Yes, yes, yes. Let me know what I can do to make this a reality. I've got event planning/management experience from the corporate world that I'm happy to contribute.

Where? Near an airport hub city to decrease travel costs, either in the middle of the country (think Chicago, Denver, Phoenix maybe) or a place people might want to play tourist (New York, New Orleans, Orlando, San Francisco). Meeting costs are lower in places like Phoenix and Denver. But if the potential attendees are primarily in one part of the country (east coast?) then pick somewhere in that part of the country. If you can, it's best to choose an interesting place and go off season, like New York in August (ugh). The key to location is low cost accessibility, meeting space that can be reached without renting a car or $50 cab rides, and affordable meeting space. If we get a sense of numbers, we should be able to negotiate lower rates for flights, cars, and hotel rooms.

When? Avoid holidays (including mothers/fathers day) or tag a low interest three day weekend holiday. Since I'm guessing that most attendees will be using personal time I think it should be over a weekend - maybe Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon? I'd be curious to hear other people's thoughts on this though. I could be guessing wrong. As for time of year, I'd suggest late winter/early spring. I think it would be hard to pull off earlier than that in terms of planning. Any later and we start bumping into holidays and then summer vacations.

The next questions I have are these: how long (one day? two?). Do we break into subgroups or all stay together? I'm assuming we'd charge some kind of fee to cover costs, but offer "no fee attendance" for those who can't swing more than the travel costs. Also, it would be ideal if we could web cast the conference. I'm sure there would be plenty of blog coverage.

Also, should the topic be limited to investigative blogging? Do we specify that this is a progressive or left leaning group? Does that limit the likely participation of investigative reporters? (Inquiring minds want to know.)

I'm enthusiastic about this idea and stand ready to contribute. Just let me know.

Kathy
Random Thoughts on Politics

I don't think there is a serious difference between blogging and journalism. If the topic is news, it is reporting.

I am writing a book about homelessness in blog form. For two different segments I've gone out into the world to research my topic. I went to a truck stop to test available amenities, and I spent the night in a homeless shelter. The idea that just because I am writing a blog and not working for the New York Times makes my investigations less worthy offends me.

Writers are writers. Quality is what matters, not the position you hold.

http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com

The Conference is a good idea. A great deal of pre-conf blogging and e-mail will help set an agenda and also determine who the conference activists are (the ones who end up running it, setting schedule, doing the pre and post conf logistics, et al, and also connecting to other media for news and PR purposes) and who the interested attendees may be.

While NYC, D.C., Boston or Chicago are spots that many may see as a great place to go and easy to get to via air or rail, consider Cincinnati - it is a hub for some airlines, a cheaper destination than many, and has a lot of hub and spoke airline traffic passing through. There are other cities that offer this, i.e, Charlotte, NC. One must weigh the allure of the city versus the efficiency and cost of some locations that might not have such glamorous perceptions.

If NY is picked, then the best bet might be to find a lower cost venue near the Newark Airport. NYC costs are so high -- they might just be too much so for wanna, woulda, shoulda BUT COULDN'T AFFORD IT attendees.

The intent here seems to be community gathering and strengthening of the practice of investigative blogging. Thus the goal of the conference would be to provide a place to meet, to provide support, and to have session exploring topics and areas of concern. No speaker honorariums, a participatory, not-for-profit event. So a minimal registration fee, perhaps with some schlarships provided by angel doners, would make sense.

A late Spring date might work. This might also enable a nearby concert or ballgame or outdoor festival as a draw, for spouses and/or for socializing outside of conference sessions. It is not unusual for conference planners to over-focus on the topic and the attendees, and lose sight of schedule issues as they relate and appeal to spouses, significant others, et al.

Also worthy of consideration, so as not to overschedule or jam-pack a meeting, is the benefit of the shmoozing and other time not spent in session or official such moments. There was a professional meeting I attended annually in my past life, a major industry confab -- everyone I dealt with at that meeting was in agreement that the opening and closing night cocktail parties were crucial. Opening night for making contacts, setting appointments, arranging meals to take with others; closing night to be sure to trade cards, exchange e-mail addresses, or to catch that one person you just keep missing throughout the meeting.

The end-of-show party was where the immediate conference post-mortem occured, and one learned which sessions were of the greatest interest, or had caused the most discussion or created "take-away/take-home" value. It was also the final gossip and meeting assessment moment, which was pretty entertaining

I strongly recommend a tech-support session, perhaps also an introductory how-to course for the bloggers. As we see over and over, there are many would-be writers, journalists, or even bloggers who might post more if their comfort level were enhanced . . . getting a knowledge base and some sense of ease of use and understanding of the basics can go a long way. The tech aspect can be daunting -- and those who do not intuitively take to the medium (or the practice) would benefit from instruction and support.

This might also enable the meeting to attract some noted (dare I say A LIST?) tech types or high profile bloggers; same for journalists either already blogging or those who are investigative and have a name and some cachet, and are accessible online.

Cachet, names, A-Listers, and the opportunity to mingle and meet like-minded members of the community will increase attendance. And an IRC or similar such channel (oops, I think I just slipped back into the area of daunting technical issues) can be a boon, offering off-line remote attendance and participation.