Brooklyn Blogfest Report

Like many other Brooklyn bloggers, Gowanus Lounge went to the Brooklyn Blogfest last night at the Old Stone House in Park Slope. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet many bloggers, photobloggers and street-level journalists whose work we've been reading for a long time and from whom we've learned much. Dope on the Slope presented a hysterical history of blogging. Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn explained how the Thomas Wolfe short story, Only the Dead Know Brooklyn, inspired the name of her blog. Brownstoner, who recently launched the excellent Brooklyn Record, told us how a modest blog has turned into a small blogging empire.

We will make several observations, and leave it at that:

1. The Brooklyn blogging world owes a huge debt to Bruce Ratner and other developers whose projects have motivated so many of us to start our blogs to add our voices to the debate and to try to share information.

2. The Brooklyn Blogosphere is older than we thought. What we mean is that, for some reason, we'd assumed that most bloggers are twentysomethings. It turns out we're twentysomethings, thirtysomethings, fortysomethings and fiftysomethings. No sixtysomethings, but maybe somebody just doesn't show it.

3. The Brookly Blog Universe is expanding exponentially. Daily Heights pointed out that as recently as January 2005, there were probably a dozen Brooklyn blogs. Now, there are about four dozen.

A huge thanks to the wonderful Louise Crawford of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn for organizing this event. We prepared the photo below for Curbed, and post it below, along with the identities of the bloggers pictured.



A. Design Sponge, B. Daily Heights, C. Brooklyn Views, D. Brownstoner/Brooklyn Record, E. Dope on the Slope, F. Joe's NYC, G. Lost and Frowned, H. No Land Grab, I. A Brooklyn Life, J. Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, K. Atlantic Yards Report, L. Express Train.