Bloggers Stage Union Discussions

Forming a bloggers’ union was one of the subjects up for debate at a convention for online political writers held in Chicago this month

The Associated Press reports that attendees to the YearlyKos Convention participated in a panel discussion to argue the pros and cons of creating some kind of union organization for the blogging community.

Supporters of an association for bloggers pointed out the increased likelihood of gaining recognized press credentials if individuals banded together and also suggested that a union would enable the establishment of guidelines for issues such as advertising and data presentation.

Susie Madrak, who compiles a political blog entitled Suburban Guerilla, told PR Week: “What I've been trying to form is a bloggers’ association - something that will offer bloggers the opportunity to affiliate.”

She added that any association would limit its membership to a relatively small number of bloggers and asserted: “I’m not interested in starting a union for the benefit of people who blog about their kittens.”

The YearlyKos Convention is open to members of the political action group Netroots community and was first held in June 2006.

More information can be obtained from several online sources which covered this story, including PR Week and Guardian Unlimited, while the AP report is available at Fox News.