I just wandered over the the comment section at Evangelical Outpost and saw this:

All the “discussion” has confused me to the point that I think I’ve decided to stay at home. I really wanted to go, but I sense that this convention has a real potential to become a soap box rather than a vehicle for Christian bloggers to learn more about how to become effective communicators.

I’ll tell you what really bothers me. The dislike on both sides of this divide I see in the commentary is very palpable. You guys really don’t like each other and I’m not so sure that it can be bridged.

I really wanted to go to this event, but not under these circumstances. If I want to debate and argue I can do as well here at home with our local newspaper.

I naively felt that this would be all about Christians learning how to make a contribution to our various corners

Couple of things.
I think it may be a bit late, the genie is out of the bottle - but if ‘god-bloggers’ and readers can be patient with Smart Christian and his buddies, go for it.
Dr. Jackson is a professor in the US mid-west, new to blogging and quite enthustiastic. He is the one that has been trying to advertise and organize this little meet-up with online pages.
I think he has more enthusiasm than time at the moment and jumped the gun.

Any one who blogs has been there.
Jackson is excited about this, and faith blogs must seem like a big and wonderful place to him. They did and do to all of us who wander them.
Cut the newbie some slack.

The faith blog sector isn’t big, the majority of the blogs and bloggers are pretty decent.
It would help if some bloggers in the California area who know the blogosphere, basic marketing, and PR, got behind his cause and gave him a hand.

It’s unfortunate that enthusiasm has become so mis-construed.
It has, and if organizers are smart christians they’ll do proper and honest damage control.

I got some insight today from a long time blogger who took the time to call Smart Christian (Dr. Jackson). His heart is in the right place. I believe the person that told me that, he’s been online long enough to prove himself trustworthy.

As for the comment thread at Evangelical Outpost, quelle surprise.
It is a typical pundit thread sewer, abusive and disgusting for the most part.
I won’t blame others for thinking that is what US evangelicalism is like.
But in reality it’s a couple of people that need to take some chill pills.

The god-blog community overall is not like that thread.
Joe Carter of the Evangelical Outpost knows what I think about his post.
And maybe I need to cut him some slack.
He is busy moving this weekend and hasn’t been able to monitor the conversation.
Joe is a Marine, trained to attack, and he took Jeff Jarvis on for what he felt and thought. That didn’t help anyone either. I think Joe figured that out.

This little convention is months away, don’t believe everything you read.
Like it or not, it is - despite enthusiasm, hype, and newbies with their heart in the right place - a little more than an organized meetup. Party central if you want to meet some mid-west bloggers.

To summarize:

a) Smart Christian means well. Longer time bloggers can to step up and give him a hand.
Cut the newbie some slack.

b) Joe’s passion and hooorahh ‘go get ‘em’ training got the best of him with his post. Carter needs to get moved and settled in to his new job, have a chance to step back and focus his passion for this medium.
He is quite capable of doing so in a more positive way than his post.
We all post things we are sorry about. It’s part of the medium.

c) Don’t believe all the hype.

d) If you like blogging and you can get there - it’s months away, step back and think about it.
Maybe by then the people that want to do this will have figured out stepping forward too soon in cyber-space was not a smart move.
People were and are alienated.
But it is just blogging, just a group of guys with enthusiasm to burn who want to get together and make it meaningful.

Most god-bloggers won’t be there.
Think about it.
There are now about 10 million blogs online, some active, some abandoned.
God-blogs make up (known) a couple of thousand tops.

Most bloggers aren’t out going to conferences trying to sell a blogging book.
And Hugh Hewitt is just a pundit trying to make a living.
He’s not going to be the whole show.
If you aren’t happy about what you are seeing, why not email someone organizing it, or call them like my online friend did.

If you do make it to Biola, you just find that behind the curtain is a few enthusiastic and passionate newbies with big dreams.
By the time it get’s organized - the facilitators might be able to snag some mature and balanced speakers, and have topics you might be interested in.
Hey, I agree with the commenter above - it’s blogging, we can catch what we need online.

At best - couple of hundred people in the US might show up at Biola - is a small piece of a small sub-section of what blogs, blogging and the blogosphere is about.

I’ll end with what the commenter ended with:

Lord have mercy.

Blog on!