Blogging in Real-Time

An open invitation to my regular readers and the blogosphere at large:

I have been selected to participate in an event that is as intriguing as it is exciting.

On September 15, the Sacramento Metro Chamber will be hosting its premier event – Perspectives 2006.

According to the Chamber’s Web site:

Perspectives is Northern California's largest and longest running public affairs forum, and your chance to hear the views of world renowned public figures while attending the Metro Chamber's premier business networking event. Host your best clients, prospects or top performing employees at this daylong, first-class presentation.
This year, the speakers include David Barry, syndicated columnist from the Miami Herald, former Senator and Republican Presidential nominee Bob Dole and Actor/Comedian Cheech Marin among other national media and political figures. All of the speakers' bios can be found here.

The theme for this year: All about US – The issues shaping America’s future.

One of the event’s sponsors, Prosper Publications has assembled myself and about nine other college students to blog our comments and opinions regarding each speaker in real time. Prosper publishes:

“Prosper, At Work, In Life, a business-lifestyle magazine celebrating the achievement and success of the growing Sacramento Metro Market and its bright future as a great place to live, work and play.”

We will be blogging live… or if not (we’re not sure if the organizers will let us, Prosper has not and doesn’t plan to tell them what we’re up to!), immediately after each speaker has finished.


Just being able to attend this rather pricey event ($245 for non-members, $195 for members) was incentive enough to apply. However, to have the opportunity to “work,” as it were, as a contributor to Prosper is simply to good to be true. Not only is it true, it gets even better.

There is further incentive. There is a competition of sorts with a substantial cash prize. The real prize, however, is not the money, but in the production and publication of the piece upon which we will be judged. The "prize" is the exposure. On Tuesday, Sept. 5, we will be posting our first entry on the magazines Web site – 10 days before Perspectives 2006 begins. We are charged with writing a piece that is our own perspective of an issue facing the nation. In essence, we get the jump on the featured speakers; we will speak to the same theme they will, but in a blog for Prosper.

From Tuesday up to the day before Perspectives, our thoughts and ideas will be available to read and comment on at Prospermag.com. The judging will be based half on peer evaluation (we can’t vote for ourselves) and half on the Prosper editorial staff evaluation, of which, some percentage will be based on reader feedback - comments. Prize money? $1000.00

Cool huh? And that is where you – my friends in the blogosphere – come in. I am not asking for gratuitous comments or even that you read only my post. I ask all to take the time to read all ten posts and comment if so moved. I am not asking, nor would I, anything more than to be measured side-by-side with my peers. Although there are no rules, the posts will probably be relatively short (400-600 words) and, based on my one meeting with the team, well written.

What issue will I expound upon? Dunno yet. I've got some ideas and I'm open to suggestions. Feel free to comment here.

One last request: Please spread the word on the competitive blog postings as well as the Sept. 15 live blogging. It’s going to be a blast!