Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta a huge success in inaugural year
If there was a blogging conference and no one from the mainstream media covered it, did it really happen? Of course it did.
This weekend, 60 bloggers gathered in Atlanta for the inaugural Blogging While Brown International Conference of Bloggers of Color. The event was produced by Executive Director Gina McCauley who also publishes the blog What About Our Daughters.
There were established blogs represented, Black Web 2.0, Electronic Village, and Clutch. And there were new bloggers also in attendance, like LaQuitta Jones who started her Terrell Tax and Planning blog about a month ago.
The conference kicked off on Friday night with a meet and greet at Fox Sports Grill in the Atlantic Station District. There were many bloggers in the room who had known each other for years via the web, but it was the first time that they had the opportunity to lay eyes on one another.
As each person stood up giving their name and website, you could literally see people around the room shaking their heads and saying “Oh she’s the one who runs that blog.” It was a great atmosphere for folks to get to know one another before the more structured workshop format that was scheduled for the following day.
After the meet up, I hung out with a group of bloggers who were discussing the merits of CNN’s Black in American. As a matter of fact, Soledad O’Brien’s special report was a hot topic throughout the weekend.
Saturday Morning’s session started bright and early with a presentation from Black Web 2.0’s founder Angela-Conyers-Benton and general manager Markus Robinson. Their session was called The Ultimate Blog Experience. From the very beginning, I was struck by the two 20 somethings addressing the group who were at the top of the black blogging game.
Angela and Markus shared so much great information during their session. Many of us found out just how much blogging technology attendees were using that we had never even heard of. ELance, Meebo, Twiter Feed, MoFuse, Blog Burst, and Global Grind were offerings that I was unfamiliar with prior to Saturday. Even my tech saavy roommate for the weekend Theo Johnson from That’s What I’m Talking About was able to pick up lots of pointers.
Next we heard from representatives of the Republican and Libertarian parties. Each party that has a candidate in the general election was invited to participate, however these were the only two felt compelled to attend Blogging While Brown.
By this time the blogger energy really kicked in and the laptops started rolling. Many of the conference participants started Tweeting one another. ATLiens (Straight from the ‘A’) had me rolling so I’m sorry to any presenter who I laughed at…my bad. Theo even set up a live feed on UStream.
After lunch, there was a panel discussion about….well I’m still not sure what it was about. The panelist included Clarissa Goodlett from ColorofChange.org, Tamera Reynolds of Glam Media, and Necole Bitchie. The session was moderated by Kevin Ross of Three Brothers and a Sister.
A number of topics were touched on from activism, to civil rights to advertising. But many were left wanting to hear more from Necole, who in seven months (and some struggles prior to that) has created a couple of recognizable brands with both Necole Bitchie and The Urban Blogger. As a matter of fact, both Necole and Clarissa will be on Gina’s Blog Talk Radio Show this week.
After that session was (finally) finished, Carmen (Carmen D.) Dixon from All About Race presented and informative session titled “Secrets from a Media Insider”. Carmen shared some of 10 plus years of experience in the television industry with attendees. She broke down the make up of a news room, how to pitch yourself to news directors, and creating the ins and outs of a media kit. Not only did the bloggers in attendees appreciate Carmen’s content, but people I talked to also appreciated Carmen’s energy and passion.
Finally AfroSpear member Wayne Hicks (Electronic Village) lead and Umoja session that focused on blogger unity and sustainability. As a matter of fact, AfroSpear members Villager, Carmen D., Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend (ranked #1 in latest Black Blogger Rankings) and I all ended up sitting together on the front row all day. The AfroSpear’s Bruce Dixon from Black Agenda Report was also represented.
There were also a podcast session lead by Mixed Chicks and a legal session lead by Attorney Mom that I missed.
In summary, this was a very well organized, informing and inspiring conference. Gina must be commended for stepping out on faith and making it happen. When we were taking the group photo, I was reminded of the picture from the Niagara Movement in 1905. One day far in the future -which means 2010 in internet years-we’ll look back at the photo and think that a new movement took root, or was furthered in Atlanta in July of 2008. But for now, I’m looking forward to BWB 2009.
Though NetRoots Nation was covered heavily last weekend in Austin, there’s been hardly a peep about BWB. In fairness, Blogging While Brown was held on the same weekend as Unity (conference of minority journalists) in Chicago. I’m sure next year’s event will be held at a time when journalists can be part of the mix. But this time I think it was best for bloggers -many whom have little or no journalistic training- to come together and make their own way. There will be plenty of time for media exposure.
Sponsors for this historic conference included BlogHer, Service Employees Industry Union, Daily Kos, Glam Media, and Common Sense Media.
