Cheryl Morgan has unveiled her latest creation — Convention Reporter. Ever spent big chunks of time trolling the internet searching for threads and reports about an sf/fantasy convention that’s currently happening? Well, this website is the answer to your prayers (and just in time for the upcoming World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal). First, a quick word about Cheryl — she’s one of the nominees this year for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer, and it’s not just because she generates some of the best fan reporting and discussion found anywhere. It’s just as much for her commitment and vision, creating sites like Convention Reporter and the well-regarded Science Fiction Awards Watch. For my money, she’s one of the essential voices of today’s sf community, and when she talks, smart people listen.

Have a look at some of the folks that will be joining me as “con reporters” in this new effort — Lou Anders, Neil Gaiman, John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, Cory Doctorow, and more. Decent company, I’d say.

So how does this work? Cheryl explains: “This is what you might call a ‘mashup’. That is, it is an online service that works by collating information from a variety of other online services and presenting it in an single, simple interface.

Science fiction conventions are very well reported on these days. Convention attendees write reports on their blogs, and on web sites such as LiveJournal and Facebook. They upload photos. They may even tweet live from the convention. Modern smart phone hardware is starting to allow direct creation and uploading of YouTube video. The potential is endless.

But how do you find these reports? Hashtags are one solution; this is another. Very simply, we ask people who are planning to cover a convention to register with us, and we make all of their reports easily accessible in one place.”

Should be a lot of fun being a part of this effort in Montreal, and beyond. 🙂 Thanks, Cheryl!