Merry Bruns: Content and Coffee Background

Celebrating ten years- 1997-2007

Sponsored by Merry Bruns, ScienceSites Communications
Content & Coffee is a networking event for online editors, writers, and content managers.

Meet and talk with others in the field during an informal and energetic atmosphere.

Topics include current online communications, management, web writing, social media and editorial issues. "Content & Coffee" features panelists who are professionals in these areas.

...read on to find out more about C&C.

(Go to upcoming events)

WHAT'S CONTENT & COFFEE?

"Content & Coffee" is a Washington event for online editors, writers, and content developers, hosted by Merry Bruns.

Meet and talk with others in the field in an informal and energetic atmosphere.

Topics focus on current web communication and editorial issues, and feature panelists who are professionals in these area.

Events are generally held at the National Press Club, and are co-hosted on occasion by affiliate groups at their locations.

SOME BACKGROUND ABOUT THE EVENT

I started hosting "Content & Coffee," the networking event for online editors and writers, back in the winter of 1997, literally as a way to meet others working in the content development area of web sites.

Back in 1997-98, the term "web editor" wasn't even being used, unless it referred to a type of HTML software. There were few "jobs"—and folks in the content and web writing fields were very dispersed, both ideologically and geographically.

Content-a new emerging field
By 1997, I'd begun to realize that the work I was doing with web sites seemed much like an editor's role at a magazine, than that of regular web producer.
So I thought getting like-minded "content" and "web writer" folks together might be an interesting way to share info, make contacts, and provide a good place for everyone to network. As I've always loved bringing people together to meet and talk, I decided to create a regular event where we could discuss common issues, and share our experiences in this emerging field of web content development.

The first "Content & Coffee"
It was an intimate gathering of women in 1997 from the DC Web Woman listserv at first, but quickly grew larger, as both men and women needed a place to talk with others about the non-technical aspects of web sites, and the challenges they were running into as trailblazers in the field.

Eventually, we started to outgrow La Madeleine in Bethesda, Md., (a comfortable small restaurant where we held our first meetings). I was approached by the News Editor at Washingtonpost.com about holding the next event at their offices in Rosslyn, Va.—it was crowded, and focused on the craft of online journalism (you can read about it in Sacha Cohen's article.)

Where we are today
For the past 9 years I've hosted Content & Coffee primarily at the National Press Club, where I'm a member, and also at co-hosted venues throughout Washington DC.

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Merry Bruns

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