As you will see from today’s announcement on Irishelection.com, myself, Cian, Mick and Damien have been a bit busy and aim to be more so for the next month. Damien and Mick post here and here about the event.

My own take on it all? The Blogging the Election conference will be as unconference as possible and will appeal to those into politics, those more into blogging and social media and those for whom the two meet in the middle. It should be engaging, a bit of craic and historic in terms of scrutinising the possibilities and talking and listening with some politicos, bloggers and MSM (Mainstream media) types. Hopefully we will have a few blogging councillors and candidates in attendance too! (Dominic, Sean, Seamus, Lucinda, Damien – hint hint! Will Joan attend and what jacket will she be wearing?)

Please spread the word! Estrogen will be needed at this event in bucketfuls!!! I know I am currently full of the stuff but we will need more of it. And email anyone of us for more information or with offers of assistance and look out for the registration page which will be up shortly.

Press Release….

Inaugural conference on blogging and politics to be held in Dublin on October 7th.

The heavyweights of the growing Irish blogging community will mix with politicians, journalists and interested members of the public at an event called “Blogging the Election� In Dublin in October. The event is being billed as an informal meeting and discussion on how new Internet tools like blogging can help and influence the very traditional political process in Ireland.

Politics website IrishElection.com will be running the event with the support of political commentator Mick Fealty from website SluggerOToole.com, campaigner Suzy Byrne from MamanPoulet.com and Internet lobbyist Damien Mulley.

Cian O’Flaherty from IrishElection.com stated “Irish Politics has yet to embrace and tap into the ability of the Internet to energise interest in politics and political campaigning. The “Blogging the Election� event will explore how bloggers can benefit elections and help shape the future of politics.�

Mick Fealty from Slugger O’Toole added “Next year’s general election holds possibilities for a blogging breakthrough in Irish politics and we will be exploring this issue in depth via experienced guest speakers and by facilitating a series of open spaces in which participants can host their own conversations, probing issues that they are passionate about.�

More information is available from www.IrishElection.com

About blogging and politics:

Blogging has revolutionised online communication in way that few previously imagined. It has allowed intelligent audiences to make faster and smarter responses that often disrupt traditional top down news flows. It puts considerable power in the hands of ordinary citizens to disrupt cosy consensuses of established political and media elites.

In the US, bloggers have shaped some of the biggest news stories and continue to provide a decisive influence, even inside political parties. In Britain, a new breed of aggressive anti-government bloggers has been generating stories that have brought them into the centre of the mainstream establishment, the Deputy Prime Minister the most senior politician to feel the heat.