upstart co-founder and La Trobe University Associate Professor of Journalism Lawrie Zion will speak at the Walkley Foundation’s 2011 Freelance Conference in Melbourne today.

He will join Renee Barnes and James Tuckerman on the panel, ‘Launching Your Online Presence’, at 10.15 am. The conference is hosted by the Walkley Foundation and the Media Alliance, with support from The Copyright Agency Limited (CAL), Banki Haddock Fiora, The Wheeler Centre and RMIT University, and runs from today, 19 May, until Saturday, 21 May.

The panel will discuss creating and maintaining a successful digital presence, as well as the power of social media when pitching marketing and exposing stories.

Barnes is an online journalism lecturer at RMIT University and is also undertaking a PhD at La Trobe University, while Tuckerman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Anthill magazine, an Australian media company focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Other speakers at the conference include Gary Tippet from The Age; Shelley Gare, a Walkley-winning freelance journalist, editor and author; and Alan Attwood from The Big Issue. For a full list of conference speakers click here.

The conference is being held at The Wheeler Centre and tickets are $185 for members and $300 for non-members. Students are eligible for a discount.

Book or register your interest by emailing events@walkleys.com.