SYNOPSIS:

Digital isn't just about communication - it is a means for furthering democratic values.

The 2008 social media-savvy campaigns brought new life to the ideals of the Open Gov Directive and Gov 2.0: a transparent, participatory government. Over the course of the past two years, we have witnessed rapid digital progression in many areas of government and politics. As we approach the mid-term elections, the 360 Digital Influence team at Ogilvy Washington will bring together an expert panel to discuss the state of Gov 2.0, how social media will continue to impact government relations and operations, and how future elections will be won. We hope you will join us for a robust and dynamic conversation.

Micah Sifry (@Mlsif) is a co-founder and editor of the Personal Democracy Forum, a website and annual conference that covers the ways technology is changing politics.  Sifry edits and curates the Forum’s award-winning group blog, TechPresident.com, which is about how American presidential candidates are using the web and how the web is using them right back.  In addition to his work with the Personal Democracy Forum, Sifry consults on how political organizations, campaigns, non-profits and media entities can adapt and thrive in a networked world.  Additionally, Sifry has written for numerous publications over the course of his career, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Politico, and others.  Sifry is a featured speaker on a number of panels and has appeared on PBS, CBS, MSBNC, C-SPAN, BBC, Sky News, MTV News, NPR, CBC Radio, Air America, and many other local talk programs. 

Ari Melber (@AriMelber) is a correspondent and blogger for The Nation magazine, as well as a columnist for Politico.  Melber is a commentator on public affairs and frequently appears on national television stations such as NBC, CNBC, CNN, C-SPAN, MSNBC, FOX News, and Bloomberg News.  He has been quoted by The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Roll Call, and in 2008, Melber traveled with the Obama Presidential Campaign on special assignment for The Washington Independent.  Prior to that assignment, Melber served as a Legislative Aide in the U.S. Senate and as a national staff member of the 2004 John Kerry Presidential Campaign.  Melber holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a J.D. from Cornell Law School, where he was an editor of the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy.  Melber is on the advisory board of the Roosevelt Institute and is also a member of the American Constitution Society. 

Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics), is the deputy political director for NBC News where he helps guide the network’s political coverage.  Since joining the network in 2003, he has reported on and written about political races, trends, and issues – including the 2003 California recall, the 2004 Bush-Kerry presidential race, the 2006 midterm elections, the historic  2008 presidential race, and the upcoming 2010 midterm elections.  Murray also serves as a frequent on-air analyst on MSNBC and NBC affiliates, and has appeared in TV packages on NBC’s “Weekend Today” and NBC’s “Weekend Nightly News.”  Before joining NBC, Murray spent over five years at the political magazine, National Journal, and also wrote freelance articles for the Atlantic Monthly, the Washington Monthly, and Washingtonian magazine.  Murray is a 1996 graduate from the University of Texas at Austin and currently resides in Washington, D.C. 

Moderator:

John Bell (@jbell99) heads up the 360° Digital Influence team - Ogilvy PR’s global, digital word of mouth marketing practice designed to manage brands at a time when anyone can be an influencer, and we are all influenced in new ways. His team has developed and executed social media strategy for clients as diverse as TJMaxx, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Lenovo, Unilever and more. The team’s focus is on engaging through conversations, outreach to new influencers and word of mouth marketing. John is a Web 1.0 graduate. As Creative Director at Discovery Communications, he transformed a single web site into 14 Web communities and services from DiscoveryKids.com to Animalplanet.com and more. In the early nineties, when interactive television was imminent, John headed up the creative studio for the joint ITV venture between Viacom and AT&T. In 2009, John served as the President of the board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. He teaches graduate studies in Digital Influence at Johns Hopkins University.  His blog is: The Digital Influence Mapping Project – http://johnbell.typepad.com