This week marked the much-anticipated opening of the credentialing process for media interested in covering the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. While the bulk of media who will attend the Convention are credentialed through the U.S. Congressional Press Galleries, we do credential media — including bloggers — through the DNCC Press Gallery.
At the close of week one (drumroll please), we are happy to report 51 applications from bloggers already in — including State Blogger Corps applicants from 20 states such as: California, Colorado, Vermont, North Carolina and Kentucky. There’s plenty of time to ensure that no state is left behind on this unique Convention coverage opportunity. To apply for blogger credentials, click here. And be sure to check back for updates as applications continue to come in.
2008 Democratic National Convention 
From this page: http://www.demconvention.com/a/2007/12/dncc_press_gall.html
“You will be required to provide objective data that demonstrates your circulation, reach, and frequency. Blogs should provide their authority from Technorati.com.”
Technorati measures popularity, not authority:
“On the World Live Web, bloggers frequently link to and comment on other blogs, creating the type of immediate connection one would have in a conversation. Technorati tracks these links, and thus the relative relevance of blogs, photos, videos etc. We rapidly index tens of thousands of updates every hour, and so we monitor these live communities and the conversations they foster.”
And popularity isn’t a measure of influence:
“The truth is, influence depends entirely upon the audiences each blog reaches. Sometimes those audiences or communities are very small in terms of numbers.”
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=114017
Thanks for your comment. Technorati measures authority based on number links a website receives from other websites. While we are using Technorati to help determine, popularity and reach, Technorati is not the final word in how a blogger gets credentialed. As it says in the information form and the application, a blogger can list the influence the blog has on their specific community. Reach, authority and influence are the determining factors in the process to become a credentialed blogger at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.