While there I was able to see the reality of what I'd been researching for some time now, the booming blogging industry. Bloggers are quickly becoming the key influencers that are shaping the minds of our world. Their reach and the speed of their news delivery is feeding the instantaneous demand of the public. Before blogging, you had to rely on the CNNs of the world for around the clock updates. However, now with so many internet messaging services, people are turning to the internet and their trusted cyber journalist for the same news coverage.

There were bloggers there representing all areas of interest from parenting, social responsibility, activism, financial security, community involvement, entrepreneurial empowerment, fashion, politics, as well as entertainment. This first-of-its-kind gathering was historic for so many reasons. First, there has never been a blogging conference dedicated to bloggers of color, an often overlooked segment of the blogosphere. Second, bloggers in attendance used applications like twitter, Ustream and other internet applications to allow viewers in cyberspace to monitor the momentous occasion. And third, several bloggers in attendance were chosen to cover the 2008 Democratic Convention, an honor only bestowed upon seven African American Bloggers, from my understanding.

A testament to the instantaneous messaging that twitter provides was displayed through out the conference. While the live feed of the conference could be seen on Ustream, bloggers were constantly sending twitter updates. They even sent their twitter followers the link so they could watch the panels live.

As a publicist, one of only three in attendance, I was very excited about the new frontier that this type of media reporting offers. So much so that I left the conference pondering ways to restructure my PR firm's direction and the direction in which we should take with our clients' PR strategy.

The blogging phenomenon is taking news reporting where traditional news outlets such as print, television and radio left off. For publicists, I sincerely believe that we should pay just as much attention now to bloggers and internet news platforms as we pay to traditional media outlets. If we do not, we are doing our clients a tremendous disservice.

Though Blogging While Brown was the first blogging conference that I attended, it definitely will not be the last and I urge all publicists to incorporate these types of conferences in their business travel calendars.