Twitter: Separating the Hype from the Reality
This new medium is rising faster than any other social networking platform, but is it destined to be overloaded with celebrity gossip and trivia or will it become a revolutionary tool for social change? We will explore it's strengths and limitations as we work to separate the hype from Reality on using Twitter to organizing online.
Jen Nedeau is a social media consultant, progressive activist, feminist speaker and writer. She works full-time as the Director of Digital Strategy at Air America Media (www.airamerica.com) and also serves as the Editor of the Women's Rights blog at Change.org (www.womensrights.change.org). In her free time, she volunteers for New Leaders Council, a progressive leadership training program. You can follow her on Twitter @HumanFolly.
Matt was born and raised in rural Iowa and first got involved in politics at the University of Iowa. In 2001 he managed his first campaign in an attempt to elect a UI student to the Iowa City Council. Not long after he was elected Vice-President of the student body where he fought against radical tuition hikes, corrupt apartment management companies and police harassment on campus.
After graduation Matt moved to Madison, WI and spent the 2004 election cycle fundraising for the DNC and doing GOTV for MoveOn.org. In 2006 he was selected to join Russ Feingold’s Patriot Corps program and was deployed to Montana where he did Field Organizing for Senator Jon Tester.
For the last four years Matt has managed a national training program for Democratic activists and candidates at Democracy for America. Since joining DFA he has organized over 72 campaign trainings in 34 states, training over 5,000 people to become better activists, campaign staff or candidates.
Adam Green is co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a new piece of infrastructure that helps progressive congressional candidates run effective campaigns and win. He is also interim CEO of reform group Change Congress. Previously, Adam served as Director of Strategic Campaigns for MoveOn.org Political Action. Adam blogs at OpenLeft.com, HuffingtonPost.com, and DailyKos.com. and teaches Internet & Politics at GWU's School of Media & Public Affairs.
