We have our final few additions to round out our Speakers group and are happy to announce our latest speaker, Grant Swaim, who is the author of the soon-to-be-released, “Technology Guide for Today’s Automotive Technician” and an automotive expert and instructor.

Session:

“How to Build a Membership-style Website”

While there are many ways to monetize a website, one of the more lucrative models is to sell access to premium content. This approach requires careful consideration and special software that may differ from a traditional shopping cart approach.

In this presentation, we will cover the best practices for building a membership-based site including WordPress solutions and traditional website solutions.

Bio:

Grant, who has a passion for cars, computers, and education, is a full time automotive instructor in the North Carolina Community College system and the author of “Technology Guide for Today’s Automotive Technician”, due out in May 2010. This book will cover digital technology and how it is utilized within the automotive service industry.

He has also been building the online course to deliver this content. In the process of building this membership-style site, Grant did extensive research on publishing platforms, membership software, and ecommerce solutions. Grant is a true educator and is always willing to share his experiences to make the path easier for others.

Grant’s past presentations include “The Automotive Educators Podcast” which was a weekly show about the art of teaching automotive technology.

Follow Grant:

Website: DigitalLiteracyProject.com
Twitter: @GrantSwaim

We’re very excited to announce one of our latest additions to round out WordCamp Raleigh … introducing Jeffrey L. Cohen, who is the Social Media Marketing Manager at Howard, Merrell and Partners, a B2B marketing firm.

He also is a partner in OurHashtag.com plus produces and co-hosts NorthCarolinaWine.TV, an online video show.

Session:

“Business Blogging Best Practices”

Blogging for business is a great way to provide the relevant, valuable and timely content that helps company websites be discovered by search engines.

This session will cover blogging best practices through both actionable advice and examples for those starting business blogs or for those looking to improve existing blogs.

Bio:

Jeffrey is the Social Media Marketing Manager at Howard, Merrell and Partners, a Raleigh, NC B2B marketing firm, and is a partner in OurHashtag.com, which brings together the elements of community, marketing and technology to provide platforms for connection and engagement both online and off-line.

Jeff is also a Contributing Editor at SocialMediaB2B.com, the leading B2B industry social media site, which is highly ranked on the Ad Age Power 150.

Jeff has more than 15 years experience in business to business and business to consumer marketing, on both the client and agency sides.

He is also a photographer and blogger who blogs at DigitalPapercuts.com about social media, marketing, photography and life in general, but especially his kids.

In addition, Jeff also produces an online video show focused on North Carolina Wines. NorthCarolinaWine.TV has provided an opportunity to use video and other social media tools to build out a large digital footprint and create a recognized online brand from scratch.

Jeffrey’s past presentations include sessions for SXSW Interactive, SocialMediaBusinessForum.com, IgniteRaleigh, and others.

Follow Jeff:

Blog: DigitalPaperCuts.com
Website: JeffreyLCohen.com
Twitter: @JeffreyLCohen

We’re very excited to announce one of our latest additions to round out WordCamp Raleigh … introducing Jeffrey L. Cohen, who is the Social Media Marketing Manager at Howard, Merrell and Partners, a B2B marketing firm.

He also is a partner in OurHashtag.com plus produces and co-hosts NorthCarolinaWine.TV, an online video show.

Session:

“Business Blogging Best Practices”

Blogging for business is a great way to provide the relevant, valuable and timely content that helps company websites be discovered by search engines.

This session will cover blogging best practices through both actionable advice and examples for those starting business blogs or for those looking to improve existing blogs.

Bio:

Jeffrey is the Social Media Marketing Manager at Howard, Merrell and Partners, a Raleigh, NC B2B marketing firm, and is a partner in OurHashtag.com, which brings together the elements of community, marketing and technology to provide platforms for connection and engagement both online and off-line.

Jeff is also a Contributing Editor at SocialMediaB2B.com, the leading B2B industry social media site, which is highly ranked on the Ad Age Power 150.

Jeff has more than 15 years experience in business to business and business to consumer marketing, on both the client and agency sides.

