Online Media News South Africa

Online publishing conference marks 10 year anniversary

It was 10 years ago that local pioneering websites like the Mail & Guardian and Ananzi were joined by iafrica.com, the MWeb portals and the tricky business of publishing online was launched in South Africa. While great strides have been made, the industry faces many challenges, including how to get advertisers to spend more online.

The issues the industry is grappling with, include:

  • Will the advent of more broadband connections help us in significantly growing the local online publishing business?
  • How can we develop a local search and content aggregation business that will compete successfully with the international operations?
  • How do we get the advertising community to spend more money online?
  • And what exactly are venture capitalists looking for when they decide on whether to invest in an online business?

    These are some of the topics that will be addressed at the PublishOnline Conference that will be held 21 November 2007 in Cape Town. The PublishOnline Conference is brought to the industry by the Online Publishers Association and hosted by The Skills Portal.

    Some of the speakers taking part are Bizcommunity.com's own MD, Robin Parker; Matthew Buckland, M&G Online GM; Nikki Cockroft, iafrica/365; Charles Talbot, 24.com AdEngine; Diane Charton, Acceleration Media; Tony Mallam, Cape Venture Partners; and Vinny Lingham, Synthasite.

    Each of the main sessions will culminate in a 30 minute discussion. This will allow all delegates to ask the important questions for their businesses and engage in debate with the speakers, and other delegates.

    “This conference is about discussing the critical issues the industry faces. We hope to bring together online publishing companies of all sizes to spend a day networking, learning, discussing and making deals,” said Alan Hammond, publishing editor of The Skills Portal, www.skillsportal.co.za, which are hosts to the event.

  • Costs have been kept down to R900 per delegate for the day. A shuttle bus service from the Cape Town airport to the conference will be available for a small fee. For more information and to register please visit: http://www.publishonline.co.za.

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