We can empower others to do more through technology.

"If you are a political hack who is dealing with life in a networked age, or a hacker who is into politics and wants to drive change forward, this is the place to be."--Micah Sifry

This year's 5th Annual Personal Democracy Forum (PdF) has been expanded to two days, June 23-24, and will be held in New York City at Rose Hall, the new home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Keynoters include: Elizabeth Edwards, Michael Arrington, Vint Cerf, and Craig Newmark. Presenters Include: Arianna Huffington, Lawrence Lessig, Mayhill Fowler, Ana Marie Cox, Robert Scoble, Josh Marshall, Douglas Rushkoff, Joe Trippi, Gilberto Gil and many more...

Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Well, guess what? PdF is offering a special discount to the NetSquared Community.

The NetSquared, Cisco and the other sponsors put on a great event. Here are some of the folks I worked with at the registration table in the morning.

Jayson Fagar & Colleen Nagle, NetSquared staffers, at the registration table.

Just finished volunteering. In time to hear the opening speaker. Now we get to hear a 2 minute blurb from each of the featured non profits. The first one was about "micro" volunteering. Definitely want to check that one out.

Hi everyone,

 We've built and posted a new sprout for Assetmap.org/Uganda on our homepage, which is, as you might have guessed it, http://www.assetmap.org/uganda

Looking forward to hearing any and all comments!

 -Nathaniel

Hello again from Swaziland.  I wanted to clarify a bit about my previous posts....I am the founder of YouthAssets, and organization dedicated to connecting orphans, particularly those of child-headed households to the information and resources that they need.  We are exploring the use of mobile phones to provide access to support systems and information that is valuable to them.

I just attended a 3-day conference with southern African leaders working to support orphans and vulnerable children - the conference was to develop sustainable strategies to help with the orphan crisis here.  Although no mention was made specifically of ICT tools used currently, the delegates defined a GREAT need for collaboration, information sharing, data collection, and instant communication.

Jennifer Sly is the Founder of YouthAssets, a Featured Project at the NetSquared Conference.

Well, I made it Swaziland. After a short ride on a SMALL place - they take ALL of your luggage, purses, and bags because there is no room for anything in your seat! It was a quick ride - only 40 minutes - and I was sitting to a very nice gentleman who was travelling to Swaziland for the first time from Senegal. He was attending a trade conference at the same location as my OSISA conference so maybe I will see him again.

GigaOm has launched a new blog called Earth2Tech that covers tech innovations related to climate change:

"So we envisioned our site this way: One part clean tech startup coverage – (a quick look at clean tech venture numbers shows the growing ranks of startups in hot areas like solar and biofuels); One part reviews of tech giant’s eco-initiatives (is Google’s carbon neutral initiative more marketing or responsible plan?); One part a resource page for entrepreneurs and Valley types looking for green tech [tools, rules, tips]."

Last week Katie Fehrenbacher reported on NearE85.com, a site that helps you find a station selling E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline), and Nearbio.com, which locates stations that sell biodiesel (diesel replacement fuel made from natural, renewable sources like vegetable oils and animal fat).

What social web innovations do you think Earth2Tech should cover? Let them know.

“What community do you serve?” This is one of the first questions I’m asked by foundations when I make a call and ask for a meeting. I stifle a sigh and say, “Washingtonians--anyone who wants to be involved in the legislative process. In particular, though, we’re building services for citizens who are currently disengaged from the legislative process.” I know this isn’t the answer people entrusted with millions of dollars want to hear.

They want, “We serve a very specific community of ‘X-type’ people, and each year, ‘X-number’ of them walk through our doors, and with your contribution, we’ll serve ‘X-number’ of people.” They want me to say that Knowledge As Power will only help women, or young people, or Latinos, or the elderly, or Seattle residents. That just isn’t true, and it isn’t a mission worth pursuing. I wouldn’t waste foundation’s money repeating the same work of other worthy organizations.

But I understand where they’re coming from---it’s a place where finite resources meet infinite problems. Books, HIV medication, after school facilities, volunteer hours, bus passes, trees --- there is only so many that can be bought, built, or provided. And after entire careers engrossed in the cost-benefit ratio of real world non-profit services, I understand why dismayed foundation officers say, “Knowledge As Power sounds really unique, and interesting, but I just don’t think it fits what we look for.” Because, really, they look for project’s who’s capacity for change can be measured or appreciated easily; you can see where your money is going. Online, that’s not so easy.

In the spirit of sharing resources and helping folks both connect with one another and take action following the conference, I just wanted to encourage n2y2 attendees (both in-person and remote) to make good on all those good ideas you had during the event. Remember being moved by the vision of Stop Family Violence? Remember being inspired by the Genocide Intervention Network? Remember being blown away by the sheer energy of TakingITGlobal? Well, pledge to do something to help them and others!

Go to www.pledgebank.com, create a pledge to help these projects move forward, and then tell your friends. Let's not lose the momentum of the conference in the midst of flooded inboxes and exhaustive to-do lists!