He is also a photographer and blogger who blogs at DigitalPapercuts.com about social media, marketing, photography and life in general, but especially his kids.

In addition, Jeff also produces an online video show focused on North Carolina Wines. NorthCarolinaWine.TV has provided an opportunity to use video and other social media tools to build out a large digital footprint and create a recognized online brand from scratch.

Jeffrey’s past presentations include sessions for SXSW Interactive, SocialMediaBusinessForum.com, IgniteRaleigh, and others.

Follow Jeff:

Blog: DigitalPaperCuts.com
Website: JeffreyLCohen.com
Twitter: @JeffreyLCohen

We’re happy to announce one of our final Speaker additions to WordCamp Raleigh … Ryan Boyles, is a software developer acting as technical evangelist for Application Infrastructure in IBM Software and a community manager, with the mission to drive simplification of app development in your Enterprise by raising awareness of WebSphere Emerging Technology.

Session:

“Organizing Events with WordPress”

WordPress is a great tool for building community. Blogs are the de-facto way to engage your readers and organize events, conferences and social gatherings.

To host a successful party or meetup, there are several low-fi means to incorporate event planning into WordPress blogs. To create a top billed premium event – large or small – and incorporate community elements before, during and after, takes a lot of hands-on effort and a bit of programming.

Learn more about off-the-shelf plugins and themes that can be a big help. When those are not enough, learn how to mix, mod and meld plugins into a comprehensive Event management solution that match your blogs design needs as well as your business’ function and legal requirements.

Bio:

Ryan is a software developer and technical evangelist for Application Infrastructure in IBM Software and he advocates RESTful situational application development, Agile software methods and dynamic scripting programming models for cloud computing.

He is also a community manager, with the mission to drive simplification of app development in your Enterprise by raising awareness of WebSphere Emerging Technology. He spent 13 years in software development working on user interfaces, web applications, online communities and systems management.

Ryan has a B.S. in Computer Science from North Carolina State University. He works at IBM’s Research Triangle Park Laboratory in North Carolina and is an accomplished inventor with over a dozen patents.

He has been working with WordPress since version 2.0.5 as a developer, blogger, and administrator. He is also fascinated with mobile and declarative living, and the impact of the social web on business, society, and everyday life.

Ryan’s past presentations include Web2.0 Expo, Social Fresh and various BarCamps.

Follow Ryan:

Blog: MobThink.com
Twitter: @theRab
Others: card.ly/theRab

Our latest Speaker announcement is for a fantastic addition to WordCamp Raleigh … Brandon Eley, who is the Interactive Director for Kelsey Advertising & Design, a small-smart advertising agency with a strong focus on digital media.

Session:

“5 Tactics Bloggers Should Learn from Online Marketers”

We don’t usually think of blogs as transactional websites. They’re content sites, right?

The truth is, every website is transactional in some way or another. E-commerce professionals and online marketers have spent 15 years developing the best ways to get visitors to convert.

In this presentation we’ll discuss 5 key tactics that the pros use to boost conversions… and you’ll learn how they’re applicable to your blog, as well as how they can help you make more ad revenue, increase newsletter and RSS subscriptions, and sell more products.

Bio:

Brandon is an Interactive Director, entrepreneur, author, and professional speaker. He has 10 years of experience in online marketing and e-commerce from both the perspective of an e-commerce retailer and that of a consultant.

He is the Interactive Director for Kelsey Advertising & Design, where he oversees interactive projects, online marketing campaigns and information architecture. He is also the owner of 2BigFeet.com, an online retailer of large men’s shoes, as well as several other websites and blogs.

Brandon is also the co-author of “Online Marketing Inside Out” and frequently speaks about online marketing at conferences and organizations all over the country.

In addition to all of this, he co-authors the SitePoint Tribune email newsletter that reaches over 200,000 web professionals weekly.

Brandon’s past presentations include sessions at eCommerce Merchants Association, Digital Age Seminar, South by Southwest 2010, BlogWorld Expo ’09, BarCampBirmingham, plus many others.

Follow Brandon:

Website: KelseyAds.com
Blog: BrandonEley.com
Twitter: @beley