The staff of Alliance for a Better Minnesota is off at Netroots Nation for the next few days, learning from some of the best and brightest minds in the progressive movement about how to use technology to influence the public debate.

But we’re also here to share some of the lessons and knowledge that Minnesota’s progressive movement has to share.

Denise Cardinal, ABM’s Executive Director, is on a panel on Saturday, August 13th at 3 p.m. on Cutting-edge Evidence-Based Practices.  From the website: 

Do GOTV text messages work? Can Internet banner ads persuade? Is it true that simple questions can double the impact of a GOTV call? Through randomized controlled experiments, we have answers. This panel will introduce attendees to the cutting-edge world of data-driven politics and evidence-based best practices. Hundreds of randomized controlled experiments were conducted during the 2008 election cycle by leading progressive organizations to determine what works and what doesn’t in voter contact. Learn the basics of how a randomized controlled experiment works and be a part of building the progressive toolkit.

 I’m also on a panel today, Thursday, at 4:30 p.m. about "the myth of digital democracy" and how progressives can make sure that their online organizing strategies are reaching the right communities.  From the website:

In his book “The Myth of Digital Democracy,” Matthew Hindman “debunks popular notions about political discourse in the digital age, revealing how the Internet has neither diminished the audience share of corporate media nor given greater voice to ordinary citizens.” This panel will use Hindman’s argument as a starting point, addressing the question of whether or not online political and social organizing is indeed reaching under-represented communities, such as young people in inner-cities and rural areas. Do online organizing sites work with and reach a diverse group of members, especially in terms of age, race, education level and economic background? Who is being left out of the conversation? Looking forward, what steps do we need to take to make sure these communities are incorporated into the discussion so they can be empowered both socially and politically?

 If you’re interested in joining in on some of the conversations happening here in Pittsburgh, check out the Netroots Nation website, where they’ll be "doin’ it live" and streaming panels throughout the weekend.

You can also follow along on Twitter.  Denise tweets as @denisecardinal, myself as @xavierla, and the ABM Twitter stream is @alliancemn.  You might also want to follow @Populista (Populista from over at Minnesota Progressive Project) and @JasonBarnett (Jason Barnett from The UpTake) who are also here in Pittsburgh.