Days before the event, the anticipation for Northern Voice 2008 was building among event veterans and the excitement couldn’t help but be infectious. On the Northern Voice site, the event is described as “a two-day non-profit personal blogging and social media conference”. Although accurate, this definition doesn’t begin to capture the outcome of bringing some of the most enthusiastic, creative and passionate bloggers together under one roof.
This event attracts people from cities across North America and they contribute a variety of interests and unique blogging experiences with an eagerness to share and learn through presentations, open floor discussions, and demos.
I have only recently been exposed to the world of blogs and Northern Voice provided an extensive introduction. The first day of the event was “Moosecamp”; the informal “unconference” of spontaneous sessions that includes workshops for beginners and proficient bloggers alike. The second day was formally organized and began with a presentation from the keynote speaker Matt Mullenweg, the creator of the weblog platform WordPress.
In his talk: “Blogging and Social Media: where do we go from here?” Matt addressed issues important to bloggers and developers. He encourages bloggers to have an online presence that represents them, and allows them to interact with others. From the software developer’s side, he believes the single priority should be to value peoples time; a goal undermined by spam and advertising. He also emphasized the importance of open source software in his own experience and its contribution to the technological community.
Presenters and attendees offered their expertise, engaged in discussions and explored technical and creative ideas. The presentations ranged from “TransitCamp and Open Source Government” to “There are 50 Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story”. The themes included photography, video, pod casting, publishing, educational platforms, new media, and more.
Along with the vast knowledge offered by presenters and attendees, the conference brings a unique sense of community. Although many individuals may have only known each other through his or her blog, there was a strong connection and genuine interest in sharing information and learning new ways to interact with each other and the web. Although the interests and motives are diverse, the attendees all share the goal of connecting. The photographers were interested in connecting to potential buyers and other photography lovers, a reporter from CBC presented the broadcaster’s new online Citizen Journalism development as a way of connecting people to the news, and bloggers were interested in ways of making it easier to share their ideas, videos, photos and more, thereby creating social collaborative networks.
For more information on Northern Voice conferences click here. If you missed the event this year, stay tuned to for more information on next year’s event!