National LGBT Blogger Initiative Summit

Blogging can be addicting as I suspect most fellow bloggers will concede. For me blogging allows me to express my thoughts and opinions, has allowed me to build a remarkable network of friends around the globe, and hopefully allows me to bet information out to others that may help the rights and visibility of LGBT Americans. Others have seen the role that LGBT blogs can play in political and social discourse. Now, there will be a summit that will allow some LGBT bloggers to meet each other and hopefully build networks and ties that will allow them to further their blogs and LGBT citizens in general. I think the summit is a wonderful idea and have applied to attend the summit - I will be keeping my fingers crossed that I am lucky enough to be selected. You can apply to attend here. Here are details on the summit which will run from December 5-7, 2008, in Washington, D.C.:

*
Washington, DC – Blogger Michael Rogers today announced the formation of the National LGBT Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative to support training and grants for the country's leading and emerging online voices. The program, established with a leadership gift of $50,000 from Jonathan Lewis, will bring together the online world with traditional organizations throughout the country. To date, over $70,000 has been committed to the Initiative.

*

“The importance of bloggers in both the LGBT community and larger blogosphere cannot be overstated,” said Rogers, publisher of PageOneQ and a leading blogger. “This initiative will bring bloggers together to acquire new skills, build relationships, and improve the effectiveness of their work. This is the first opportunity to collaborate between online media and traditional organizations and I am excited at the coalitions that will form as a result. Groups sponsoring this Initiative are at the forefront of new media in the LGBT community and we are grateful for their support.”

*
The Initiative will begin with a summit of 50 bloggers, citizen journalists, and representatives of LGBT and progressive groups. The event will take place in Washington on Dec. 5-7. . . . “Citizen journalism is strengthening the LGBT community in ways none of us could have imagined just a few years ago,” Victory Fund President Chuck Wolfe said. “We’re sharing information at lightning speed and reaching audiences that have been underserved by traditional media.

*
For Initiative and Summit application info, please visit www.bloggerinitiative.com.