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After the flood that followed Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, the internet became a vital connection among dispersed New Orleanians, former New Orleanians, friends of the city and of the Gulf Coast region. A surge of new blogs erupted and, combined with those that were already online, a community of bloggers with a shared interest in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast developed. In the summer of 2006, after the success of the first Geek Dinner, and to mark the anniversary of the flood, the newly formed NOLA Bloggers organized the first Rising Tide Conference, taking their shared interest in technology, the internet and social media and turning advocacy for the city into action.
Chris Cooper and Robert Block, Wall Street Journal correspondents and authors of Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security, were keynote speakers at the first Rising Tide, which was held at the New Orleans Yacht Club on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. In year two Dave Zirin, syndicated columnist and author of Welcome to the Terrordome, keynoted as the event grew beyond expectations. In 2008, Rising Tide III moved to Central City's Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Art Center with keynote speaker John Barry, award-winning best-selling author of The Great Influenza and Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and how it Changed America.
For 2009, again at Zeitgeist, actor, writer and humorist Harry Shearer keynoted the biggest and best RT yet, coming early and staying late to share stories with and sign books for conference participants (video). Every year has included expert panels on a wide variety of issues, listed here, each followed by audience Q & A, as well as genuinely New Orleans food, with this year's delicious provided by J'anita's at the Avenue Pub and Cafe Reconcile.
The conference consists of a Friday night cocktail reception, the Saturday sessions with lunch, and a public service component. Next year's event will commemorate the 5th anniversay of The Flood on August 28th, 2010.
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