YKC: #5 thing to look for in Chicago in '07
On page A1 of the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, December 31, 2006, the YearlyKos Convention was named the #5 "thing to look for in '07" by the Tribune staff: (If I may suggest that the #1 thing to look for in '08 should be getting rid of the need to sign up for a free account to view an article!)
5. Blogorama In August, Democratic presidential candidates will come a-courtin' the bloggers at the second convention of the Daily Kos blogging collective and its readers. With the 2008 election year drawing near, the second Yearly Kos, held at McCormick Place, should outdraw the hugely popular 2006 edition and might serve as an unofficial campaign-season kickoff.
What did the YearlyKos Convention beat out to earn the coveted #5 spot? Oh, just the fact that Chicago is no longer just a "cubs town" and baseball spirit is now evenly split between Cubs and White Sox (#8). Or how about #10, Chicago bidding to host the 2016 Olympics? #13 depicts Castro's demise in Cuba and #17 predicts a showdown between W. and the new Democratic Congress over immigration. You hear that Castro? Time to get yourself a UID if you want to remain relevant!
When I read that we were on the front page of the Tribune a full eight months prior to the opening session of the 2007 convention, it was a bit surprising and a little flattering, but it is really a natural progression of things. Blogging has taken a very deserving top spot in political discourse and I say it is deserving because it is entirely democratic (that is small "d" democratic). Any user can post a diary or start a blog and they are judged not by what they look like, where they went to school or who they know, but by the value of their contribution.
Blogging, the internet, YouTube; these things are the future and it's exciting because it is young, no one knows where it will go and, most importantly, its potential has only scratched the surface. We just discovered matchbooks and we know fireworks are coming, but we don't know what they'll look like.
Bringing together the authors, proprietors and readers of this young medium is what the YearlyKos Convention is all about.... #5 and still rising.
