Science breakthrough: Via the always informative ResourceShelf.com, a weblog I predict one day will be banned by radical information environmentalists, I learned the U.S. government information portal, FirstGov.gov, has released a new version of its Science.gov, “a gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. government agencies, including research and development results.”

“Information environmentalism?” Oh sure, today it’s merely a “nascient movent” of a few people from “academia, religion, medicine, and the arts” who are gathering to explore, “information, silence, and sanctuary.” Give it six months, and there will be a “crisis” called “information pollution syndrome.” Within 18 months, there will be information environmental radical activists who protest by destroying wi-fi base stations. Within two years, if you pull out a cell-phone in public, information environmentalists will start screaming at you for emitting radioactive death rays around their children. Just watch. (via iwantmedia.com)

Do bloggers need ‘credentials’? The Boston Globe is reporting the DNC will be providing press credentials to selected bloggers. I feel certain the Republicans will be doing the same. Why not? I’m sure both parties would rather supportive bloggers cover their conventions than “hostile” reporters. What would be a more “citizens media” display would be for each party to provide a “delegate weblog” for all convention delegates who want one (perhaps Typepad or Blogger should do it anyway), providing each and every participant to share their personal-point-of-view of the proceedings so that the people back home who selected them as delegates will have a personal connection to the event. (Later: Jeff Jarvis makes a good point: Who cares? The conventions are newsless anyway.)

An interview that may interest five people: Steve Rubel
has posted a recent Q & A with me on his weblog, Micro Persuasion. Below are the questions he asked. I can’t wait to see how I answered them:

MP: Recently you participated in a meeting with President Bush on small business that was off limits to the press and then blogged it. Do you feel that you were selected because you are a prominent blogger read by media pros? Is it possible that the President had a message he wanted to get across in a relatively controlled environment?

MP: Your blog post following the Bush meeting sounds like participatory journalism. Why did you choose to blog it? Were you discouraged or even encouraged by the White House to blog it?

MP: Do you think the President of the United States gets blogging and participatory journalism? Did you mention to him that you are a revered blogger with five readers?

MP: What do you think of the Bush campaign blog? Think he reads it?

MP: Why stick with print media (e.g. custom publishing) rather than go to all blogs all the time, like Jason Calacanis and Nick Denton have done?

MP: In a public relations sense, is there anyone who shouldn’t have a blog? How do you feel about corporate blogging - official and unofficial?

MP: What is the impact of participatory journalism on custom publishing, the magazine industry overall and PR?

MP: Why should the next Bloggercon be held in Nashville?

MP: Finally, Rex I am only in my thirties, but I’m already going blind from reading the rexblog. Can you up the picas a bit?