This past summer, Pittsburgh played host to the New American Music Union, a two-day festival headlined by Bob Dylan that included Gnarls Barkley, Spoon, and The Raconteurs.

As a blogger, I was invited to the event with complimentary tickets and access to the pre-show press conference, where several of the musicians were asked what they thought of Pittsburgh, and the impressions they had before arriving.

I'm not sure what made Anthony Kiedis (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), who designed the venue, choose Pittsburgh. He mentioned a generously low ticket price (understandable as the show sold out quite quickly). It was also noted that while several locations for such performances are usually well beyond city limits, the concert-goers could practically see the skyline from where they watched.

Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley said of Pittsburgh, "We were expecting Detroit, and got Chicago. Which is a good thing."

The whole weekend, I was flabbergasted that I was able to get so close to the performers and shows by simply agreeing to mention it on my Web site. As I talk to other bloggers, I realize that most of the places they live hardly recognize the internet as a news source at all, let alone the personal Web site of a college kid with little credentials for a press pass.

It made me wonder who would benefit from the small blurb. Letting my readers know about the event before it happened could certainly sell a few more tickets, but they were looking for coverage, not advertisement.

Pittsburgh's status as the "third bloggiest city" last year, following Philadelphia, is indicative of how strongly its residents are in touch with their city, and why it could be a good idea to further the collective voice, which is constantly growing in the community and shows no signs of breaking.

When I was asked to contribute to this blog by focusing on Pittsburgh, my hometown, as a cultural event, I was immediately in love with the idea. Admittedly, when I began publishing online, my focus wasn't especially geared towards the city. I'd grown up in the area, lucky to have been raised by my artist-writer grandfather, who led me by my hand to every play, museum, and exhibit that PAT bus could get us to.

When I decided to study writing, it was long after my initial attempts at keeping an online journal. Back then, blogging was not a popular concept, let alone a word. A couple years later, after minimal attempts at attracting an audience, and a developing interest in design and social media, I happened upon pghbloggers.org, a listing of blogs in the Pittsburgh area. Soon after, through that Web site, I learned about PodCamp Pittsburgh, an "unconference" run by and for people who create, enjoy, or are interested in learning more about social media.

Until that time, I was skeptical about cultivating a web presence. I was wary about publishing pictures of myself, my full name, or details--however bland--regarding my personal life. The Internet was, in my mind, a scary place that didn't touch ground. It was the essence of companies and the shadows of the personalities who promoted themselves.

When I finally began to form relationships with the people behind PodCamp--the speakers, organizers, and enthusiasts--I realized that they were journalists, and teachers, and parents. They were humble in what they did, and passionate about what they wanted to learn. From there, I very clearly stamped my blog with Pittsburgh, and my audience flourished beyond any hopes I had regarding readership.

In the beginning, as my blog floated around the universal Internet, without a backbone or home base, it was nearly impossible to convey a distinct personality. Pittsburgh's vibrant culture not only helped me benefit from a local connection, but also provided extremely colorful material that provided a means to break free from the personal blog label.