FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Third annual gathering of the Netroots to be held July 17-20 in Austin, TX

November 15, 2007—Netroots Nation organizers announced today that the third annual gathering of the Netroots (formerly known as the YearlyKos Convention) will be held at July 17-20, 2008, at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX.

The 2008 convention will include panels led by national and international experts, including a virtual session held in conjunction with the 2008 Blogher Conference; identity, issue and regional caucuses; prominent political, issue and policy-oriented speakers; a progressive film screening series; and the most concentrated gathering of progressive bloggers to date.

Gina Cooper, executive director of Netroots Nation, says the convention supports the idea of people-powered politics on the local, state and national levels.

"Regular people have taken it on as their civic duty to become activists and citizen journalists and even run for office," Cooper said. "But we need to raise the bar even higher than we have before. We need to reach out to those disaffected by politics as usual, and that is why we are going to Texas, a state where changing attitudes and demographics have opened up big opportunities in 2008."

Austin's ability to handle the demanding technical requirements of a bloggers' convention and the convention center's proximity to ample dining and accommodations options also weighed into the decision.

Netroots Nation rebranded in August of 2007 in an effort to more accurately reflect the makeup of its audience and mission of implementing programs that teach and empower Netroots communities to affect change in the public sphere.

The second annual convention was held in August and included a Presidential Leadership Forum that drew seven of the eight Democratic candidates and allowed them to engage in unscripted dialogue.

For more information about Netroots Nation, visit
www.netrootsnation.org. Details about the credentialing process are forthcoming.

About NETROOTS NATION
Netroots Nation amplifies progressive voices by providing an online and in-person forum for exchanging ideas and learning how to be more effective in using technology to influence the public debate. Netroots Nation gathers, teaches and empowers Netroots communities to affect change in the public sphere.