Each time I read an announcement for the upcoming Blogging While Brown Conference, June 19-20, 2009, in Chicago I get excited. The format is straight-forward and the conference itself should be a great networking experience.
Track No. 1 – John H. Johnson Track
This track will feature sessions related to blogging about current events, news, politics, activism, and bloggers who are leveraging their online resources to get offline results.
Track No. 2 – Window Synder Track
This conference track will feature sessions related to the nuts and bolts of blogging such as technology, blogging widgets, increasing blog traffic, legal issues, design, layout and improving the reader experience.
Track No. 3 – Madame C.J. Walker Track
This conference track will feature sessions related to the business of side blogging, monetizing blogs, better marketing of blog sites, and getting your work noticed and published by mainstream media outlets.
My first blogging conference – ScienceOnline09 – covered these same topics, too, even more. I learned about new online tools (which I now use) and met some amazing people. It was a great experience.
It was also free. There was no registration fee.
I am sure the Blogging While Brown Conference will be great; I would love to meet people in real life that I interact with online – like Villager or other YBPGuide contributors, but I’m conflicted. On one hand, it’s not worth paying a registration fee to sit through workshops I’ve already attended – for free. Secondly, and more importantly, what role does science occupy in the melanin pigmented blog-o-verse?
As a Science Blogger, I often feel like my genre of blogging is marginal to other more popular topics discussed in the Black Blogging Community – politics, crime, racial disparity, social commentary, pop-culture, fashion, music, etc. Science and Education never seem to make it on the radar except when a social justice issue is being debated. These subjects rarely get their due –for their own sake. So, it is in this light that I find myself thinking about the upcoming Blogging While Brown Conference and I get, well, a little deflated.
Part of me says that I should attend and represent these and other important and oft-under-represented blogging topics. That’s the responsible, pro-active way of doing things. After all, I am trying to proffer myself through my blog as an online science communication leader in the Black community. But I shy away from that call because I feel like I am speaking into a vacuum. There was a call for workshop proposals which would have been a perfect opportunity for me to present these issues front-and-center. However, I perceived the tracks were too rigid to allow for non-political topics to be presented. So, I punked out.
I think now that I should have submitted anyway and risked being rejected. At least I would have received some feedback and not just chatter in my head. If I had submitted a proposal I would have included some of the ideas I learned at the Science Blogging Conference – such as participating in Carnivals and Memes, live meet-ups, pros and cons of virtual communities, cyber-safety for young people, and some science-specific stuff to introduce non-science audiences to science blogging culture and community.
I wonder if there are other bloggers of color who feel marginalized because of their subject matter.
An Interesting Post About Black Science Bloggers - Jack & Jill Politics
[...] via Blogging While Brown…About Science | Young Black Professional Guide As a Science Blogger, I often feel like my genre of blogging is marginal to other more popular topics discussed in the Black Blogging Community – politics, crime, racial disparity, social commentary, pop-culture, fashion, music, etc. Science and Education never seem to make it on the radar except when a social justice issue is being debated. These subjects rarely get their due –for their own sake. So, it is in this light that I find myself thinking about the upcoming Blogging While Brown Conference and I get, well, a little deflated. [...]
March 26, 2009 at 9:19 am
Villager
I feel your struggle. I wish you had submitted a paper to be a presenter. Unlike Science Blogging Conference that was supported by universities and corporate sponsors … the BWB Conference is a grassroots effort that is built, sponsored, promoted and grown by us, for us. As such, the revenue from conference fees is a big part of the revenue stream.
I plan to attend … but, finances may play a role. I haven't registered yet. Last year I took advantage of the 'early bird special'. I didn't make that move this year.
As for your larger issue of having Science & Technology featured more. Let me know how I can help. Would you be interested in being a guest blogger on my BDPA Foundation blog? (Are you a BDPA member?)
March 26, 2009 at 10:28 am
P6
As a rhetorician I have felt marginalized by the pop culture blogs…my best will never draw the audience that a picture of a post-ass kicking Rhianna will.
Re: speaking into a vacuum…you may have to create your own air. Or steal some…your urban ecology focus would be good for that. Watch the popular topics for something, like these “green” initiatives, that impact urban ecology, link it and use it to launch your post. Health and health care could also provide you good linkage. That gives you an immediately relevant hook to get them in the middle of what you really care about.
March 26, 2009 at 11:27 am
heartsandflowers
It would've been good for you to submit your proposal. You can still do so for NetRoots Nation as well as other upcoming conferences. You can still submit for 2010 as well. It's really up to you to push through your fears. I wrote a blog post about regenerative medicine that I think was very important for people to be aware of. Wealthy people will be utilizing all sorts of medical advances to help their families and enhance their gene pools so it's important to stay on top of things. Science is not one of my topics of expertise however and I'd gladly read info about things that were presented in a non-clinical way.
March 26, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Darcella
Girl I am not even going to get on you about “punking out” because you one, admitted it and two, I have done it myself so I can't throw stones.
I felt marginalized (until this year) regarding my Veterans issues. I can tell you NO ONE wanted to hear about Veterans education, business and health care issues until recently. Now the subject has become so “popular” there are folks popping up all over the place to talk about Veterans issues that are many times not worth the font they are typed in.
So, I feel you but you have to push through (or over, around or on in some cases)
March 26, 2009 at 1:26 pm
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