Closed Doors in Davos Open to Bloggers? But Are They Really?

Logging on to the Huffington Post this morning, I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued to see Arianna Huffington's post from Davos's 'Blogger Nightcap' that was held last night.

In the 36-years of WEF, this is the first time 'official' bloggers have been invited to cover what used to be a private, closed-door forum of 2000 odd world leaders and key media titles. The Davos Conversation Page has been created to service dialogue with the masses, through these bloggers. This is 'historic' according to Klaus Schwab, the guy who created the WEF.

Not surprising with 100 million blogs out there, YouTube and the recent surge of companies using the Web 2.0 platform. The need to be in the blogosphere and allow that interactivity on world issues in real time, has become fundamental.

Despite the solid reputation of the blogs/bloggers who have been invited to blog from within the close doors (Huffington Post, Guardian, DayLife, Buzzmachine, BBC), it seems that all blog posts are first edited by WEF's 4 blog editors before they go live. Correct me if I am wrong.

Hmm. Doesn't that go against the whole purpose of blogging? How is blogging here different from traditional media reporting?Infact, if I am not wrong, traditional media (eg Reuters, AP, NYTimes) don't get their stories approved by WEF monitors, so perhaps here they are more honest and less untainted sources of information at the WEF.

Sure, what is being discussed at WEF is sensitive, sure there is probably a political, social and economical agenda behind almost every official news source out there; but the fact that blogging is (was?) free from all these restrictions and agendas is what makes it powerful, effective and involving of the masses.

I am not a cynical person, and I think the fact that WEF has opened doors to bloggers, demonstrates the significance that the opinion of the masses holds today in this incredibly shrinking world.

In a short video posted here from the 'Nightcap' I loved it when Arianna Huffington said the fact that Davos has opened a conversation page for bloggers, means the end of blogging!

Perhaps in the beginning there will not be explosive or 'true-to-the-spirit-of-blogging' blogging from this internationally volatile platfrom, but as Huffington says as well, it's definitely a beginning.

Perhaps 'YOU' being Time's person of the year needs to get more credit than it has been given.