“this is utopia…(our reality) sucks by comparison (to our imagination)” –Britt Blaser

Britt also mentioned that this is the Enlightenment of our time in weblogs

Great panel.  discussing blogging as the “second superpower” and
“Cluetrain 2003”.  Best panel of the day.  Too much
brainwaves flying to write and listen at the same time.

About teaching, educations, technology:

I've met a lot of teachers, but very few are genuinely bad at their
job.  I've met a lot of teachers, and many of them are tired of
not having the basic tools they need to do their job.

More later

Have interviews scheduled with:

• Adam Curry
• Chris Lydon
• John Udell
• Dann Sheridan

Wanted:

• Dave Winer
• Bryan Bell
• Ed Cone
• Elizabeth Spiers of Gawker fame.

Done:

• Scott Johnson:  inventor of Feedster

 Bryan Bell snapped a photo–I'm in the red/white stripe shirt forground left…

Back from lunch (it was great) and we're back in the conf room. Doing
an unscheduled panel with two journalists–Len Apcar from the NYTimes
(cheif blogger) and Wall Street Journal. More later when I figure it
out. :>

Listening more than writing.  The panel is on education and
weblogs.  Patrick of the Bay Area Writing Project talks about
weblogs like digital paper.

Interview with a blogger:  Doc Searls and Dan Gillmor  Dave's
doing a short interview with the pair, talking about their blogging
experience and embedded journalists in a journalism organization.

Ed Cone's panel:

• Josh is discussing his Clark interview.  Ed posed the
  question “Why did your interview go on the weblog and not someplace
  else?”  Josh points out that the interview was couched from the
  beginning as web-destined.  “Never a question” it would be on the
  weblog in his mind.  Chose to not “sell” the interview. 
  Likes the control of the content, instant publishing allows for less
  scoops by other journalists.
• Glenn Reynolds talks about why he thinks Instapundit has
  grown.  The influence of his September 11 reporting. 
  Emphasized the “linking” of his site by others.  Never had a
  marketing or business plans.  “Link to a lot of people”.100,000 hits a day.  Ed drops a clever joke about hits and Adam Curry and Amsterdam.
• Scott is talking about “this thing called blogging” and how blogs
  are anti-structure and the “establishment” is all about structure, so
  there's a built-in conflict.  Discussing Salon as a blogging
  environment (he's an editor, managing editor, blogger and
  writer).  Mentions that one writer was offered a method to post
  without and editor, but the writer wanted the structure of the editor
  and works better that way.  Ed mentions his recent attendance at a
  shareholders meeting that was closed to the press, but he blogged it as
  a shareholder. 
• New question:  “Where can weblogs go?”  Josh: 
  “allow journalists to.. Hunter S. Thompson…campaign blogs…there's
  cetrain contexts where you cna repeat what people say and some that you
  can not.”
• Glenn:  “backstage” is a place where you can say what you want.  Some businesses can't function without a “backstage”.
• Scott:  exposes the “backstage of journalism”
• Multiple discussions about insiders and publishing, especially using disclosure as leverage.

Taking a break.  Can't keep up.

Intro by Berkman founder…gives Dave a book on Socrates.

Dave comes to the front and accepts with a smile. Discussing
reasons and purpose behind the conference. “Everything is on the
record”. Dave mentions that everything that we say is recorded
and for attribution unless stated otherwise, even in private
conversations.

Ground rules: good and bad questions about weblogs, mainly discussed to emphasize “What is a weblog?”

Dave's “hot topics” as a discussion starter:

• editing and weblogs (good, bad, right, wrong)
• does it make sense for the NYTimes to have a weblog.
  Amusing discussion between NYTimes.com editor and Doc Searls after Doc
  says that the nytimes.com is not a weblog
• Conferences as a weblog (people are live links and comments)
• “Second Superpower”
• Chris Lydon's interviews
• Presidential Politcs and weblogs, the “Dean phenom” and it's connections to the internet and weblogs (what now, next steps)

Opinionated comments by me.

• Adam Curry is here and has seemed to naturally sit in a spotlight.  (meant as an amusing comment, not mean)