Reporters have asked me (yes, I am friends with many reporters) why it’s such a big deal that they use the stylebook. Their thinking has been two-fold: 1. Won’t the copy desk catch it? and 2. What does it matter?

(Note to official-looking people who plan this event: Ignore this post. Nothing to see here.)

Want to know how to put on your very own ACES conference panel? Follow these easy steps:

Judging by the packed room at Friday’s session, it looks like a lot of us want to find out what else is out there. The panel got the discussion started, but some other interesting ideas came from members of the audience.

If you’re interested in life beyond the rim and slot, talk to the people who attended Moderating Online Communities: A Potential New Job for the Desk, presented by Doug Fisher and Travis Henry.

OK with split infinitives? Fine with the passive voice? Good with starting sentences from Conjunction Junction? So is Bill Walsh. And in his perennially popular “Rules That Aren’t” session, the Washington Post chief of national copy desks cheerfully knocks down longheld beliefs about grammar, style and usage.

Charles Delafuente’s session served as a good nuts-and-bolts review of one of the pricklier topics we encounter.

Merrill Perlman’s “If I Knew Only” is an annual ACES conference favorite, and it’s easy to see why. It’s fun, light, breezy and interactive. Oh, and highly informative about the sorts of things that come across our copy desk almost every day. As the longtime chief of copy desks at The New York Times, managing some 150 copy editors, she’s earned her standing as an authority on everyday news language.

Oh, and she’s pretty funny. And she has the rare gift of not only knowing her subject cold — but knowing how to communicate that knowledge in a way that doesn’t leave her audience cold. She’s not one to bombard you with complicated grammar terms.

At the beginning of the session, Merrill said: ‘Gerund’ will probably the worst word I’ll use.”

Alternative story forms are here to stay. Copy editors can play a key role in making them better.

So far, we’ve given you a lot of ideas for food, drink, socializing and sightseeing when you get to Denver. But what about ideas on some of the biggest choices you will be making starting Thursday morning — what conference sessions to attend?

I’ve spent a lot of time recently pouring over the choices (I was the production person for the conference program booklet) and I’m still a little bit unsure about what topics I’ll be soaking up after registration time. Here are five tips on making the best decisions about your daytime conference time.