Now in it’s second year being hosted by Biola University the GodBlogCon rescheduled to be held October 26-28th at the California University.
Many of last years speakers are participating again, and some of the sponsors are also plenary or panel speakers.
Of the 35 registered to attend so far, Â 22 are GodBlogCon staff; to date only one speaker has not signed up.Â
There have been a few minor dust ups. 3 months ago a Touchstone writer (Touchstone is a sponsor) spoke out on the frivolity of the term Godblog, at the magazines blog.
About a month ago, one of the organizers, Joe Carter of the Evangelical Outpost was confronted at his blog by a conference panelist, Stacey Harp, for what she saw as a failure to address her media concerns regarding books. Harp works for Active Christian Media.
The 2005 GodBlogCon got media attention from Fox, The Guardian, USA Today and MSNBC.
About 100 people attended last year, some Biola students had their way in paid by Hugh Hewitt of Salem Media. Â
One attendee, posted his impressions and experiences at the 2005 conference here at BDBO. Archived here and here. And why he won’t be attending in 2006.
There have been few mentions at Technorati (other than speakers) and the GodBlogCon site has full information as well as an actively updated blog.
Conservative Republican evangelicals within the area of Biola University might want to check it out.
I attended last year and rather enjoyed it. I was treated well, even though I broke the mold.
Clearly however, the organizers have intended to restrict active participation to Republican-leaning conservative evangelicals. There has been no effort to expand the circle. Now, I grant that the organizers have sought to restrict participation to the “orthodox.” I, of course, am a liberal. On the other hand, since I affirm the Nicene Creed, an argument can be made that I am orthodox. I don’t see anything wrong with trying to exclude univeralist-leaning Christians, for instance. But the focus has been much narrower than that.
Not once was I contacted about signing up for this year’s event. Generally, one way organizers get it together for the next year is to promote the activity with those who have attended before. Also, it is common to send an e-mail to previous participants asking their input for the coming year, or for a review or feedback on the previous year. I didn’t get anything about that, either. Now I’m starting to wonder if the trouble I had getting registered for last year’s event wasn’t so innocent after all.
Joe Carter, has joined the Family Research Council, so far to the right it has condemned evangelicals concerned about climate change. That’s an organization that seeks to promote a very narrow “Christian family.” Now you’d think he’d want this year’s GodBlogCon to make a big showing over last year. But where has the publicity been? What effort was made to promote the event among “God blogs”? Maybe I’m not reading them as much as last year. Are there prominent ads for GodBlogCon06 on the blogs of Joe Carter, Jollyblogger, La Shawn Barber or Hugh Hewitt? Not that I am seeing. I “googled” GodBlogCon06 and God BlogCon II, accompanied by Hugh Hewitt’s name and found two entries. One of them led to a post with a very short link.
In fact, if one “googles” GodBlogCon II or GodBlogCon06 alone, you don’t get that many returns. One should expect to get hundreds of returns.
This may sound like me just being bitter. But truthfully, when I left last year’s convention, I was quite convinced I’d be attending again, remembering Hugh Hewitt’s promise that the 06 Conference would be working to expand its participation by evangelical liberals. Oh really? Where? When? Instead, I have opted for the prior weekend to attend a national Narcolepsy Network Convention in the Dallas area. Maybe at that conference there will be a bunch of us falling asleep.
. But someone fell asleep at the switch for planning GodBlogCon06.
They should easily have 200 participants signed up, riding the wave of publicity from last year.
Richard Hall of Connexions said he’d go if he had the opportunity. I’d almost be tempted to pay his way just to “mix it up a little.”
I received an invitation many months ago from Dustin Steven. I didn’t make a big deal of it – not for lack of interest, but because I knew I could spare neither the time nor the money to attend. Then I totally forgot about it as other blogging matters and Real Life demanded attention. I guess the polite thing would have been to say “thanks but no” right away. Oh well, 20/20 hindsight.
Hmm…I just dug up the email I’d received. I was invited to be a panelist. Man, I feel like a jerk for not responding.
Anyhow, Bene calls me “a stranger in a strange land”, so I don’t think I fit the GBC mold exactly. IOW, it seems some effort was made to get speakers from more of the spectrum after all.
Err, make that Steeve.
I believe you FD.
With sincere attempt(s) made, why organizers are unable to attract others is something I can’t address, seems it’s apparent at this late date that isn’t possible, and their problem.
Given your concerns last year FD (and they were
fair) good to hear you at least received an offer.
http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/index.php?s=GodBlogCon
What panel were you considered for?
Joel was not unkind or unreasonable in his coverage last year.
DJ Chaung was also very fair in his coverage last year.
http://www.djchuang.com/index.php?s=GodBlogCon
I think the conference will be stacking meetings this year with students.
All of you sound a recurring theme – fitting the mold.
There are groups of faith bloggers – Resonate, Greenbelt, FP and probably others I’m missing that can hold conferences without rancour or card carrying politics.
Not only Carter but the Yoests are employees of the Family Research Council, Joel.
They are active in getting blogger coverage for Republican/FRC/FofF events.
The far right chatter is up front on the conference blog where organizers want it.Â
I don’t think it’s about being provocative or inclusive, it’s regional and it’s agenda.
GodBlogCon blog
4/12 entries in August were none political.
1/10 entries in September was none political.
Only 2 entries for October; none political -Â women’s proper role and what church(es) should be.
Organizers have made an attempt to feature their speakers.
I don’t know why the fault lines exist, but it’s apparent they continue to. Whatever we share from a faith perspective is overshadowed whether intent exists or not.
I also think organizers will have to call in favours to get media coverage and blog silence this year surprises me.
Like Richard I’d go if it was possible, foreigners don’t fit the mold…we could all be strangers in a strange land!;^)
It’s a tough thing to pull off, and I’m sad to hear that those who attended the first GodBlogCon were not better invited in for more active input and dialogue towards planning the 2nd one. One notable improvement is a better designed website, and what seems to me to be more organizations sponsoring and partnering for the event.
But, that also may be indicative, and I could be wrong, that the organizers for the event are coming from more of a traditional media perspective than an open source blogosphere perspective, so that’s why it’s looking the way it does, and there isn’t as much buzz in the blogosphere and more registrations on the roll. I think there was sincere effort among (some of?) the key organizers to make it an conference that brings together a broader diversity of those who uphold orthodox Christianity (you gotta draw the boundary somewhere, I suppose), and in the end, you’ve got what it looks like now — something that seems to me to be conference speakers that are educating non-bloggers on what blogging is, instead of open and active conversations in the blogosphere that gets together at a live event that’d be more BloggerCon’ish.
I wish them the best, and I want to believe they are sincere and are doing the best they can.
While I’m not a .pdf fan, it’s apparent organizers have a website that is professionally designed.
I don’t believe anyone is suggesting a conference should be about quantity, but about quality.
In the blogsphere the quantity is already there, and that’s my question you are addressing, why aren’t bloggers eager to attend?
I think organizers tried to stop sounding off about what they are against, the difficulty is that mindset still appears to be a dominant. Salem Media and FRC are Republican and so closely aligned with what people understand as the political religious right the perception is there.
Evangelicals are perceived as critics of secularists, liberals, ‘other.’ The culture war identity is a fault line. I guess that leaves most people that would look at attending in the position Joel is in.
Perhaps you are on to something DJ – maybe this year none bloggers are the conferences marketing target.
And FD – isn’t Jimmy Aiken is filling in for you?;^)