9-10 a.m.: Registration.
10 a.m.: Official welcomes and introductions.
10:30 a.m.: Opening remarks on what the global computer network can offer for journalists, how journalists can link into the network. Presenters: A.A. Soldatov, president of Relcom; Anatoly Voronov, director of GlasNet; representatives of Sovam Teleport, Golden Line. Presentations can be illustrated with a sampling of Internet resources.
Noon: Lunch break. Signup for the next day's small-group sessions.
1:30 p.m.: Zhenya Voronina of RAPIC, Natasha Bulashova of Friends & Partners, Igor Semenyuk of Sovam Teleport and Holt Ruffin of Center for Civil Society International touch on the basics of using online tools. How the Net can be a medium for different modes of communication (one-to- one, one-to-many, many-to-many). Getting connected, logging in, using e- mail, newsgroups, FTP, gopher, Web, WAIS, commercial databases available at RAPIC. The session, with demonstrations from the podium, will be aimed at laying the groundwork for later hands-on sessions.
3 p.m.: Coffee break.
3:30 p.m.: Nora Paul of the Poynter Institute and John Garcia of New York University expand upon the basics and focus on applications in journalism. A discussion of how computer-aided reporting and research lead to better stories.
4:30 p.m.: Dirk Smillie of the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center discusses how online media are affecting the public policy debate in the 1996 presidential campaign in the United States, and the possibilities for Russian political parties.
5:30 p.m.: Close of session. Workstations available until 7 p.m. for hands- on demonstrations and chat.
9 a.m.: Three-hour module for hands-on training and discussion of electronic publishing.
Noon: Lunch break.
1:30 p.m.: Track 2 spends the afternoon at the workstations in small groups. Track 1 attends program on online media ventures:
5 p.m.: Discussion and wrapup.
5:30 p.m.: Close of session. Workstations available until 6:30 p.m. for demonstrations and chat.
9:30 a.m.: Reality check: Helen Holter of Medio Magazine discusses the pitfalls of using the Internet, and how those pitfalls could be reduced or alleviated. How online media may change the outlook for journalism education and employment. The risks of starting up an online publication, and strategies for riding them out. How to separate the hype from the reality. Possibilities for making money from the Internet.
10:30 a.m.: Milana Perepyolkina demonstrates the Microsoft Network and discusses her experience at MSN.
Noon: Lunch break.
1:30 p.m.: The Gee-Whiz stuff: Greg Cole of Friends & Partners demonstrates tools under development for the Net: Java, a new programming language that makes the World Wide Web "come alive"; programs that allow computer users to speak with each other in real time; and new videoconferencing software.
2:30 p.m.: Round table on how the issues and techniques explored during previous sessions can be of benefit to journalists. Opportunities for using online media as an instrument for building regional professional associations among journalists. Strategies for making online media more accessible to journalists. Suggestions for improvement, feedback on the conference itself.
4 p.m.: Closing news conference and public demonstrations.
7 p.m.: Closing reception.
E-mail: Using a mail management program (Unix mail, elm/pine, Eudora). Sending, receiving and storing e-mail. Finding and using listservs.
Newsgroups: Using programs to read and post to newsgroups (rn,nn,trn, Trumpet, NewsWatcher, browsers). Finding appropriate newsgroups. The procedure for creating newsgroups. How to use newsgroups to find sources, gather information, examine issues. Flaming and spamming.
Telnet functions: How to connect with remote computers. How to use FTP and archie. Using gopher and veronica.
The Web: The types of connections needed for Web use. Browsers (CERN, lynx, Netscape/Mosaic). Key sites for journalists. How to search for information on the Web. How to find and retrieve Web files using e-mail techniques.
Database searches: Using WAIS to find files. Connecting with commercial databases and libraries over the Internet. Using CD-ROM archives and other sources available through RAPIC.