Denver, CO - Blogger Credentialing and the 2008 Democratic National Convention

by Susan Rowe [courtesy of Blog for America]

BLOGGER CREDENTIALING
AND THE 2008 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

DNCC Expands Credentialed Blogger Pool,
Launches DemConvention State Blogger Corps for 2008

The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) will soon be accepting applications for bloggers interested in being part of the credentialed blogger pool at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado from August 25th-28, 2008.

While the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston was the first to credential bloggers, the DNCC aims to significantly expand access for the blogger community in 2008. In line with the DNCC’s goal to engage more people in the 2008 Convention experience than ever before as well as Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean’s 50-State Strategy, the DNCC will both expand the size of the credentialed blogger pool and also offer for the first time a state blogger credentialing program in 2008. Under this program, the DNCC will offer the opportunity for one blog to be credentialed from each of the 56 states and territories. The DNCC will also credential national bloggers for the 2008 Convention, to include both political and niche bloggers as well as video bloggers from across the country.

The following two-part blogger credentialing process was developed with the
consultation of members of the political blogosphere:

2008 DemConvention State Blogger Corps
Recognizing the growth of more localized blogs, this pool is designed for those covering state and local politics. To qualify as a state blogger, the applicant’s blog must have been in existence six months prior to requesting credentials and have at least 120 politically related blog posts. Bloggers must submit their daily audience and list their authority based on Technorati stats. Bloggers may also provide examples of posts that make their blog stand out as an effective online organizing tool and/or agent of change.

Once the state bloggers have been identified for the DemConvention State Blogger Corps, the applications of those not selected for this program will all be transferred for consideration for the general blogger pool.

General DemConvention Blogger Pool
This pool will consist of local, state and national political bloggers as well as niche bloggers whose main focus is not politics but who do write about politics or the issues around politics. The general blogger pool is also open to video bloggers in 2008.

Applications
The DNCC will begin accepting applications for both the DemConvention State Blogger Corps and the general blogger pool on December 10, 2007. Applications will be accepted through April 15, 2008. Applications will be available throughout this period on DemConvention.com.
Individuals selected for either the DemConvention State Blogger Corps or the general blogger pool will be notified in May 2008.

Individuals with questions about the application process can contact DNCC Director ofOnline Communications Jason Rosenberg at RosenbergJ at DemConvention.com.