LIVE BLOG: Recapping the 2012 Online News Association Conference

5:03 p.m. Microsoft Application Development Lab attendant helps us connect with ONA Northwestern students via Skype. Technology struggles...

5:08 p.m. We can hear ONA Northwestern students loud and clear!

5:10 p.m. MU Futures Lab Director Mike McKean says the biggest takeaway of the conference is that ONA is the most diverse and active journalism organization out there. He says based on what he learned in conference sessions, MU journalism is preparing students for the real world.

5:15 p.m. McKean says MU alums Meredith Artley of CNN.com and Juana Summers of Politico are influential in ONA.

5:25 p.m. McKean says young professionals need to be proficient and current in social media skills, as well as have knowledge of coding and programming. Many organizations want to approach multimedia projects as a team. That means it could be good to specialize instead of being a "jack of all trades."

One session discussed "making apps like lasagna." That means they're made with uncluttered layers, so they are easy to navigate. News aggregation apps are also becoming more popular. This includes Columbia's own Newsy, as well as Newsala.

EVENT ALERT: Recapping the Online News Association Conference

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 27, 5 p.m.

WHERE: 42 Walter Williams

The 2012 Online News Association Conference, one of the nation’s largest digital journalism gatherings, happened last week in San Francisco -- and ONA Mizzou is highlighting the event for those of us who couldn’t make it. Join ONA Mizzou, ONA Northwestern, Futures Lab Director Mike McKean, RJI Communications Director Brian Steffens and other faculty members as they share what they learned at #ONA12. We'll  focus on innovations you can add to your journalism repertoire today.

Come with questions and your game face: We'll be playing Buzzword Bingo (we'll explain, don't worry) for the chance to win fabulous ONA12 gear.

Itching to read about the conference before Thursday? Check out coverage from the conference's student newsroom, Gannett's ONA12 Tumblr and Poynter's "12 bite-size takeaways" from the event.

Also, we highlighted three conference sessions in a post last week.

Can't go to the 2012 Online News Association Conference? Learn from it anyway.

By Andrew Gibson

Not everyone can go to the 2012 Online News
Association Conference, but that doesn't mean you
can't learn from ONA12.

Thursday marks the start of what might be the world's most talent laden and genuinely awesome gatherings of digital journalists.

The 2012 Online News Association Conference, happening in San Francisco through Saturday, features the likes of Liz Heron, Wall Street Journal social media and engagement director, and Juana Summers, a Politico national reporter -- and 2009 Missouri School of Journalism graduate -- who's been following around GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

In other words, Thursday marks the start of three heavenly days.

And of course, you're not going.

Well, neither am I. But there's still something you can do: scan the conference schedule. Maybe that sounds boring, but if you take five minutes, you might read about a session that intrigues you. Maybe something you want to learn about on your own. It's not necessary to fly west to learn data journalism, you know.

(For the record, ONA will livestream some parts of the conference. You should also follow the #ONA12 hashtag.)

Here are three sessions that caught my eye: