I’ve blogged before about my dream to have a citizen journalism unconference. Noel Hildalgo even came up with a name for it — “copy camp” — and registered copycamp.us. Makes for a perfect catchphrase: “Copy camp with us.”

Before an unconference, however, comes the meetup. A great way for like-minded people from online communities to meet and engage each other.

I’m happy to say that Rachel Sterne from Ground Report (an up-and-coming citizen journaism organization) has helped to create a New York citizen journalism meetup.

They gather once a month, and next Wednesday is their June meeting. I wanted to spread the word and see if we all couldn’t….get along.

When: Next Wednesday the 20th at 7pm

Where: Swift Bar on East 4th and bowery

Why: To discuss things: This month’s meetup will be focused on the monetization side of things — advertising alongside open/user-generated content. Next month will probably be looking at the role of citizen journalism in politics, especially with the upcoming elections. But either way — it’s a good excuse to get the team together for drinks.

Details here

Rachel has informed me that there is plenty of room for all — but I’ll let you all know if anything changes.