Speaking
If you have a speaking opportunity, I’d love to talk with you. Please drop me a note through my speaking contact form. Thank you for your consideration.
I speak at conferences and events on the topics of online community, social media and related subjects. I have spoken nationally at events large and small as part of panel presentations or solo sessions via webcast and in person. Through these presentations, I provide practical, actionable solutions rooted in my personal, real world experience managing online communities since 2000.
I tend to focus on the value of social media and online community to individuals and businesses and how best to participate in these areas as a manager/owner, marketer or user/member.
I founded and own the iFroggy Network, a network of websites covering various interests and have been responsible for the launch and cultivation of communities like KarateForums.com, phpBBHacks.com and PhotoshopForums.com. I am the author of the book “Managing Online Forums,” a practical guide to managing online forums, communities and social spaces. For more on my background, please check out my about page.
For more information, please check out the following sections of this page:
What You Can Expect
Sample Speaking Topics
Past Engagements and Session Titles
Testimonials
What You Can Expect
All speakers have their own style. Here are the tenets of mine:
Focus on people, not technology. I’m not a programmer. I can’t really write code. My passion is the management, cultivation and people aspects of online community and social media – not the technology behind it, even though I can speak to those things and give advice.
Speak from experience. I only speak about that which I have experience with. I’m not here to fake anyone out and I’m not afraid to admit what I don’t know.
Tailor the talk to the audience. The audience I’m speaking in front of plays an important role in the direction of the talk because, at the end of the day, it’s about creating value for that audience – not repeating the same thing to every audience.
Love the Q&A. I enjoy the question and answer part of every talk I give. In fact, I think it’s what I enjoy most.
Keep the mood light and have fun. Some people like to argue, some people like intense debate, some people like to get angry. That’s fine for them, but it’s not for me. I want my talks to be light, for everyone in the room to feel comfortable and for us to exchange knowledge with a little humor built in.
Attend the event and be available. I don’t really like to just fly in, do my talk and leave. If at all possible, I much prefer to attend the entire conference and spend time meeting and talking with people.
Simple slides. My slide presentations are extremely simple. Pictures, some words, that’s about it. I prefer to talk, rather than have a lot of text on the slides. See my SlideShare account for examples.
Promote the event. When I find out I’m speaking at an event, I want people to come! As such, I mention it on my websites and the social spaces that I participate in.
Sample Speaking Topics
These topics are mainly just to give you an idea of the types of things that I speak about. They are meant to serve as inspiration and not to be used as a definitive list of speaking topics. I’m happy to talk about whatever you’d like and come up with custom ideas, as long it fits with my experience.
The Value of Online Community for Businesses
The Art of Responding to Feedback
The Worst of Social Media
Online Community Member Horror Stories and How I Survived
What Skills Do I Need to Manage an Online Community?
Are Online Forums Still Relevant?
Training Volunteer Forum Moderators
How Forums and Community Spaces Benefit Publishers
The Basics of Managing an Online Community
How Can I Benefit From Online Forums as a Marketer?
