Rust Belt Blogger's Summit Update

I never got to Erie for the first Rust Belt Bloggers summit so Ive tried to to link to a few people who were there. Hopefuly, this is the first of a number of events aimed at linking together members of the informal and formal, online media accross the Rust Belt.

There is some debate as to the value of networking accross the region which contains many communities with a full plate of local problems. I think it's very, very important. Perhaps, one of the most negative characteristics of most Rust Belt cities is their relative lack of connections to the outside world. Aside from a few obvious college towns, the region has extremely low levels of foreign or internal migration, Insular political structures and highly localized single newspaper and TV monopolies. The result of which is a lack of information and capital flow accross the region and an inability to learn from other places successes and failures.

I'm very happy and grateful to Jim Russell for trying to break this mold.

As near as I can tell, there were probably not many more than 20-25 bloggers present at the two day summit with representatives from Erie, Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh and other places like Washigton county and Butler.

Dale Hannah, who contributes on Outside Erie has two updates; One, Two.

"The Rust Belt Bloggers’ Summit wrapped up Saturday afternoon with a 4 hour roundtable discussion about our own personal goals and achievements as bloggers. For some of us(me), it was a learning session. Several visitors came in from the Youngstown and Cleveland areas and one from Butler. The guys from Youngstown gave a great shared presentation about the founding and successes of the New Media in their town. A gentleman from Cleveland, a former city planner there, is now working in the same capacity for Youngstown. It was obvious from their stories that they have put together a very workable plan."

Rust Belt Bloggers Summit In Erie Today and Tomorrow

I'm really, really sory for not posting about this event earlier. The first ever summit meeting of bloggers in the Rust Belt will kick of today in Erie. Here's the City Paper Story.

"This weekend, for the first time ever, bloggers from the entire region are being invited to meet face-to-face at a formal conference. The Rust Belt Bloggers Summit will take place in Erie, on July 11-12, giving members of the often faceless new media a chance to shake hands and swap notes.

Jim Russell -- coordinator of the summit and author of the blog Burgh Diaspora (burghdiaspora.blogspot.com) -- says he's not entirely sure what will come out of it, but thinks the type of networking and collaboration that already take place in Pittsburgh (through online communities like PodCamp Pittsburgh) could grow outwards."

Some people you might meet are the bloggers behind.

Outside Erie
Douglasderda.com
My Brilliant Mistakes
Should I Drink That
Cleveburgh Diaspora
Null Space
Something To Be Desired
Erie Gay News
I Will Shout Youngstown

There may be many more people showing up-- I think a few more Youngstown Bloggers and almost surely a crowd of Erie Bloggers.

The Rust Belt Blogger Ring has 71 registered members including several in St Louis, Dayton Ohio, Buffalo,Cleveland and Milwaukee so it's any one's guess who might show up.