Today we are pleased and proud to announce the theme, dates and location for BlogHer '09, our fifth annual conference.

While we're working on finalizing our BlogHer '09 venue contract, so we can announce that by the end of the month, I am happy to keep BlogHer '09 on your mind by announcing the Call for Ideas for BlogHer '09. If you're thinking this announcement seems earlier than last year, you are correct! We aim to have this Call for Ideas running for a month and to be able to announce at least a skeleton schedule before the end of the year! Question: Why a "Call for Ideas" and not a "Call for Speakers" or "Call for Proposals" or something like that?

So, a funny thing happened on the way to posting audio tracks from BlogHer '08, our annual blow-out this past July in San Francisco. Namely: I didn't. Mea culpa, my bad, I apologize! Here are a bunch of audio files, and i think we still have some more coming from our kind, generous event partner, ListenShare. (You may know them as Stephanie and James, and they've been there with their handy audio gear at most of our recent conferences.) You can find their site with these links here.

Today I am disappointed to announce that BlogHer's Reach Out Tour scheduled for next month will now include Boston and DC only. We are canceling Nashville, Greensboro, Atlanta and New Orleans. We decided to do the Tour one year ago, based on community polling about where BlogHer ’08, the annual conference, should be. Our ambitious plan was to do six full BlogHer Conferences, complete with multiple tracks of programming, full meals, fabulous cocktail parties and schwag.

Now through September 12th BlogHer is running a new contest for BlogHer community members who bring a beginner to BlogHer's Reach Out Tour. Depending on the number of BlogHer Beginners you refer you can get registration discounts...up to a free pass...on your own registration for either the Tour or next year's annual event, and the grand prize winner will receive a free conference pass along with up to $500 in travel dollars for either the Tour or BlogHer '09.

Heading to one of our Reach Out Tour cities this October? The you'll want to pick up the code below to show your LocalBlogger pride: Code:

UPDATED: I got the links for the Closing Keynote, Living the Truman Show, from Katy this afternoon, so I've added them below. It is in 8 segments on YouTube. This post is just one big link-fest, mostly to point you to all the video taken by our official conference videographer, Katy Chen. To fill in the blanks on the Community Keynote I've also included links to some of Gena Haskett and Elaine from Wannabe Hippie's videos. At the end you will find a link to the videos you all submitted yourselves at the CNN iReport table.

==UPDATE: OK, the poll has been closed. With thousands of votes between the post-conference survey and this poll, I think we're all set. Thanks you so much everyone, not only for your votes, but also for the awesome civic pride on display in these comments :) The leading contenders are: Philadelphia Portland St. Louis

For a very lucky 300 BlogHer '08 attendees, the conference doesn't end with a wild Saturday night at Macy's. Nope, 300 stalwart attendees will get up and go to the BlogHer '08 OpenSpace all day Sunday, led by last year's facilitator, Kaliya Hamlin.

Remember when we opened up two tracks of open slots for the community to schedule in topic-based Birds of a Feather meet-ups and community-driven Room of Your Own sessions? OK, this might refresh your memory! Those slots filled up pretty quickly, but since I'm not sure you all go check the agenda obsessively (you don't? really?) I thought I'd announce the final line-up.

Yes, just under the wire, I am here to announce the BlogHer Community Keynote line-up. What to say about an idea that prompted hundreds of posts to come flooding in? How about: We better do this again! And how about: A heartfelt thanks to our selection committee: Alice from finslippy Debbie from Body Impolitic Heather from NoPasaNada Jessica from Oh the Joys! Mona from Kirida Kristy Sammis and Denise Tanton from BlogHer And, of course, the woman who proposed the idea in the first place, Eden Kennedy from Fussy.

If you've been holding off on registering for BlogHer '08, now is most definitely the time to act. We've been tracking BlogHer registrations, and today was, for some reason, a tremendously active day. Which means we are planning to shut down new registrations tomorrow, July 2nd at 6PM Pacific time. So, no joke and no scare tactic: The next 24 hours are it for BlogHer registrations. Please join us, and join us quickly!!