"Simple Country Lawyer" Paul Hodes Hits The Blog Scene

Note: This post was created with the help of Kathy Radford, Kevin Bassett, Trevor Harz and Kristin Kemos at the Loeb School.

New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes came to the Loeb School this afternoon for a press conference with students. About 50 people crowded into the conference room to hear the Congressman speak, who arrived with one staff member.

Hodes, who was elected in 2006 when the Democrats took control of Congress, is the President of the House freshman class and is "still trying to meet all the Democrats in the House" 6 months after being elected.

The Congressman described himself to the students as a "simple country lawyer" who got elected to Congress.

Right before he began a 7 minute break-down of how new media and the blogosphere helped him get to Washington in the first place.

Farmers and bloggers. Living together in harmony.

While the students seemed mostly satisfied with Congressman Hodes "stock" answers to their questions on abortion, immigration and border control, there was a general sense in the room that "Hodes had a bit too much politician in him".

For a simple country lawyer.

Student Kevin Bassett, a 16 year old (almost 17), who statistically should be around on planet Earth a little longer than Congressman Hodes, wanted to hear a bit more about Hodes' plan to stop global warming.

Kathy Radford, who will be 65 in December (and is about to start her own photography blog), was surprised that bloggers got such a glowing description from Congressman Hodes and that bloggers were credited by Hodes with changing the political scene so dramatically in such a short amount of time.

Here's to us.

And here's to you.

The Clacker Actually Got Paid To Hold Forth? Stop Those Presses!

This morning we joined about 35 students at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications in Manchester for a Student Media Workshop.

We were invited to lecture on the brave new world of blogging.

We know a little something about all that.

Also lecturing at the all day conference was NHPR's Brady Carlson (podcasting), attorney Greg Sullivan (1st Amendment), the Concord Monitor's Meg Heckman (newswriting), WMUR-TV's Andy Hershberger (broadcasting), Kevin Sperl (photography) and the Union Leader's Tom Lynch (layout design).

The AP's David Tirrell-Wysocki is the head of the Loeb School.

Built around the lectures is a Newsmaker interview with NH freshman Congressman Paul Hodes.

Which we will post later with the help of some students.

It's certainly "hands-on" around here.

But that's not even the best part (although the entire Loeb operation is pretty damn impressive).

The "best part" is that the Clacker actually got PAID to come before an audience and hold forth. Which we were not expecting (when we agreed to come and lecture we thought we were volunteering our time).

But now we find that we actually have the scratch to take our (lovely) girlfriend out to dinner.

Brave new world indeed.