That’s what I kept asking myself, and I wasn’t alone. Other members of the Birmingham bloggers’ group who’d registered to cover the conference were also considering what they might write, if they should right anything. Why were they there?
I know why I was there. Because I was invited.
It a huge occasion and I’m delighted I went. One blogger has described this invitation to local web folk as a charm offensive. Well charmed I have been. Partly by the warm and relaxed welcome from Rishi Saha, the Conservative’s head of social media, but also by the sheer scale and energy of the event. It is the first conference in Birmingham I’ve found with such a huge fringe. Events leach into the rest of the city centre. One massive conversation, much of it in very high heels.
It is also the only conference where it is not just up to us as a city to make a good impression. Sure we need to be our normal hospitable self, but equally the Tories need to make a good impression on us.
I’ve been to Conservative party conferences before as a BBC political reporter. I’ve covered huge events in Birmingham – notably the G8 conference. That was easy. I knew my job was to tell the overall story – the mainstream consensus. If possible I should also find an exclusive something – but that something still had to satisfy a mass audience – or rather the editors who judge what interests that audience. This time it was harder.
Then it dawned on me why a blogger should got to any political party conference: to write about the things they normally write about.
My niche is that curious overlap between active citizenship, citizen journalism, social media, mainstream journalism and local government.
It is a mishmash of a place and any party conference is riddled with material that fits my normal area of interest. Oddly this only occurred to me late this afternoon.
Tis the fringe stupid: Bloggers are perfectly suited to one particular part of a major conference – the fringe. It is there the fit happens, the wider the range of blogging interests present the greater the depth of coverage we will get from these events.
So tomorrow I’ll be back to share a story or two and hopefully they will be the things my normal readers want to to read.
technorati tags: cons08 conservative party tory party conservative party conference birminghamuk
Tags: Birmingham UK, David Cameron, Journalism, Journalist, Politicians
Great taster post, Nick. Look forward to the next one.
BTW, what were *you* wearing?
Steve, the Tory suit with side parting, or the Brum bloggers smart casual.
Jamas
Did any politicians turn up? I’ve been loitering outside for a while and not seen any known faces. Saw one lady with a parliamentary badge, so I guess she is an MP, but no idea who she was.
The loitering continues today!
Ooh that picture has fairly distracted me for a minute. Young tory women, and high heels….Sorry. Sorry. Yes, I think you’re probably right about the role of blogging, social media, stuff. Yep.
[...] Ten we things found out at the Tory Party Conference Birmingham: It’s Not Shit loves Birmingham and has loads of news and features. If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed.A load of Brummie Bloggers were invited to the Tory Conference at the ICC, this week. For almost all of us it was our first taste of a Party Conference, for all of us it was a weird experience as we spent a good deal of time wondering why we were invited and why we accepted. So, what did we (or in this case I) find out? [...]
[...] Nick Booth was charmed by the Tory get-together and his choice of photograph to accompany his thoughts certainly adds an intriguing new slant on political conferences. [...]
[...] BINS found out ten things at Birmingham’s Conservative Party conference. Podnosh was also charmed… “It a huge occasion and I’m delighted I went. One blogger has described this invitation to local web folk as a charm offensive. Well charmed I have been. Partly by the warm and relaxed welcome from Rishi Saha, the Conservative’s head of social media, but also by the sheer scale and energy of the event. It is the first conference in Birmingham I’ve found with such a huge fringe. Events leach into the rest of the city centre. One massive conversation, much of it in very high heels.” [...]
I agree re the Fringe – which I blogged in detail in 2008. That’s why I don’t think that the party particularly needs to ‘look after’ its blogging supporters. Better just to let them get on with it.
[...] Nick Booth (aka Podnosh) wondered what he was doing there. [...]
[...] What is a Birmingham Blogger doing at the Tory Party Conference? [...]