Last year, over 350 progressives gathered in St. Paul to kick off the first ever Netroots Minnesota. The conference was an opportunity to strengthen our community, inspire action, and serve as an incubator for ideas that challenge the status quo and ultimately bring change to the public sphere.
That's why we want to do it again. Today, we announce that the Netroots Minnesota 2010 will be held on August 21st, and will be a mix of trainings and discussions about how we strengthen the progressive movement in 2010 and beyond.
If we're going to be prepared for the November election and beyond, we'll need to get as many Minnesotans fired up and ready to go as possible. That's why I'm excited to announce that, because of the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to start general registration for Netroots Minnesota at $20.
The Netroots Minnesota conference is about empowering you to help build a stronger progressive community -- and to do that, we need to know what you want to learn. Please send us your ideas for discussion and training topics that you would like to see on the Netroots Minnesota 2010 agenda.
In two weeks, progressives from across Minnesota will gather in St. Paul for a day and a half of panels, trainings, networking opportunities and keynotes--all in an effort to strategize and organize around progressive change.
Netroots Minnesota will be the premier kickoff to the critical conversations progressives will be having as we approach 2010, and today, Denise Cardinal, ABM's Executive Director announced a forum for Netroots Minnesota attendees to start the conversation with the candidates running for governor.
The Minnesota 2010 gubernatorial race will be one of the most-watched in the nation.
What should the race be about? How can a progressive win? What role will the Netroots play in the campaign?
These vital questions will be answered by some of the gubernatorial candidates themselves at Netroots Minnesota.
On Friday evening, November 20, DFL candidates for governor will join us at Netroots Minnesota to take questions directly from you. Get all the details and register at:
During a discussion moderated by Star Tribune writer Lori Sturdevant, the candidates will be asked questions solicited online via Twitter (using the hashtag #nmn09gov), Facebook, email, and in person.
This forum, sponsored by Alliance for a Better Minnesota Action Fund, is going to be one of the most interactive and engaging forums for the candidates to date -- be sure toregister for Netroots Minnesota to get a front-row seat at this must-see-for-yourself political event.
The Washington Times (a.ka. Fox News in print) took notice and griped about our efforts to give regular folks a chance to engage more deeply on the topics that matter most to them:
Progressives have announced plans for a social-media offensive, geared to "our new reality", says Xavier Lopez-Ayala of the Alliance for a Better Minnesota. The progressive group is one of several across the country that are honing the Twittering, blogging, videography and advocacy prowess of grass-roots types to "further change" as 2010 approaches.
Uh-oh. There's that old "c" word, Mr. Obama's onetime mantra. Progressives are hot to Tweet, and they still recall the Web-based victories of Howard Dean well over 100 years ago. Wait. It was 2004. It only seems like a century ago.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lopez-Ayala calls the dicey art of social media "impact journalism." So, Republicans: Log in and get thee to thy Tweet board.
We've just started rolling out the agenda for Netroots Minnesota and I'm sure The Washington Times will be thrilled by the panels, training sessions, and issue discussions we have on tap, including:
New Organizing: A Better Model to Engage Volunteers and Truly Build a Movement
The last thing the right-wing wants is Netroots Minnesota to be as successful as Netroots Nation in helping progressive influence the public debate. But that's exactly what Netroots Minnesota is going to be. The conference agenda is designed to get progressives trained on the new tactics that will help us step up our current organizing.
If you read Denise's email on Monday and asked yourself what a "netroot" was and why you'd want more than one -- don't worry. When I went to my first Netroots Nation two years ago, I didn't know what to expect.
I quickly learned that "the Netroots" referred to a community of progressives committed to discussing important issues and using technology to empower regular people to influence the public debate. From blogging to texting and tweeting, the Netroots is helping the progressive movement adapt to our new media reality.
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