders

Meet the forward-thinking healthcare leaders who saw the value of blogs early on and turned them into a powerful communication tool. Bloggers representing a broad cross-section of healthcare industry will talk about what they do, what they write about, how blogging adds a “human touch” to their organizations and fits in their personal and professional lives. The panel will cover the perspectives from diverse healthcare industry segments and organization sizes.

• Carol Kirshner (Moderator): VP, Promedica Research Center; Healthcare Blog Strategist & Consultant
• Jay M. Bernhardt, PhD, MPH (Special Presentation): Director, National Center for Health Marketing, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; First Federal Health Official to Start a Blog
• John Bell: Managing Director/Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy PR; Creator of Ogilvy's 360° Digital Influence practice which manages brands in the age of social media
• Patricia Goldman: Vice President of e-Business, March of Dimes; Social Networker, Healthcare Non-Profit Online Community Pioneer
• F. Nicholas Jacobs, FACHE: CEO, Windber Medical Center & Research Institute; First Hospital CEO to Create a Blog
• Richard Petty, MD: Private Practice Physician & Researcher; Scientific Director, Promedica Research Center
   

Panel 3: Healthcare Blogging – Strategy & Tactics

Mapping Out Your Game Plan: The Nuts-and-Bolts of Getting Started

Now that you understand the impact and value of blogs, what should you do about it? What is the difference between “outbound blogging” and “blogger relations”? How should you define the goals of your blog strategy as well as the steps and tactics you need to implement to get results? How can you establish your own blog as a communication tool and engage communities of independent bloggers, who can influence your reputation? What strategies and tactics are the most effective? The panel of expert will share the best practices.

• Toby Bloomberg (Moderator): President, Bloomberg Marketing; Strategic Marketing & Social Media Diva
• Elisa Camahort: Co-founder and President of Events & Marketing, BlogHer LLC; Professional Blogger, with 9 Blogs Currently Active
• Enoch Choi, MD: Urgent Care Physician, Palo Alto Medical Foundation; Online Content & Community Expert, Consultant to Google Health and Healthline
• Craig Lefebvre, PhD: President, Lefebvre Consulting Group; Social Media, Social Marketing & Community-based Health Promotion Expert
• Shahid Shah: CEO, Netspective Communications LLC; Healthcare Enterprise / Product Architect & Blog Consultant

We hope to see you in Washington DC on December 11 or hear from you in the meantime:

• To Receive Updates: Register for an account and opt in for our regular newsletters.
• To Sponsor the Event: Contact Dmitriy Kruglyak, using the feedback form or call direct at 650-329-0397
• To Purchase Tickets: On Transmarx registration site, choose "Blogging Summit" option and sign up on TMBN.