I'll be getting up veeery early tomorrow morning to head west for the second annual NetSquared conference-thingy. Last year's event had a profound effect on me. It's where I first started using Second Life , and it's where I had the opportunity to deepen my relationship with the brilliant Micah Sifry which led to my eventual involvement in techPresident and the Personal Democracy Forum. In other words, some of the most interesting and professionally beneficial things I've done in the past year grew out of NetSquared.

My special part this year to play will be as one of 21 "champions," each of whom is helping one of the projects through the process. My project is the Genocide Intervention Network, which aims to utilize social networks and social media to build the movement against Darfur and other atrocities. For my homework, I plan to spend some quality time on the plane reading their excellent proposal.

I'm not really sure yet how I feel about the change of the conference's format and goals, I had such a great time last year - why mess with success? But as with many conferences, much of the value comes from the wonderful people you can meet, and I'm sure this year will be no exception. I can't wait to see you all!

You can follow me on my blog or Twitter (depending on whether I lug the laptop or just bring the phone).