Bloggers and wannabes are invited to attend Blog Indiana 2008 on Aug. 16-17 at the IUPUI campus. The two-day event is designed to "promote education, collaboration and innovation," say organizers Noah Coffey and Shawn Plew. The IU School of Informatics and Compendium Blogware are sponsoring the event, which costs $49.

The sessions will cover topics such as starting out, politicizing your blog, making money and running a blog for business purposes, among many other topics. Above all, it will be a chance to meet and greet.

In my experience, the blog community of Indiana has been the freshest face on the block in a blue moon. I'm still amused that longtime senior editors at the Star dismiss blogs, obviously for self-preservation of the old image but still, it makes them look pretty damn silly. Dennis Ryerson referred to us as "that noise" a few years back, and pompous editorial editor Tim Swarens last week told a Star reader that he never reads blogs. (Hence Swarens had totally missed the story circulating on blogs about the IUPU student/janitor who was reprimanded for reading a book on the Klan. The reader had called to find out when the Star might look into the story).

Fortunately, the reader also called m.e. Pam Fine, who has an open mind (and is leaving the Star). The controversy was covered by the paper the next day. Today Swarens managed to print a spotlight letter to the editor about the subject. Better late than never.

Obviously, the planners of the blog confab and its attendees are ahead of these games. For more info on the event, check it out:

http://conference.blogindiana.com/