To plan Brooklyn Blogfest 2009, a great group of bloggers have come together to make it the best Blogfest yet. In the past, I was generally in charge of planning the program and choosing the speakers. That may account for the somewhat overlong line-up of speakers.

Okay, so I had a hard time saying no and everyone sounded so interesting (and they were!). This year we're trying to streamline the show and give it a more focused feel.

The centerpiece of this year's program will be a panel discussion, Why We Blog: Voices, Visions and the Realities of the Blogosphere. The moderator and the panelists will be announced in the coming weeks.

The planning group has been brutally honest about what worked and what didn't at past Blogfests. Creating a more diverse  Blogfest, one which represents  more neighborhoods in Brooklyn and a more diverse group of people, was a top priority.

Interactivity was another priority.  That's why we added Blogs-of-a-Feather, breakout sessions at the end of the program that will give particpants a chance to meet with other bloggers who share their interests. These groups will be facilitated by notable bloggers in each category of blogging (place, social activist, photo, political, popular culture, food, home & garden, historical, and others).

Like last year, video segments are being produced for the show. Brit in Brooklyn is creating a video tribute to the photo bloggers of Brooklyn. Blue Barn Pictures is creating an opener, as well as short videos about interesting bloggers in Brooklyn. Blue Barn also created the Brooklyn Blogfest 09 teaser video, which is already circulating and was directed by Sharon Dowdell.

And what about the Shout-Out, that fun and democratic portion of the program, when new bloggers are invited to get up and share their blogs with the world? That's been moved to the after-party at Galapagos, where there's a great stage. There are strict rules of course: speakers are limited to a certain number of sentences (we talked about Twitter length lol). Say what you absolutely need to say, give out your URL and be on your way. Last year, 60 people got up and it was fantastic (and long). This year it will be just one element of the party at Galapagos, where there will be a cash bar and free snacks and lots of time to hang out and network.

The Blogfest is on May 7th at 7 p.m. at PowerHouse Arena in Dumbo. Please register online at brooklynblogfest.com. Admission is $10, $5 for students and seniors. We're encouraging people to bring exact change so that the line will move quickly. The afterparty is at Galapagos, which is right across the street. Directions and information at the website.