The four-day 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver this week is not just a political event — it’s a celebration of social media, high-definition video and really kick-ass internet connectivity.
“This is America’s convention, and we’re using new technology this time, like text messaging and Google and YouTube, to really break down these walls to make this [convention] more open and interactive,” says Brook Colangelo, the DNCC’s director of technology.
This year’s convention sees multiple firsts in technological innovations for the quadrennial political party gathering. For starters, the Democratic National Convention Committee is providing bloggers (and floor delegates) with “video-upload booths” where they can upload their footage to YouTube or any other online-video platform.
The DNC is using text messaging and streaming video to keep delegates (and those following along at home) up to date.
Separately, an alliance of groups, including progressive group blog the DailyKos, ProgressNow and the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, are hosting and sponsoring an 8,000-square-foot “bloggers tent,” where attending bloggers, vloggers and podcasters will have a place to work with a high-bandwidth internet connection.
Here’s a look at some of the tech inside the Pepsi Convention Center, where the event is taking place.
Frank Wilson is a retired teacher with over 30 years of combined experience in the education, small business technology, and real estate business. He now blogs as a hobby and spends most days tinkering with old computers. Wilson is passionate about tech, enjoys fishing, and loves drinking beer.