Creating a Positive Environment on Your Forums
How to Deal with Online Community Troublemakers
Past Engagements and Session Titles
2010
November 13: indieconf – “Marketing Yourself as a Freelance on an Online Community” solo presentation
October 14-16: Blog World & New Media Expo – “How to Make Money Building an Online Community” panel with Chris Garrett and Lara Kulpa
October 1: ConvergeSouth – “Personal Branding & How to Break Into Social Media” session with Wayne Sutton
September 10: Modern Media Man Summit – “Jack Bauer’s Guide to Managing Online Communities” solo presentation
May: Shift Conference – “Social Media Strategy” panel with Brad Proctor, Derek Brown and Melissa Gibbs
May: WordCamp Raleigh – “Building Community Around Your WordPress Blog” solo presentation
March: South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) – “Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&!” Core Conversation with Twanna A. Hines
2009
October: Social Media Business Forum – “Building and Managing an Online Community” panel with Laurie Smithwick and Ryan Boyles
October: Social Media Business Forum – “Advertising and the Social Web: Can it Work?” panel with David Millsaps and Gregory Ng
October: Blog World & New Media Expo – Skimlinks booth event: “Community Management and Monetization Q&A” session
October: Blog World & New Media Expo – “Social Media: What’s Not to Like?” panel with Amber Naslund, Robert Scoble and Wayne Sutton
March: South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) – “The Art of Responding to Feedback From Your Community” solo presentation (video)
2008
October: Social Media Club Louisville – “The Marketing Value of Online Forums” solo presentation (video)
October: Independent Blogging Conference at Greensboro – “Promoting Your Blog Through Social Media” solo presentation
October: Independent Blogging Conference at Greensboro – “The Blogging Revolution” conference opening panel (video) with Anne Fitten-Glenn, Heather Solos, Jared W. Smith and Kelby Carr
September: Blog World & New Media Expo – “Avoiding Disaster: How Not to Use Social Media” panel (video) with Darren Rowse, Jason Falls and Lee LeFever
September: Blog World & New Media Expo – “How to Deal with Trolls, Spammers and Sock Puppets” panel (video) with Jeremy Schoemaker, John Chow and Rick Calvert
March: South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) – “Creating a Positive Environment on Your Forums” solo presentation (video)
Testimonials
“I would highly recommend Patrick as a speaker. He did a great job on two separate panels at Blog World last year and was by far the most prepared speaker of the entire show. He had great insights to offer our attendees and he is literally the nicest guy in the social media world. Patrick provides the perfect example of what aspiring new media content creators should be.”
- Rick Calvert
CEO and Co-Founder, Blog World & New Media Expo
“Patrick knows what he’s talking about when it comes to online communities and social media. He’s a clear communicator, has a wealth of experience and is well networked in the space – well worth having speak at your next event.”
- Darren Rowse
Founder and Editor, ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip
Co-Founder and Blogger Evangelist, b5media
“I don’t care what qualities you look for in a conference or meeting speaker, the one that matters is whether or not they deliver value. Patrick O’Keefe delivers value, and does so with a professional approach and easy to understand style that delivers across the spectrum of technological aptitudes. Hire him.”
- Jason Falls
Principal, Social Media Explorer
President and Co-Founder, Social Media Club Louisville
“Put simply, Patrick knows what he is talking about. You can count on him for being prepared, professional and using his considerable real-world experience to make sure the audience goes home with practical ideas and advice.”
- Lee LeFever
Principal, Common Craft
“After hearing someone say they’d read Patrick’s book, “Managing Online Forums,” six times, I switched sessions so I could hear Patrick speak. I wasn’t disappointed. Patrick is a community management expert who speaks from a depth of experience very few people have. As the world recognizes the importance of online communities and the topic becomes trendy, Patrick’s the person who wrote the book on how to manage communities and developed the structure and guidelines companies and people need to follow to nurture a thriving community online.
I read Patrick’s book and I have to say that there’s nothing like it – or Patrick – on the market. I’m looking forward to hearing Patrick speak at another event – this time attending his session will be a top priority.”
- Barbara Rozgonyi
Publisher, Wired PR Works
Founder, Social Media Club Chicago
“Patrick is an incredible writer (one of my favorite non-fiction authors), so I made it a point to hear him speak at a recent industry event. I can’t recommend him highly enough – both in print, and in person!”
- Lynn Terry
Author, ClickNewz
“I had the chance to see Patrick speak at Blog World Expo on a panel about sock puppets and trolls. The panel was on how to deal with these baddies in community environments. I loved Patrick’s speaking style from the get-go. Somehow he took the sting out of dangerous encounters by humanizing “trolls” and reminding us how we’re all connected.
I liked Patrick’s ability to demystify the community “killers” by reminding us that there is a work-around for every potentially hazardous community situation. It really is possible to turn a negative into a positive – Patrick’s talk left everyone in the room feeling a little more empowered to make the most of any community interaction.”
“I saw Patrick speak on a panel at Blog World Expo and was impressed with his ability to educate the audience about fostering online communities, as well as the impact social mediums are having on the greater communications world. He has a down-to-earth speaking style, a deep knowledge of the subject matter, and would make a great addition to any panel discussion or solo event. Definitely consider booking this guy!”
- Nathan T. Wright
Founder, Lava Row
