Grassroots marketing used to mean going door-to-door or sending out mail, but today it is just as likely to involve YouTube or Pinterest. How can we tell which method of marketing is working the best for our cause and driving traffic to our websites? Are visitors from certain sources more likely to take action then others? Is it possible to track the success of real-world marketing in Google Analytics? This session will take a deeper dive into Google Analytics and show some tips and tricks for getting a better understanding of your marketing campaigns and how to identify the most successful ways to encourage action on your website.

Trainers: Phil Anderson

In just over a year, a new grassroots movement has emerged to demand common-sense laws to keep guns out of the wrong hands. Representatives of two successful recent “Gun Politics 2.0” campaigns and political leaders will explore how progressives are using social media and organizing to reframe an issue sometimes—and wrongly—considered a political third rail. In January 2011, following the mass shooting in Tucson, Mayors Against Illegal Guns launched the National Drive to Fix Gun Checks to educate the public about the 34 Americans who are murdered with guns every day and to build support for reforming the national gun background check system. After Trayvon Martin’s tragic shooting, a new coalition of national civil rights groups and Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched the Second Chance on Shoot First campaign to demand that states reform reckless laws written by the NRA and ALEC that led to Trayvon’s death.

Gun Politics after Trayvon and Tucson: New Life for a Deadly Issue

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 16:59:38

Led by: Mark Glaze

Panelists: Rep. David Cicilline, Lori Haas, Cliff Schecter, Jamal Simmons

The Department of Veterans Affairs has released data estimating that one in three women has been sexually assaulted and/or raped while on active service, double the rate for civilians, according to the DoJ. Rape is notoriously unreported, particularly in the hyper-masculine environment of the military. Women troops who do seek justice find themselves quickly ostracized, their psychological wounds left untended, their attackers not charged. They are expected to carry on and often face their rapists on a daily basis. This panel is designed to explore the issue of Military Sexual Trauma or MST.

Military Sexual Trauma: The Women’s War

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 17:14:40

Led by: Joan Brooker

Panelists: Elizabeth Stinson, Ann Wright

In Rhode Island, public transit service is under perennial threat of service cuts and fare increases due to a flawed funding mechanism, the gas tax. Transit systems around the country—from Oakland to Detroit—face similar service cuts at a time when public transportation is more necessary than ever for both our economic and environmental sustainability. This panel will relate how workers, riders and even transit systems are forming coalitions in the fight to save and expand public transportation. We’ll explore the campaign in Rhode Island to Save RIPTA, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, and discuss how the successes of this local campaign can be translated to other communities nationwide.

Saving Public Transportation: A Matter of Social Justice

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 17:44:53

True, need to elect transit riders MT @kenyaw Libby Kimzey agrees many lawmakers aren’t transit users & are out of touch w/riders #nn12Rebecca Saltzman

Led by: Greg LeRoy

Panelists: Abel Collins, Larry Hanley, Paul Harrington, Libby Kimzey

Bold progressive candidates—those who publicly commit themselves to the 99% movement and a populist economic vision—are running for Congress across the nation this year. Progressive infrastructure is giving these candidates vital support, resulting in some early primary wins against conservative Democratic opponents. More big primaries are coming and then significant general election fights are ahead. Hear from some of these bold candidates and learn how you can help them succeed in 2012.

Bold Progressive 99% Candidates in 2012

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 16:17:44

Led by: Stephanie Taylor

Panelists: Adam Green, Daniel Mintz

Community heroes across the country are taking great risks to stand up and say no to coal pollution and other environmental injustices, and they’re succeeding—more than 100 of the nation’s 500 coal plants have already announced that they will retire. Activists from Appalachia to Arizona are using creative strategies and tactics that are breaking through the noise and building power in communities that are often marginalized. This session will put some of these David vs. Goliath stories front and center and address how activists can use these lessons in fighting for environmental justice in their own communities.

Coal and the Grassroots Fight for Environmental Justice

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 16:15:25

Led by: Mary Anne Hitt

Panelists: Tony Fuller, RL Miller, Allison Sliva

The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United opened the floodgates to massive amounts of anonymous corporate spending in our elections and allowed Super PACs to spend millions on campaign ads with no accountability. In the Republican presidential primary, we’ve seen Super PACs acting as shadow arms of the candidates’ campaigns. This new doctrine of “corporate speech rights” threatens to drown out the voices of the American people. Organized by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Center for American Progress Action Fund, this panel will examine the far-reaching impact of Citizens United and discuss how legislators, activists, bloggers and stakeholders can help restore sanity to our elections.

Citizens United, Super PACs and the Fight for Our Democracy

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 16:35:17

Led by: Tom Perriello

Panelists: Becky Bond, Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator Jeff Merkley, Trevor Potter, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

Androids and iPhones are quickly becoming our primary gateways to the Internet. The ways that we organize political and advocacy campaigns, produce and communicate with our world depends on access to them and the broadband data connections they provide. But imagine livestreaming video from a protest and running up against data caps. Imagine planning out your next SMS campaign, and the phone companies telling you they don’t like the content. These threats to mobile freedom are real. As we fight for control over our mobile experience, it’s fair to say that your phone is political. This panel will discuss how the power dynamic between the carriers and the public is affecting our ability to communicate via mobile phones, why the progressive community must stand up for mobile freedom and how we can create better policies that protect us from wireless carrier abuse.

Led by: Josh Levy

Panelists: Garlin Gilchrist II, Joaquin Guerra, Sabrina Hersi Issa, Jamilah King

Fact: You are the worst predictor of what content will go viral in the world. Learn how to optimize your headlines and content, double your Facebook fans and increase user engagement. Hang out with the crack team of sharers at Upworthy. Steal our secret recipe to get larger shares. We’ll tell you all the counterintuitive things we learned, like why “Republican” tests better than “GOP” in headlines, why pretty design actually hurts sharing and how to leverage partnerships to get your organization on the top of the social sharing heap. We’ll explain the latest strategies in optimizing Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and more to make sure you are maximizing your results, plus we’ll teach you quick and easy ways to double your efforts by testing, testing, testing.

*Kegs of really good beer will be provided. (No beer will really be provided. We’re just giving you a secret tactic up front as an example.)

Trainers: Sara Critchfield, Adam Mordecai

Working on a video for your cause, your organization or yourself and need some counsel from people who do it everyday? Have a 1-to-3-minute video that didn’t quite perform how you’d like and want a test audience to get a sense for what you need to fine-tune next time? This is one panel that is focused on YOUR content—and how we can in turn make better media for the progressive movement.

Led by: Negin Farsad

Panelists: Josh Bolotsky, Zach Roberts, Baratunde Thurston, Rebecca Wind

Our moderated issue caucuses are aimed at forming greater strategic alliances on progressive issues including the environment, labor, LGBT community, immigration, women’s issues, social justice and education.

Connect with like-minded folks and talk with others from your community in our identity caucuses.