The Rising Tide Conference is an annual gathering for everyone who loves New Orleans and is working to bring a better future to all its residents.

Leveraging the power of bloggers and new media, the conference is a launch pad for organization and action. Our day-long program of speakers and presentations is tailored to inform, entertain, enrage and inspire.

We come together to dispel myths, promote facts, highlight progress and regress, discuss recovery ideas, and promote sound policies at all levels. We aim to be a "real life" demonstration of internet activism as we continue to recover from a massive failure of government on all levels.

In addition to the Friday night party and Saturday's full day of programming, which includes pastries and breakfast beverages and a full lunch, Rising Tide will again this year offer Tech School, a second stage of panels devoted to hands-on, how-to style social media and blogging topics on the latest in web strategies and online tools.

Participants are encouraged to blog, post on Facebook and Twitter and otherwise connect and share with others in attendance and around the world (#RT7). The goals of Rising Tide are numerous, but are briefly: We seek to protect and preserve the cultural qualities of New Orleans that make our city unique. We resolve to root out and expose the corruption and incompetence that harms us all. We work to enact a vision of a restored and resilient community that respects traditions and reaches for a sustainable future for all citizens.