Sue wanted to have lunch, so we did, and suddenly there's going to be another Converge conference.

                         

That's an exaggeration: Sue had already done some legwork.

But we sat down at M'Coul's and she asked me what I thought and I said I thought I was too busy and tired to even consider helping to throw another one of these things together for next fall and she said, Great, here's what I need you to do...

Her vision is for a Saturday conference in October, very hands on, almost Uplifterish in places.

I'm supposed to come up with ideas and people for programs.

Already this morning Ross Myers called and we discussed using the milblogging stuff he's been working on as the core of a social networking session. Not a military blogging session per se, but a broader look at creating and participating in social networks that would capitalize on the experience of milbloggers. This stuff is huge, and it was a good conversation, and without making any firm plans I said the social networking idea was at the top of my list of possibilities (and at this moment the sum total of that list).

So I'm interested in ideas for programs.

Update: It occurs to me (duh) that there is the buzziest of buzzprases out there for all the cool stuff we want to help people do and that of course is Web 2.0, so I guess branding this thing as Web 2.0 in some way would be a smart move, because even though the term is semi-annoying it covers a lot of ground we want covered. And anyway, we were country when country wasn't cool, or 2.0 before it was cool, or something, so we might as well ride that buzz.

Comments

[Mark Binker]

It may be too old school (not very 2.0-ish or cutting edge), but apropos of several discussions as of late (one of them here: http://blog.news-record.com/staff/jrblog/archives/2006/04/over_the_past_w.html) a fine topic could be: how to foster civility and actual discussion and discourage, well, crappy knee-jerk screeds.

[Nick]

Hey Ed, you should add things like this to upcoming.org. I keep missing them and they seem really fun.

[Ed Cone]

Mark: Screw that, ink boy.

I mean, thanks for the idea, Mark, I'll put it on the list. Even if it doesn't fit into the eventual hands-on program, it should inform everything we do.

Ross was astute about that this morning -- he said that the milblog conference was pretty political, which was fine of course, but he was into making sure a possible social networking session was welcoming to all.

So, yeah, thanks.

Nick: thanks for the suggestion. Will do.

[Beth]

Um.. Idea here: How to quit your day job by blogging?

:)

[Nick]

Beth: We could get Jason Kottke and John Gruber to do a Point/Counterpoint!

[Billy The Blogging Poet]

Beth, If you'd like I could make something up. ;-)

[beth]

Oooh oooh... I've got another one...

Blogging SEO

[Ryan]

I would like to suggest at least 2 sessions on podcasting, with one being for complete and total beginners. I'm more than willing to help out with this.

[Daniel]

Count us in -- and maybe some more people from Charleston, too.

FYI to you, Sue, and the ConvergeSouth '05 group: Your gospel is spreading.

We're finally getting something going down here -- a local blog-blog (www.postscripts.typepad.com/lowcountryblogs -- it's not up to Roch's standards, but it's a start), which has led to plans for the first Charleston blog party on the 16th... plus we're hosting an Uplifter thing here on Saturday, with Dave Slusher coming down.

Maybe you Greensboro blog people could adopt Charleston as a sister city. Then you could all take a roadtrip down here and write it off on your taxes or something...