Obama Black Bloggers Summit Getting Panned For It's Gossip List

Mr. President, you forgot about us!

President Barack Obama held what the White House calls its first African American Online Summit on October 11th and for some wild reason invited a number of black gossip bloggers with, in total, little reach.

The effort, while laudable, brings up the question of how the Obama White House came to form the list, let alone if it understands how to measure effective reach.

Not a one of the bloggers represents a major news site or has connections to one, and people like the legendary Oliver Willis, or John Ridley, or for that matter, Zennie Abraham, er, me, weren't there. Hell, this blogger didn't even get an invitation. Yes, gossip is done here, but so is politics, and in large measure.

And for all of the effective blogging Zennie62 did when it was "Zennie's Zeitgeist" and one of 128 blogs credentialed for the Democratic National Convention? With all of the CNN iReport work this video blogger did at the DNC 2008? With all of the Obama Rapid Response work done to put Barack in the White House? For being on the websites of Mediaite, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, and Seattle Post-Intelligencer?

Just what brand of weed the White House is smoking is the question of the day.

That blogs like Young, Black, and Fabulous were at the White House is terrific news, as that blog has really stayed a course of getting out information on black celebrities and in a way that's consistently entertaining and un-offensive. But what about the political bloggers who are black, but don't have "black" blogs and because of that reach a larger audience but with an African American point of view?

Just what was the White House trying to achieve? If, as the White House webpage reads, the intent was to have...

"an in-depth briefing and discussion about how the Administration is approaching important issues such as jobs, the economy, health care, education, community investment, civil rights and civil liberties, and the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative."

It didn't do it with the right group to provide the Internet fire power necessary.

Stay tuned for part two on this at Zennie62.com.  The White House upset a lot of black bloggers, it seems.