Having recently returned from BloggerCon at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, I was eager to tell fellow bloggers about the differing format of this convention versus others I have attended in the past. This is described at the " newbies" page on www.BloggerCon.org.
I think it is a format that should be adopted by convention planners and applied to conventions of all topic areas. It is surprising how much one can learn from the participants themselves when given the chance. We don't need some corporate sponsored speaker who will underhandedly pitch his product or feed us his or her view of the Blogosphere.
I am also tired of corporations dictating terms to us, the users. Doesn't it make more sense to include us in the developing process so we can critique, lobby for and suggest changes? By giving us what we want, corporations make a more desirable product and thus make greater profits. Conventions like BloggerCon give developers another opportunity to sit back and learn from us.
Most importantly, the "un-convention" approach helps to create a cooperative environment reminiscent of the Blogosphere. This is something that can't be quantitatively analyzed or monetized. It encourages users, new and old, to grow personally and professionally.
That is why I calling all Northwest bloggers to come together and show them, those pompous convention planners and clueless CEO's (of course there are exceptions) how its done. Let's bring BloggerCon to Seattle!
The Seattle area is one of the high-tech centers of the world. Several of the world's largest software, internet and gadget developers call this region home. This would lead me to conclude that Seattle boasts an amble supply of bloggers and blog readers.
Email me at SEABlogger@seattleblogger.com if your interested in helping to get this project off the ground. Anyone of any ability, varying degrees of interest or level of talent is encouraged to drop me a line!
Yours Truly,
SEABlogger
