WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - Jun 1, 2011) - The Online News Association, the world's largest membership organization of digital journalists, today announced the program for its 2011 Conference & Awards Banquet, the incubator for emerging ideas, media networking and newsroom technology.

ONA11 will officially open Thursday, Sept. 22, with a reception at the Microsoft New England Research and Development (NERD) Center and end Sept. 24 with The Online Journalism Awards Banquet, celebrating the best in digital journalism.

"There's a reason why our last four conferences have sold out early," said Jane McDonnell, ONA Executive Director. "This is where journalists, educators and students and their technology partners come to share, grow and learn what's next on the digital media horizon."

The pre-conference will kick off at the Marriot Copley Place Thursday, Sept. 22, with hands-on digital workshops and field trips with experts, as well as the third annual Career Summit & Job Fair, and move on to four tracks focused on journalism and technology Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24. Keynote speakers sharing their visions on media, technology and government will be announced shortly.

Back this year by popular demand: ONA11 J-Camp and Office Hours. Attendees will have a direct line to Google, Twitter, Facebook and Apple geek squads who will be on hand to answer questions and offer tips on how to get the most out of their tools and technology.

The full program is available here; presenters will be added as ONA keeps an eye on media trends and experts. Conference sessions will cover:

• ubiquitous computing
• working with a smaller staff
• building second screens
• covering the 2012 election
• gamification
• data visualization
• creating apps
• social media optimization
• long-form journalism
• the 10 hottest tech trends
• augmented mobile social experiences
• journalists in crisis zones
• responsive web design

Register for ONA11 here. Details on sponsorship and exhibitor packages are available here.

The Online News Association is the world's largest association of online journalists. ONA's mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, technologists, photographers and others who produce news for the Internet or other digital delivery systems, as well as academic members and others interested in the development of online journalism. ONA also hosts the annual Online News Association annual conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.