Bri's presentation drew other hyperlocals from Ottawa, Victoria, Edmonton, VT, WA, Metro Vancouver and the Gulf Islands. She spoke of finding your niche in the media microsystem and of finding - and making it possible for people to tap into - the passions within your community, most of which occur offline.

She outlined her Tenth To the Fraser thesis of blog as Greek chorus that helps the audience follow the performance, commenting on themes, reacting to drama, and providing insight (and information, of course, can't forget about the data.

I'm fascinated by hyperlocal blogs and this was a dynamic and thought-provoking presentation.

Next year this needs to be a panel discussion with even more hyper hyperlocals, such as Charles Russo. And Bri of course. :)

http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/RUSSO/index.php

It was evident that Bri is passionate about her community and it was this passion that I found inspiring.

She clearly outlined her topics of discussion and provided concrete examples to support her information. Bri's presentation had a natural flow which complemented with her elocution made this seminar a pleasure to participate in.

I left the presentation with an understanding of steps to take to create a hyperlocal blog for my community!

"Passionately Local" is an intelligent presentation about blogging for a specific, small geographic area, also called hyperlocal blogging.

However, the lessons Brianna Tomkinson offers so freely also apply to the political arena. Any politician who realises that the getting-elected part of politics is also hyperlocal, and who wants to use Web 2.0 to genuinely connect, needs to listen to Brianna's presentation. There's a goldmine of information and experience here.

Briana's passion for New Westminster was evident, both in her presentation and use of social media.

She provided some great information for those interested in generating excitement about their local community, from tips on establishing relationships with local media and government to story ideas and blog development plans. I really enjoyed her Greek Chorus concept and the focus on providing a public good and that citizens could undertake actions without needing to focus solely on monetizing their blog. The audience was clearly engaged and Briana was very capable in answering questions and facilitating dialogue.

I can testify to the service that hyperlocal blogs can provide and, as a fellow New West'er, I'm glad that Briana and the Tenth to the Fraser collective is continuing to write about the fascinating treasures found in our community.