Central Texas World Future Society: Extreme Democracy December 5, 2006

The Central Texas Chapter of the World Future Society will hold it's next monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 5, 2006. It will be held at the meeting room of Marie Callender's, 9503 Research Blvd. # 400., Austin, TX 78759 (512.349.7151) at 6:00 p.m.

Jon Lebkowsky will be speaking on "Extreme Democracy"

In the 1990s online activists experimented with the Internet and the World Wide Web as a platform for a new kind of politics, leveraging interactive "many-to-many" tools to support both advocacy and deliberation. Early online activism focused on issues that were relevant to the Internet's strong "geek" element,"cyber liberties" issues of free speech and privacy. However in 2000, as Internet penetration was mainstreaming and reaching critical mass, the web became relevant to political campaigns. In the presidential campaign for election 2004, the Internet became an essential part of the political process. Howard Dean's short-lived front-runner status, a product of his campaign's effective use of Internet tools, proved that the Internet could have an effect. Though Dean was unsuccessful in his bid for the Democratic nomination, he continued to use web-based tools effectively to take control of the Democratic Party. Jon will answer the question, how is the Internet's role in politics evolving, and what are the implications for 2008?

Jon has been online since the 1980s, when he learned that computers could form networks, and that computer networks are environments for communication, group-forming, and community-building. Since then he's done diverse work as a writer, publisher, consultant, community developer, project manager, and technology director. He just ended five years as CEO of Polycot Consulting, Inc., a company he co-founded in 2001. He is currently writing, working as an independent consultant, and helping build a nonprofit called AssistOrg, which will provide web development and consulting services to NPOs.

Jon Lebkowsky is an authority on, and evangelist for, computer-mediated communications, social software, virtual communities, community technology, and online social networks. He has served variously as a CEO, technology director, project manager, systems analyst, and online community developer. His current consulting practice focuses on web usability and strategy and effective use of online social technologies. He is knowledgeable of Internet policy and trends, and is a strong proponent of universal broadband access to computer networks.

He has written about technology and culture for publications such as Mondo 2000, 21C, boingboing, Whole Earth Review, FringeWare Review, Wired Magazine, and the Austin Chronicle.

His blog is at www.weblogsky.com, and he contributes to other blogs at www.worldchanging.com, www.smartmobs.com, and www.austin.metblogs.com.

A longtime proponent of online tools for civic engagement, he co-edited Extreme Democracy, a book on technology, democracy, and advocacy, and served on the organizing committee for O'Reilly's Digital Democracy Teach-In.

Copies of Extreme Democracy will be available for sale at the meeting.

Attendance fee is $20 per person, for members, $25 for nonmembers, cash or checks only. (Make checks payable to CenTexWFS.) The fee includes a meal but is charged for attendance. The meeting room is at the back of the restaurant on the right.

Seating is limited so please reserve your place here.

For more information about the Central Texas Chapter of the World Future Society, visit www.CenTexWFS.org.

For more information about the World Future Society, visit www.wfs.org.

Paul Schumann
President

Official Website: http://cmpgnr.com/r.html?c=828722&r=827981&t=510084362&l=1&d=87680053&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ecentexwfs%2eorg&g=0&f=87680061