Great local coverage of Anton Zuiker, organizer with Bora Zivkovic of the NC Science Blogging Conference (SBC '08) (together with Brian Russell and the real Paul Jones).
The reporter, Dan Barkin of the Raleigh (NC) News & Observer, totally nailed Anton with this quote:
The Web has evolved into a tribal Internet of passionate bloggers like Zuiker, and he has become a sort-of local brand. He's a quiet visionary. He's a low-key doer. He's a let's-get-together-and-see-where-this-goes guy. It's the Zuikers of this new, interwoven world who may play a significant role in determining how far Web 2.0 goes from being a sociable network to a social force.
I'm a latecomer to this community but I've been fortunate to spend some time with all four gents - less than I'd like, of course. Half of the blogging world knows Bora/Coturnix and he is as hyperkinetic in person as he is on-blog. Paul Jones is a WWW legend and joked recently that he has somehow made a living out of two disciplines thought to be dying (journalism and library sciences). Brian Russell ("part artist and part technologist") recently told me that while he wasn't a scientist, he works on the SBC just to help out wherever he could.
But Anton is indeed the glue - the visionary, low-key doer.
Check out examples of his community leadership at BlogTogether.org.
And, if you can make it, register for the 2008 NC Science Blogging Conference.
