Sam weighs in on yesterday's FreedomNet. I missed the first panel, but it sounds like I caught the best discussion of local blogging, which came in his subsequent comments.  I agree with Sam that Scott Johnson's minute-by-minute recounting of the Rather story was interesting from a blog-writer's point of view (I also agree with Fec that it's a bit past its sell-by date, as is the bloggers-as-pamphleteers comparison with which he closed).

This was a conservative political conference built around web themes, utilizing a traditional format of panels and a keynote speaker. It worked well on its own terms, although Fec is right about the audience composition. I enjoyed it, and I spent some time at the Green Bean last week talking with John Hood about how to make the next one bigger and better.

ConvergeSouth is going to be a very different kind of thing. It's a user conference, built around the idea that everyone there may have something relevant and valuable to say. Creativity on the web for all people is our founding credo, and we mean it. The session leaders are experts, that's why we chose them, and they are meant to share wisdom, but also to facilitate a much more horizontal and bloglike conversation than might be found at a traditional conference.

Comments

[Bubba]

As one who is new to blogging, I found Scott Johnson's narrative to be a useful look at how this medium works in real time.

In my previous experience in old media as a writer/editor, the time frame involved caused the writer to adjust the message according tto expected time frames.

In blogging, it can be quite different.

I'm really interested in seeing how live blogging an event comes together for the blogger.

[Bubba]

Add "of actual broadcast or print" after the last "time frames" in the previous post.

[David Wharton]

I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks for the work that you and Sue and Ben and everyone else put into it.

Also, I'll be chopping pork at Hoggard's on Friday night, so hope to see you all there.