Brian Reich of the Campaign Web Review, has asked the following set of questions. Instead of just sending them off as an email, I thought I would answer the questions on my blog.

What is your name? What is your blog/site? What is your email address (so I can follow up, and/or let you know when I post)

My name is Aldon Hynes. I did most of my convention blogging on the Greater Democracy blog. I also copied many of the blog entries, and added some personal content on my own blog, Orient Lodge.

My email address is ahynes1@optonline.net

What did you think of the Convention?

I attended both conventions. My role was different in that I was credentialed for the Democratic convention, but not for the Republican convention. As I noted here, I had been to two conventions before hand, a U.S. Congressional convention, and my wife’s convention for State Representative.

The Democratic Convention was a lot of fun. It was a moving experience for me, as I thought about my wife’s convention, and I strongly supported the speakers at the convention. However, the interesting stuff was going on around the convention. There was so much to participate in and I didn’t get enough time to do as much of this as I would have liked.

The Republican Convention was also a lot of fun, but a radically different experience. I was not credentialed by the Republicans. Security was much tighter, so it was much harder to meet delegates than it was in Boston. However, all of the protests around the convention were very interesting, and in a lot of ways, it seems as if a lot more happened in and around the Republican convention than did around the Democratic Convention.

What did you want to do that you couldn't, or didn't get a chance to?

At the Democratic convention, there just wasn’t enough time to get to as many events as I would have liked. Similarly for the Republican convention, I didn’t get much of a chance to attend official events, speak with delegates, or for that matter, see as much of the protests as I would have liked.

With both events, there was almost no time for reflection and interaction, which I believe are important roles of the blogging community. I would have really liked it if I could have found a good online chat to talk about the convention as well.

Did the DNC/RNC make the right choice in credentialing bloggers?

Yes.

What did the bloggers add to the Convention(s)?

Bloggers changed the media ecology, and as such, were an important part of the story. More importantly, especially in New York, they covered stories that weren’t getting sufficient coverage in the mainstream media, for example, Guantanamo on the Hudson.

How should bloggers be treated - as media, as guests, as operatives for the Party, something else?

First and foremost, I don’t think you can talk about all bloggers as if they are the same. Some bloggers are closer to traditional media, others are similar to honored guests, still others are party operatives. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for these roles to shift over time. I suspect that these roles will become clearer over time.

What is your take on the media fascination with bloggers?

At first glance, bloggers look a lot like journalists, freelancers that publish their own stuff and thereby bypass editorial standards, a sort of Wild West of journalism. It is an appealing image, a fascinating image. Beyond that, people keep talking about how more and more people are getting their news from the Internet. Blogs are changing the way people get news, and if you are in the news industry, you had better be carefully studying this. As a final point, in many ways, bloggers are the ‘online influentials’. They cover the stories that people want to hear and the traditional media needs to listen to that. Also, bloggers can be a great source of information, easily accessible, essentially free stringers.

How would you compare Democratic bloggers to Republican bloggers (generally, and specific to the Conventions)?

Snippy answers: Democratic bloggers are right, and Republican bloggers are wrong. Actually, I think Democratic bloggers and Republican bloggers are very similar. If there is any difference, it seems as if the Republican bloggers have a greater propensity to scurrilous personal attacks, but really they are both very similar.

What Republican blogs do you read?

Generally, I don’t read a lot of other blogs. I have been reading some of them at http://rnc.conventionbloggers.com/. I do sometimes visit Captain’s Quarters. That said, all of them seem a bit strident, and none have caught my attention.

What Democratic blogs do you read?

See above about not reading other blogs that much. Again, I read a lot through http://dnc.conventionbloggers.com to check different blogs, and I often visit DailyKOS and Blog for America.

What would you do differently for the 2008 Convention(s)?

Have a better digital camera. Have a good digital audio recording device. Try to get more time ahead of time to prepare.

What do you think are the most exciting developments in online politics in 2004?

All of it is very exciting, the phenomenal growth, the way so many more people have been drawn into the political process, whether it be through fundraising, grassroots organizing, gathering information, or simply sharing thoughts online.

What will political blogging look like after November (if President Bush wins re-election or if Senator Kerry wins)?

I don’t expect any big changes one way or another. I do think we will see more and more bloggers working within traditional media.

Anything else you want to add?

Not really.