Blogging Cuba: 1st Cuban Bloggers Meeting

[Translation: Mailyn / Cubanita in Colorado]

Blogging Cuba
A Cuban Bloggers Meeting
August 14th – 16th, 2009
Palma de Mallorca, Spain

WELCOME!
The Cuban blogosphere keeps growing while increasing the ideas and expectations of its bloggers. By calling this 1st Cuban Bloggers Meeting, we aim to cross the virtual space of the blog and meet, in a reflexive environment, with interesting people. People we have read more than once, but we have never greeted personally. People that we are going to keep reading even after the convention. People that, one way or the other, are all dedicated to reflect Cuba in their blogs.

Being the blog an instrument to report and to express our opinions, in Blogging Cuba we’ll have the opportunity to share experiences in a wide variety of topics, ranging from technology and culture to our views about the future of the Cuban nation where we all come from. Games and Cuban music will also be present, as common roots that bring us together, despite borders and hard feelings. With that, we’ll reinforce the growing popularity of this newly born communication channel.

We believe this will be an open, plural and rich event. A reference for future conventions and a living proof of the progress in the social networks in the web.
We cordially invite you to join us!

MAIN TOPIC
The Cuban Blogosphere and its impact in culture, society, politics and media

Suggested topics of discussion:
• The Cuban Blogosphere: facts and numbers
• Cuban blogs by the numbers
• Culture in the Cuban Blogosphere
• Sports in the Cuban Blogosphere
• Cuban blogs: impact in the media
• Ethics while blogging
• Social connections between Cuban bloggers
• Online journalism
• Copyrights
• Bloggers facing the future of Cuba
• The Cuban Diaspora and the blogs
• Technology
• Anonymity in the Cuban Blogosphere

CHAIR AND COMMISSION
Honorary Blogger:
Yoani Sánchez, 2008 Ortega y Gasset Award of Digital Journalism, Blog: Generación Y
General commission:
Aguaya Berlín, Blog: Desarraigos Provocados
Ivis Acosta, Blog: Memorias de una cubanita
Beatriz Matías, Blog: El Blog de Betty
Papas x Malangas, Blog: Papas x Malangas
Jacques de Sores, Blog: Cinema Cuba

LOCATION
Sede Palma de Mallorca, Spain

INVITED SPEAKERS
Programmed:
* Web 2.0: The power of people, by Ricardo Baeza-Yates.
* From Salam Pax to Yoani Sánchez: reasons of the blogosphere media projection, by José Luis Orihuela.

PAPERS
Information to be submitted:
Title
Author(s)
Author (s)’s blogs web address
Author’s country of residency
Abstract, no longer that one letter size page, with 2.5 margins and Times New Roman fonts, size 12.
(Where and how to send the papers will be announced soon.)

DEBATES / ROUND TABLES
Proposals should be submitted meeting the following format:
Title
Topic
Facilitator(s)
(Suggested titles and topics can be already sent, e.g., as part of a comment to this post)

Initial proposals:
1) The Cuban Blogosphere as social network
Topic: Blogosphere and Exile, an analysis on how blogs work providing testimonies and bringing together an exile very plural in its origins, generations and main interests.

2) Real Cuba in the Blogosphere
Topic: Different representations of Cuba in the blogosphere: our culture, homesickness, new communication channels, the Cuban Diaspora, views on Cuban politics and more.

3) Beyond borders and distances
Topic: The Cuba the blogosphere is offering to the readers inside and outside Cuba and the exile the blogosphere is portraying to those two groups of readers.

4) Blogosphere and transition
Topic: The Cuba of the future and the Cuban Blogosphere.

5) Bridging the Gap
Topic: Why, how and in which topics I believe my enemy is right

PROGRAM
Friday August 14th
09:00 – 09:30 -- Opening ceremony
10:00 – 12:00 -- Presentations (Session I)
13:30 – 15:30 -- Presentations (Session II)
16:00 – 18:00 -- Keynote Lectures A
Evening -- Welcoming cocktail
Saturday August 15th
10:00 – 12:00 -- Presentations (Session III)
13:30 – 15:30 -- Debates / Round tables
16:00 – 18:00 -- Keynote Lectures B
Evening -- Cuban Fiesta
Sunday August 16th
16:00 – 18:00 -- Closing ceremony
Evening -- “Good Bye” Dinner

SOCIAL PROGRAM
Welcoming cocktail ((Friday 14th):
Location: TBA
Cuban Fiesta (Saturday 15th):
Location: TBA
“Good Bye” Dinner (Sunday 16th):
Location: TBA

COLLATERAL ACTIVITIES
• Contest The Cuban Blogoestroika Cubana and free access to Internet
• Book’s Corner: Presentation and sale of books written by bloggers
• Art Show, come to see and buy the pieces of Cuban artists
• National and regional meetings nacionales prior to the convention
• and much more...

REGISTRATION
Details TBA

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Deadline to send abstracts: July 14th, 2009
Deadline to send proposals of topics for debates/round tables: July 14th, 2009
Blogging Cuba: August 14th – 16th, 2009

MORE INFO
Note 1: We want to thank the ideas’ sharing and email discussions originated from the first version of this announcement, especially those submitted by Jorge Ferrer, Osvaldo Cleger, Jacques de Sores, Lena, el Yoyo, Gaviota, and ALL members of the commissions listed above, as well as the comments left by bloggers in the previous posts.

Note 2: We still have some pending issues, such as how can we include the participation of the bloggers that are in the island. Also, we are looking for sponsors!

Note 3: We are open to new ideas you might want to share in order to support the work the local commissions are doing preparing our super convention.

Note 4 (03.29.2009): Now are open the Sponsorship Opportunities.

¡See you in Palma de Mallorca!