So go ahead. We can take it. Use the comments section to tell us the good, the bad, the ugly about your Buzz2009 experience. Here are a list of things we’re curious about.

• Andy’s keynote
• Case studies with Rob, Brian, Marguerite, Tara, and Jill
• Webcast with Guy, Andy, Stephanie, Stacey, and Brendan
• Scenarios with Lindy and Maddie
• Takeaway exercise with Jeremy
• The food
• The space
• WOM Slam the night before
• Happy hour

You can also let us know your thoughts by email–lindy[at]socialfish[dot]org. Can’t wait to hear from you!

Ironworks and Boxwood have stepped up to sponsor the Buzz2009 scholarship program. That means we were able to invite two more people who needed to attend Buzz2009. How awesome is that?!

Please be sure to check out these companies–they are both very active in the association community and have lots of useful insight and experience working with membership organizations.

Thank you guys–Buzz2009 is more fabulous because of you!

Please also register for the free live webcast and keep an eye on the Twitter banter.

Those of you who have already registered, you’ll receive an email with last minute logistics today–keep an eye out for it.

Not only will Brian share his experiences with IEEE’s web portals, directories and members-only internet based television network, he’ll also tell the story about Gold Around the World, the innovative and viral project to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of IEEE. You want to see a smart use of video to raise awareness? Check it out below.

So now you’ve got a brief intro for all four panelists. What do you hope to learn from them? What burning questions do you have for the group? Submit your thoughts and questions in the comments section below—and I’ll make sure to add them to the list. Of course you can wait until Thursday—but if you’re like me and need to write them down before they disappear—there’s no better place than right here.

Today is Friday–on a holiday weekend, no less–so let’s have some fun. I’ve been stalking a few of our speakers and found a little something for everyone.

Burrito Buzz
Are you a writer with a passion for burritos? @caltort wants you to write their next radio spot. Win cash and free burritos for a year.

Cosmic Blobs
I could spend hours clicking on links from the @natgeosociety twitter stream. I was attracted to this link about “mysterious blobs of glowing gas in far-flung regions of space”–partly because I love space, partly because I love the word “blob.”

Da Ali G Show
Sorry Andy, I couldn’t help myself. 3 minutes and 22 seconds into this clip from Da Ali G Show, you’ll see how Buzz2009 Keynoter Andy Sernovitz handles the master satirist. Impressive.

NFI Studios, Avectra, and Omnipress have all stepped up to sponsor the Buzz2009 scholarship program. That means three more people who need to attend Buzz2009 will be able to. Woohoo! If you’d like to be one of the deserving Buzz2009 scholarship winners, leave us a comment over yonder.

These three companies are active citizens of the association community and they all happen to be pretty forward-thinking on the social media front. If you’re not familiar with any of them, be sure to check them out.

You can sponsor a scholarship, too!
If your company would like to join the list of scholarship sponsors who are sending worthy scholarship applicants to Buzz2009, shoot me an email today. (lindy@socialfish.org)

And, oh yeah, this session will be webcast LIVE and available for FREE to SmartBrief subscribers. And since subscribing to SmartBrief on Social Media is free, well, you get the picture.

You might think it’s crazy to give away the most star-studded session on the program for free. (OK, you might be right about that.) But here’s a little secret. Buzz2009 attendees in the room will have exclusive access to the entire panel, all of whom will be there in-person. Still, if you can’t make the trip to DC on July 9, here are the details for the free webcast.

Webcast Summary
Day:    Thursday, July 9
Time:  Noon–1:30pm
Register for the webcast
In this live video simulcast, experts put shape around the magic behind viral marketing. Guy Kawasaki and Andy Sernovitz will lead a lively discussion with a panel featuring National Geographic’s Brendan Hart, California Tortilla’s Stacey Kane and Return Path’s Stephanie Miller. This diverse and well-rounded group will discuss how they position themselves or their clients well for firestorms of buzz, sales and cred.

You’ll learn how to use social media to:

• Energize your brand
• Activate your fans
• Increase sales
• Drive traffic to your Web site
• Engage your commmunity

Take Marguerite Murer Tortorello, senior vice president for Public Affairs at Property Casualty Insurers of America (PCI). She leads advancement of advocacy initiatives and industry reputation management through traditional AND social media strategies. Not only does Tortorello bring association experience to the table, she also brings years of experience  down in our neck of the woods for a little operation known as the White House.

My initial discussion with Marguerite was fascinating– and she’s got an interesting spin on how to promote the merits of social media at her association. While most of us dabble in the fine art of “get the intern to do it”– Tortorello educates and engages the board for a “top-down” approach.

She’s got great stories to tell– and we’ll welcome her back to Washington with open arms.

I’ll highlight our last panelist shortly– and then open the blog up for questions for the group.

We want everyone to walk away from our session saying, “oh yeah–now I see how all this stuff applies to our association.” So we’ll be re-examining the framework for how associations can build their social media strategy, breaking down the living case study for Buzz2009, and addressing the time-suck factor.

Of course, for our session to have any value, you need to be at Buzz2009 in person (Registering and getting there are the easy parts), and you need to have a clear idea of your social media objectives.

What is your association trying to achieve through social media? Please let us know in the comments!

Next up on Association Spotlight panel is Jill Cook, Assistant Director at the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). At ASCA, Jill has been key in developing ASCA’s new social networking site– ASCA Scene. Launched in July 2008 – ASCA Scene has about 5,000 members on board– not half-bad considering ASCA has 25,000 total members.

So if you or your team have ever asked the question, “Should we create our own social networking site?” now is your chance. Hear direct from someone who has taken the plunge– and is seeing results.

Next week I’ll detail the final two participants and start a call for questions.