Google will be providing significant support to bloggers at the upcoming DNC and RNC conventions over the next few weeks, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal:
Google Inc. will help set up a two-story, 8,000 square-foot headquarters for hundreds of bloggers descending on the Democratic convention in Denver next week, and it will offer similar services at the Republican convention in September, as new media gain influence in politics.
Four years ago, Google wasn’t a significant presence at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Its high-profile presence at both conventions this year mirrors the growth of new media, which will provide their takes on events and compete with established media companies via Google’s YouTube video site and other social-media outlets.
In 2004, I was in Boston during the Democratic National Convention, and while bloggers were given press access to the event, they certainly did not receive support on a scale such as this. This is a significant step towards providing bloggers with a more equal playing field with mainstream media.
