PdF 2005
May 16, 2005
CUNY Graduate Center, New York City, NY
Tagline:
“Who’s Who” of the Blogosphere
Briefing:
Personal Democracy Forum 2005 was a premier event for political leaders, activists and operatives; technologists, journalists and futurists and anyone else looking for strategic understanding and market opportunities in the evolving world of technology-driven politics. It featured an energizing cross-section of keynote speakers, brief high-impact presentations, single-topic workshops and issue-driven panels.
Description:
This year’s Personal Democracy Forum Conference was truly a multimedia meeting of minds, where panelists and attendees spent as much time networking in-person as they did online. The conference goal: to frame the ongoing evolution of technology and media and their impact on our political lives. Perhaps PDF founder Andrew Rasiej put it best during his opening remarks when he proclaimed boldly, “If you want to know what’s coming next, the answer starts here.”
Speakers included:
- Tucker Eskew, Eskew Strategy Group
- Dan Gillmor, Grassroots Media Inc.
- Hugh Hewitt, Salem Radio Network
- Jennifer 8. Lee, New York Times
- Rebecca MacKinnon, RConversation.com
- Markos Moulitsas, DailyKos
- Craig Newmark, Craigslist
- Andy Stern, SEIU
- Michael Turk, RNC eCampaign Director
- Dianah Neff, CIO, Philadelphia
- Andy Stern, President, Service Employees International Union
- Craig Newmark, Founder of Craig’sList
- Jeff Jarvis, Blogger, BuzzMachine.com
- Hugh Hewitt, Best-Selling Author, Talk-radio host and Blogger
- Tucker Eskew, Eskew Strategy Group
- Dan Gillmor, Grassroots Media Inc.
- Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post
- Michael Turk, RNC eCampaign Director
- Gina Glantz, Chair, America Coming Together
- Scott Heiferman, Co-Founder and CEO of Meetup.com
- Jennifer 8. Lee, New York Times
- Markos Moulitsas, Blogger, DailyKos
- Omar Wasow, CEO, BlackPlanet.com
- Chris Nolan, Blogger, Politics from Left to Right
- David Sifry, Founder and CEO of Technorati
- Micah Sifry, Executive Editor of Personal Democracy Forum
- Andrew Rasiej, Founder of Personal Democracy Forum
- Doc Searls, Senior Editor of Linux Journal, Co-Author of The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
- Nicco Mele, CEO of EchoDitto
- Josh Marshall, Blogger, Talkingpointsmemo.com
- Jonathan Carson, CEO of BuzzMetrics
- Mitch Ratcliffe, CEO of Persuadio, Co-Editor of Extreme Democracy
- Leslie Harris, Senior Advisor, Center for Democracy & Technology
- Christian Crumlish, author of The Power of Many: How the Living Web is Transforming Business, Politics and Everyday Life
- Michael Bassik, VP for Internet Advertising, Malchow Schlackman Hoppey & Cooper
- Allison Fine, Executive Director, E-Volve Foundation
- Ravi Singh, Co-founder, ElectionMall Technologies
- Jed Miller, Director of Internet Programs, ACLU
- Martin Kearns, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Green Media Toolshed
- Dave Pollak, Founder, Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century
- Harish Rao, COO, EchoDitto
- Christopher M. Rabb, Founder and Chief Evangelist, Afro-Netizen
- Hossein Darakshian (aka “Hoder”), Iranian Blogger
- Eric Porres, VP and COO, Pericles
- Rich Lowry, Editor, National Review
- Steve Waldman, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Beliefnet.com
- Dan Carol, Political Strategist, Principal of CTSG
- Dr. Michael Cornfield, Senior Research Consultant, Pew Internet & American Life
- Britt Blaser
- Rebecca MacKinnon, Blogger, RConversation.com
- David Isenberg, Principal Prosultant, isen.com
- Zephyr Treachout, Online Organizer
- David Weinberger, Author of Small Pieces, Loosely Joined; Co-Author of The Cluetrain Manifesto
- Jerry Michalski, Sociate
- Kaliya Hamlin, Identity Commons
- Mike Krempasky, Political Director, American Target Advertising and Co-Founder, RedState.org
- Matt Stoller, Editor and Blogger, The Blogging of the President
- Carol Darr, Director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet
- Mindy Finn, Deputy eCampaign Director, Republican National Committee
- Kate Kaye, Associate Editor, Personal Democracy Forum
- Dan Robinson, Civicactions
- Kathy Mitchell, Internet Advocacy Manager, Consumers Union
- William Greene, Founder, Rightmarch.com
- Jon Lebkowsky, CEO, Polycot Consulting
- Zack Exley, Internet Organizing Coordinator, British Labour Party 2005 and Kerry-Edwards 2004
- Henry Copeland, CEO, Blogads.com
- Chuck Defeo, Salem Communications
- Nathon Gunn, CEO, Bitcasters
This unprecedented roster of bloggers, political directors, technocrats, authors and pundits will examine the extraordinary rise of the blogosphere as a political force, along with all the other ways that technology is transforming the political process. Personal Democracy Forum (PDF) 2005 features a powerful lineup of keynote addresses, tightly moderated panel discussions and breakout sessions led by revolutionaries who have changed the “rules of engagement.” In only its second year, PDF has quickly defined itself as the preeminent forum addressing the “emerging political technology sector.”
