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Our good friend Jon Lebkowsky will be speaking at the WFS in Austin on
December 5th.<br><br>
</font><blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><b>
<a name="contentBlock1"></a>Extreme Democracy</b></blockquote><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><font size=2>The World Future
Society will hold it's next monthly meeting in Austin on Tuesday,
December 5, 2006. It will be held at the meeting room at 9503 Research
Blvd. # 400., Austin, TX 78759 (512.349.7151) at 6:00 p.m. <br><br>
Jon Lebkowsky will be speaking on "Extreme Democracy"<br><br>
"In the 1990s online activists experimented with the Internet and
the World Wide Web as a platform for a new kind of politics, leveraging
interactive "many-to-many" tools to support both advocacy and
deliberation. Early online activism focused on issues that were relevant
to the Internet's strong "geek" element,"cyber
liberties" issues of free speech and privacy. However in 2000, as
Internet penetration was mainstreaming and reaching critical mass, the
web became relevant to political campaigns. In the presidential campaign
for election 2004, the Internet became an essential part of the political
process. Howard Dean's short-lived front-runner status, a product of his
campaign's effective use of Internet tools, proved that the Internet
could have an effect. Though Dean was unsuccessful in his bid for the
Democratic nomination, he continued to use web-based tools effectively to
take control of the Democratic Party. Jon will answer the question, how
is the Internet's role in politics evolving, and what are the
implications for 2008? <br><br>
Jon has been online since the 1980s, when he learned that computers could
form networks, and that computer networks are environments for
communication, group-forming, and community-building. Since then he's
done diverse work as a writer, publisher, consultant, community
developer, project manager, and technology director. He just ended five
years as CEO of Polycot Consulting, Inc., a company he co-founded in
2001. He is currently writing, working as an independent consultant, and
helping build a nonprofit called AssistOrg, which will provide web
development and consulting services to NPOs.<br><br>
Jon Lebkowsky is an authority on, and evangelist for, computer-mediated
communications, social software, virtual communities, community
technology, and online social networks. He has served variously as a CEO,
technology director, project manager, systems analyst, and online
community developer. His current consulting practice focuses on web
usability and strategy and effective use of online social technologies.
He is knowledgeable of Internet policy and trends, and is a strong
proponent of universal broadband access to computer networks.<br><br>
He has written about technology and culture for publications such as
Mondo 2000, 21C, boingboing, Whole Earth Review, FringeWare Review, Wired
Magazine, and the Austin Chronicle. <br><br>
His blog is at
<a href="http://cmpgnr.com/r.html?c=815270&r=814529&t=510084801&l=1&d=87625248&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eweblogsky%2ecom&g=0&f=87625252">
www.weblogsky.com</a>, and he contributes to other blogs at
<a href="http://cmpgnr.com/r.html?c=815270&r=814529&t=510084801&l=1&d=87625250&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eworldchanging%2ecom&g=0&f=87625252">
www.worldchanging.com</a>,
<a href="http://www.smartmobs.com/" eudora="autourl">www.smartmobs.com</a>
, and
<a href="http://cmpgnr.com/r.html?c=815270&r=814529&t=510084801&l=1&d=87625240&u=http%3a%2f%2faustin%2emetblogs%2ecom&g=0&f=87625252">
www.austin.metblogs.com</a>.<br><br>
A longtime proponent of online tools for civic engagement, he co-edited
<b><i>Extreme Democracy</i></b>, a book on technology, democracy, and
advocacy, and served on the organizing committee for O'Reilly's Digital
Democracy Teach-In.<br><br>
Copies of <b><i>Extreme Democracy</i></b> will be available for sale at
the meeting.<br><br>
Attendance fee is $20 per person, for members, $25 for nonmembers, cash
or checks only. (Make checks payable to CenTexWFS.) The fee includes a
meal but is charged for attendance. The meeting room is at the back of
the restaurant on the right.<br><br>
Seating is limited so please reserve your place
<a href="http://cmpgnr.com/r.html?c=815270&r=814529&t=510084801&l=1&d=87625245&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ecentexwfs%2eorg%2findex%5ffiles%2fpage0008%2ehtm&g=0&f=87625252">
here</a>.<br><br>
For more information about the Central Texas Chapter of the World Future
Society, visit
<a href="http://cmpgnr.com/r.html?c=815270&r=814529&t=510084801&l=1&d=87625244&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ecentexwfs%2eorg&g=0&f=87625252">
www.CenTexWFS.org</a>. <br><br>
For more information about the World Future Society, visit
<a href="http://cmpgnr.com/r.html?c=815270&r=814529&t=510084801&l=1&d=87625249&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ewfs%2eorg&g=0&f=87625252">
www.wfs.org</a>."</font></blockquote><br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<dl>
<dd><font size=2><a href="http://www.natasha.cc/">Natasha
</a><a href="http://www.natasha.cc/">Vita-More</a>
<dd>Cultural Strategist - Design Media Artist - Futurist
<dd>PhD Candidate,
<a href="http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/researchcover/rcp.asp?pagetype=G&page=273">
Planetary Collegium </a>
<dd>Proactionary Principle Core Group,
<a href="http://www.extropy.org/">Extropy
</a><a href="http://www.extropy.org/">Institute</a>
<dd>Member, <a href="http://www.profuturists.com/">Association of
Professional Futurists</a>
<dd>Founder, <a href="http://www.transhumanist.biz/">Transhumanist Arts
& Culture</a> <br><br>
</font>
<dd><font face="Times New Roman, Times"><i>If you draw a circle in the
sand and study only what's inside the circle, then that is a
closed-system perspective. If you study what is inside the circle and
everything outside the circle, then that is an open system perspective. -
</i>Buckminster Fuller<br>
<br><br></font>
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