• ADVERTISEMENT

    Crashing the E-Politics and E-Democracy Gates

    by Steven Clift
    February 21, 2008

    My focus tends to be the “citizen” in citizen media.

    Over the last few years I’ve increasing found myself at conferences like Public Media and the Online News Association. I always feel a bit out of place, because despite the adoption of online interactivity in online news and media, I am still pretty much viewed as a “consumer.” Someone to be captured and delivered to advertisers or to become a donor to public broadcasting. Interactivity is often viewed in the context of news be it reacting with reader comments or creating “news.” True conversation, the heart of being a citizen where we set the agenda, is a poor cousin.

    Well media world, I have some friends for you!

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Meet the world of e-politics (the online campaigning and advocacy crowd) where most participants are viewed as “voters” or “money sources” to be organized and influenced in the act of gaining power and influence. When I put the first candidates ever on the web in 1994 (I told the Democrats and Republicans that each campaign was likely to give me their content and, hmmm, they both said yes to my non-partisan Minnesota E-Democracy effort), I had a lot of optimism that the Internet would play mostly a positive role in politics. Now that “politics as usual” has pretty much mastered the tools, I am not so sure. It is time to get ready for mud fest 2008 online.

    Oops, I meant to inspire folks in the media world to connect with the e-politics world. The grinding sparks of these two worlds coming together might actually do some good.

    On March 4-5, the Politics Online conference in Washington, DC is the place to be. If you attend, drop by the Local eGov session and say hello. While the conference is increasingly more than just e-campaigning, you’ll learn terms “e-mail segmentation” and conversion rates.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    And speaking of doing good, those in the “goody goody” camp (e-democracy/e-participation) who seek to change politics (and media) for the better are convening the first e-democracy BarCamp also in Washington, DC on March 1-2. So come on along to this “unconference” and see where citizen media and online news can connect to become something “of” the Internet and not just “on” the Internet.

    Steven Clift
    E-Democracy.Org

    Tagged: citizen media democracy e-democracy government politics

    One response to “Crashing the E-Politics and E-Democracy Gates”

    1. Sadly, the Drupal Boston Conference overlaps with these events (and the New York City Grassroots Media Conference, too, which makes

      P.S. Steven, I wrote my next post (a discussion of what to call us recipients and participants of news) before I ever read yours, promise!

  • ADVERTISEMENT
  • ADVERTISEMENT
  • Who We Are

    MediaShift is the premier destination for insight and analysis at the intersection of media and technology. The MediaShift network includes MediaShift, EducationShift, MetricShift and Idea Lab, as well as workshops and weekend hackathons, email newsletters, a weekly podcast and a series of DigitalEd online trainings.

    About MediaShift »
    Contact us »
    Sponsor MediaShift »
    MediaShift Newsletters »

    Follow us on Social Media

    @MediaShiftorg
    @Mediatwit
    @MediaShiftPod
    Facebook.com/MediaShift