“No longer is it enough for a political campaign or cause to just have a website and a mailing list,” said Micah Sifry, Executive Editor of Personal Democracy Forum. “Politics is now being driven by a 24-7 cosmos of self-starting, citizen-driven networks of bloggers and activists who are upending all the old rules of the game by raising their own issues, conducting their own investigations, and building their own powerful coalitions. At the Personal Democracy Forum, we will hear from the new movers and shakers themselves and find out how this new world works, who gets it and who’s being gotten by it.”
WHAT:
Sponsored by Google, this landmark conference, The Personal Democracy Forum, will feature keynote speeches and interactive panels with the top bloggers, political strategists and technology leaders who are rewriting the rules of political contests and redefining democracy in our wired world. Topics will include:
· Future of political media
· Blogger ethics
· The role of citizen journalists
· Rethinking organizing
· Are online networks the new grassroots?
· Will there be a Craig’sList for politics?
Participate in this growing network of politicians, organizers and technologists. Hear from top Internet strategists of both parties, leading political bloggers and elected officials. Understand the emerging forms of democracy that are already having a significant impact outside of the electoral process.
Press Coverage
- CNN’s Inside Politics, 5/16/05
- Internet and Politics: U.S. Style Report from the Personal Democracy Forum in New York City OhMyNews, 5/16/05
Blog Coverage
- BuzzMachine.com, 5/16/05 and 5/17/05
- WorldChanging, 5/20/05
Sessions:
All Sessions
Buzz, Blogs, and Beyond: A Study of The Internet and the National Agenda During the Fall of 2004
Rethinking Organizing
Lessons from the International Stage: England, Canada, Iran and the Middle East
Archived Agenda
| Time | Main Hall | Breakout 1 | Breakout 2 | ||
| 8:30-9:00 | Registration and Networking Breakfast |
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| 9:00-9:20 | Introduction and Opening Keynote: Barn-Raising in the Empowerment Age Andrew Rasiej, Founder, Personal Democracy Forum |
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| 9:20-9:35 | Net-Savvy Campaigns: How Politics is Changing on the Inside
Mindy Finn, Deputy eCampaign Director, Republican National Committee |
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| 9:35-9:50 | Net-Centric Organizing: How Politics is Changing on the Outside
Martin Kearns, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Green Media Toolshed |
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 9:50-10:30 |
Buzz, Blogs, and Beyond: A Study of The Internet and the National Agenda During the Fall of 2004 Michael Cornfield, Senior Research Consultant, Pew Internet & American Life |
Tools and Ideas for Empowering the Edges
Allison Fine, Executive Director, E-volve Foundation
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God on the Net: Understanding Communities of Faith Online
Hugh Hewitt, Talk Radio Host |
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10:30-10:45 |
High-order bit: Mapping the Political Blogosphere David Sifry, Founder and CEO of Technorati |
Black Voting 2.0: African-American Community Online
Chris Rabb, Founder, Chief Evangelist, Afro-Netizen |
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10:45-11:00 |
High-order bit: The Net: What It Is, What It Isn't Doc Searls, Senior Editor of Linux Journal, Co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual |
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11:00-11:15 |
High-order bit: Should the FEC regulate online political activity? Leslie Harris, President, Leslie Harris & Assoc., Senior Advisor, Center for Democracy & Technology |
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11:15-11:30 |
Break | ||||
11:30-12:30 |
Using the Net to Move Your Issues
Josh Marshall, Blogger, Talkingpointsmemo.com, Writer |
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12:30-1:15 |
Lunch (Box lunch served) | ||||
1:15-2:00 |
Working It: Best Practices in Online Political Advertising
Michael Bassik, Vice President for Internet Advertising, MSHC |
Extreme Democracy (Book Launch) Britt Blaser, CEO, Open Resource Group |
The FEC and the Internet: Continuing the Debate
Leslie Harris, President, Leslie Harris & Assoc., Senior Advisor, Center for Democracy & Technology |
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2:00-2:30 |
Rethinking Organizing
A Conversation with Andy Stern, President of the SEIU |
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2:30-3:00 |
The Promise of Municipal Broadband
Dianah Neff, Chief Information Officer, City of Philadelphia |
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3:00-4:00 |
Lessons from the International Stage: England, Canada, Iran and the Middle East
Hossien Derakshan, Blogger |
Getting It: Changing Your Organization’s Internal Culture
Gina Glantz, Senior Advisor, SEIU and Chair, America Coming Together |
Got Lists? How to Build Your Base Online
William Greene, Founder, RightMarch.com |
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4:00-4:30 |
Break | ||||
| 4:30-5:00 | A Craigslist for Politics?
Craig Newmark, Founder of Craigslist |
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| 5:00-6:00 | The Future of Political Media
Chuck Defeo, Director of Online Strategy for Salem Communications |
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| 6:00 | Cocktail Party at Coda |
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