11.10.11 - More than 300 representatives from Russia’s leading mass media, advertising and creative agencies, and digital market experts will participate in this fifth learning seminar with Facebook experts. The event will take place on October 31, 2011 at the RIA Novosti International Multimedia Press Center. Ekaterina Skorobogatova, official representative of Facebook in Russia, and Angela Zaeh, Facebook growth manager in Russia and Eastern Europe region will speak about the opportunities that the world’s largest social network (Facebook) opens up for companies operating in the media industry and the future of this collaboration in terms of the last Facebook innovations unveiled at the recent F8 conference. Facebook representatives will explain how Facebook is transforming the way people communicate, consume, share and recommend media content to their friends, i.e. tell all the different parts of their story – from the small things they do each day to their biggest moments.

The workshop will be also broadcast in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is to be streamed on the RIA 7.0 website dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the RIA Novosti Agency (http://ria.ru/ria70/).    

“At the F8 Developer Conference we introduced a number of important Facebook Platform changes,” said Angela Zaeh. “In the workshop we will address how and why changes have come about, and how Russia’s media agencies and partners can work with these changes”.

Workshop attendees will be able to discuss issues such as how mass media takes its place within social networks, and learn about innovative tools in working with the Facebook audience. The RIA Novosti Media Holding’s accumulated experience in utilizing Facebook and successful cases involving the West’s leading media concerns will also be discussed.

RIA Novosti is also preparing to launch a new Facebook application, which will soon be available on www.ria.ru.

The wide usage and popularity of social networks have fundamentally changed the contemporary media landscape. The new media formats that are available have transformed regular users into active participants in the dissemination of information. Many mass media agencies have incorporated engagement with social networks into their day-to-day work.

Facebook’s “Recommend” function now represents one of the largest content-sharing platforms for users. Considering the cooperative nature of the relationship between the social network and mass media companies, a variety of features are designed for the mass media to more effectively reach Facebook users. By using Facebook, media companies and content providers not only boost traffic but first and foremost, they gain a valuable insight in understanding the public in addition to the tools they will need to reach out to it in the future.

The seminar will be conducted in Russian and English (simultaneous translation).
To register for the event, go to http://ria.ru/docs/ria70/workshop_fb.html. Registration will be open until October 28, 2011. Registration is free.

For further information about this seminar, contact Ms Irina Kovshova at: + 7 495 645-6601 (ext 7952), or + 7 905 705-0374 or via email i.kovshova@rian.ru      
Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti (www.en.rian.ru)

RIA Novosti is a leading Russian media company with a rich 70-year history. Today, the RIA Novosti media holding includes the eponymous multimedia Russian Information Agency, the Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information, the R-Sport news agency, the Moscow News Publishing House, which publishes newspapers in Russian and English, a press center, as well as more than 70 Internet resources in 14 languages. RIA Novosti websites are visited by 17 million unique users per month.

The core of the RIA Novosti holding is the news agency, a revered and widely quoted source of timely and accurate news. The agency publishes social, political, economic, scientific and sports news 24/7 in 14 languages and has an extensive network of correspondents in 68 Russian cities and 40 countries. The RIA Novosti news agency also sponsors a unique educational platform created not only for its own employees but for the entire journalism community.

RIA Novosti also develops news applications for a variety of modern computer platforms. The agency provides unique news content on infoscreens, mobile TV, smartphones and tablet devices (iPhone, iPad, Android, Symbian). The agency actively employs the main social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Vkontakte) to help its audience stay on top of important events and to promote interaction with the agency's editorial departments.

The RIA Novosti Press Center has an extensive network of multimedia press centers in Russia and abroad. RIA Novosti is recognized for its video and news conferences, briefings, roundtables and interactive online conferences.

RIA Novosti is striving to keep up with the time and meet the needs of a diverse audience. The agency has won prestigious media contests and is a winner of numerous Russian and international media awards and prizes.

Facebook (www.facebook.com)
Founded in February 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Facebook is a privately held company and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.