The Fifth Annual Brooklyn Blogfest was held last night at the Brooklyn Lyceum. Blogfest is a gathering of local bloggers, and like any family there is plenty of squabbling and bickering. It’s a group of people with diverse interests and outspoken opinions. Overall, I’d have to say that the event was a huge success. It was great meeting new people and seeing old friends. There were some old favorites in the program like the video portion and the photo slideshow. My favorite new addition was the actors interpretive readings of blog entries.
Every year is an evolutionary step in the Blogfest. Full disclosure, I volunteered to help plan the Blogs of a Feather portion of the evening. While there are things that could have gone better, overall, I was happy with the results. Apparently the sponsorship of Absolut Vodka was upsetting to some. While I realize that people will have differing opinions it’s disappointing to see personal, vicious, and spectacularly uninformed attacks on people’s integrity. It’s easy to complain, it’s much more difficult to put in the hard work to stage an event for five consecutive years with a volunteer staff and no significant financial backing.
All that said, I believe the Blogfest is a worthwhile and unique event. It’s a chance for people to meet, compare notes, and voice their opinions in a forum that is all too rare in our society. I look forward to next year’s event and the next step in the continuing evolution of the Brooklyn Blogfest.