The age of mom-and-pop pundit shops has arrived at the Democratic convention.

Bloggers are here by the hundreds, getting better seats and more respect than they ever have in their rather short history. You'll find them writing furiously from the convention floor or from a big tent with leather couches a mile away.

Bloggers say there's a hunger for personalized information tailored to specific audiences.

Democrats issued about 120 credentials for bloggers at this year's event, three times as many as they did in Boston in 2004. Hundreds more are here on their own.

A Republican party spokeswoman says there will be almost 200 credentialed bloggers at the GOP convention next week in St. Paul, Minn. up from 12 at the convention in New York four years ago.