"New Media, New Rules" Event TONIGHT

Local political parties come together to present "New Media, New Rules"

FORT WAYNE, In., Dec. 14 -- The Republican, Democratic and Libertarian Parties of Allen County, in conjunction with the Fort Wayne Blogger Network, are proud to present "New Media, New Rules: How candidates and constituents can maximize the power of the Internet," Thursday, December 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Downtown Allen County Public Library in Meeting Room C.

New Media, New Rules will feature a presentation by Fort Wayne Observed founder Nathan Gotsch and a panel discussion on the significant impact of new media on the 2007 election with city council members-elect Mitch Harper (also editor of Fort Wayne Observed) and Karen Goldner as well as bloggers Jeff Pruitt (Fort Wayne Left) and Dan Turkette (Fort Wayne News). Bloggers, commenters, the general public and traditional media are invited to attend.

"Local candidates are just beginning to understand the power local blogs to influence voters," Gotsch said. "Now that the city election is over, we can start a discussion on how to make the Fort Wayne blogosphere a place of dialogue for elected officials and constituents alike."

In the first part of the program, Gotsch will give citizens advice on blogging effectively in order to make sure their voices are heard by and have an impact on elected officials. He'll also discuss how candidates can develop Internet strategies that take advantage of new technologies, pointing out missed opportunities during the 2007 campaign and providing tips on how to interact with political bloggers writing about their campaign.

That will be followed by the panel discussion on the impact of local blogs on this year's election and how new media is already altering the local political scene. Gotsch and the panel will also be taking questions from the audience.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE PARTICIPANTS:

Mitch Harper -- Harper edits the weblog Fort Wayne Observed and was elected to represent the 4th District on Fort Wayne City Council in the 2007 election

Karen Goldner -- a longtime commenter on local blogs, Goldner was elected to represent the 2nd District on Fort Wayne City Council in the 2007 election

Jeff Pruitt -- one of the contributors to the blog Fort Wayne Left, Pruitt first brought attention to the photos of Matt Kelty's infamous birthday cake, which made fun of several local Republicans

Dan Turkette -- formerly known as "Angry White Boy," Turkette blogged in support of Kelty's candidacy (as well as a Kelty campaign volunteer and donor) and posted several important documents on his blog during the course of the campaign, including copies of the Articles of Indictment against Kelty and the internals from a poll commissioned by the Kelty campaign

Nathan Gotsch -- Gotsch founded Fort Wayne Observed in 2005. Other Internet ventures include InsideUSC.com and Josh Jennings For Congress, a series of campaign commercial parodies that were shown and discussed on FOX News, CNN and MSNBC.

WEBSITE:
www.newmedianewrules.com