I will be presenting at the Votes, Bits & Bytes conference next week as well. My session will actually serve as the kick-off of a project I am leading to update Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals for the Internet age.

Here is a quick overview:

Saul Alinsky developed strategies and tactics to convert the enormous emotional energy of grassroots groups into effective activism. In Rules for Radicals he stressed that an organizer shouldn't get locked into any one tactic and should utilize new and creative tactics to be most effective in promoting a particular cause. The result was a method and style of pursuing social change that has remained a permanent part of the American political landscape for generations.

The Internet and technology have revolutionized politics and community engagement. Today, it serves as the breeding ground for countless new and creative tactics for promoting a cause. But the Rules for Radicals that Saul Alinsky championed do not translate directly to online community building and engagement activities.

This session and an accompanying online discussion (link to be provided) will launch a hearty discussion of the old rules and lay the groundwork for writing new ones. We will discuss new ideas for how our society can, and should, function in a democracy. And we will examine the principles of how information and communication technology come together to help organize action. It is an open discussion, everyone is invited and encouraged to participate.