Netroots Wisconsin is a non-partisan meeting of bloggers, citizen journalists, activists, and others doing progressive work in Wisconsin. Netroots Wisconsin 2012 is scheduled for May 20, 2012, and will take place at the Avalon Hotel and Conference Center, Chippewa Falls, WI. This year our emphasis is on the topics that have affected Wisconsin in 2011 and 2012, and what you can do to effectively fix it.
On-line registration for Netroots Wisconsin is now closed. You may purchase a registration on Saturday at the Uppity Wisconsn booth at FightingBobFest North for $10 (does not include food) or at the door on Sunday at Netroots Wisconsin. Please click on the link at the top of the page for 2012 Conference Details to see the map for the conference and location information.
Due to illnesses on the part of presenters, we have had to rearrange the schedule slightly. The Journalism for Bloggers session has been cancelled, and replaced with an additional showing of We Are Wisconsin - The Film.
The bloggers panel has been cancelled and replaced with an informal session on web techonology lead by Steve Hanson.
Sorry fot any inconvenience this may cause, but some of our participants have had to cancel their appearance at the conference.
Netroots Wisconsin is the Wisconsin Regional Conference of Netroots Nation. This year Netroots Wisconsin comes to the Chippewa Valley of Wisconsin for a day of training, panels, and organizing for progressive causes. We are also excited this year to introduce a screening of two films - Koch Brothers Exposed, and We Are Wisconsin.
We've had some concerns from people who would like to attend just one part of the conference, and who will not be able to be there for lunch. We've now set up a special rate for the conference that does not include breakfast or lunch. This may be particularly helpful for those who would like to attend, for example, just the afternoon sand-mining session, or would like to just attend the two film screenings in the afternoon. You may now register for just $10, which will allow you to attend, but not have any food at the conference. Late registrations will only be eligible for that rate. We hope this will make it possible for more people to attend.
Session Type:
Organizing Meeting
Will You Lead This Session?:
No
“Resisting the Expansion of Frac Sand Mining
A Regional Conversation”
Participate in a Cross-County
Time Scheduled:
Sun, 2012-05-20 13:00 - Wed, 2012-06-20 15:00
Will You Lead This Session?:
No
Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign will lead a session on the influence of money on politics in Wisconsin and Nationally.
Time Scheduled:
Sun, 2012-05-20 09:30 - 10:30
Biography:
Mike McCabe is executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan watchdog group that tracks the money in state politics, fights corruption and works for clean, open and honest government. Mike joined the Democracy Campaign's staff in 1999 and became the group's director in 2000. He previously worked for six years as the Madison Metropolitan School District's communications director and legislative liaison. Mike also formerly worked as a newspaper reporter and state legislative aide. He grew up on his family's dairy farm in central Wisconsin and went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in journalism and political science, and later served in the Peace Corps in the West African country of Mali.
Session Type:
Group Discussion
Will You Lead This Session?:
Yes
A quick procession of people coming up to talk about what they're doing. A maximum of 5 minutes per person. Discuss what you or your organization is doing, make a pitch for help, ideas, money - you name it. The concept here is to get out as many ideas as possible in a very short period of time, and to give people a chance to network with others. This will happen near the end of the session, and people are very much welcome to retire to the bar in the same building to continue their "work".
We will also have a short closing and evaluation period.
How will this help build Wisconsin Netroots?:
Informal and fast networking - think of it as progressive speed dating, but where you're trying to date the entire group.
Time Scheduled:
Sun, 2012-05-20 17:00 - 18:00
Netroots Wisconsin, the Wisconsin regional conference of Netroots Nation, is coming to the Chippewa Valley on May 20. The first Netroots Wisconsin meeting in 2010 brought together 60 activists and people with interests in organizing around progressive issues. The focus of the conference was around the 2010 state elections, the candidates, and building strong progressive infrastructure in the state. This year the conference will be at the Avalon Hotel and Conference Center in Chippewa Falls.
This year our emphasis will be on organizing. Great changes have taken place in Wisconsin since the 2010 conference. Our focus this year is on improving the political climate in the state, helping Wisconsin to move forward based on progressive principles.
Netroots Wisconsin 2012 will offer organizing sessions around issues of money in politics, environmental issues in the state, effective use of technology and social media for organizing, and other topics proposed by people who will attend the conference. Session proposals are currently being accepted on the conference web site, http://netrootswisconsin.org.
A particular focus of this conference will be the issue of sand mining in Western Wisconsin. Sand mining has suddenly become a very contentious issue in the state. Western Wisconsin is ground zero for the frac sand mining industry. There will be workshops intended to educate the attendees on sand mining issues and to work together on effective tools to create sensible regulation of the over 100 sand mines that will change the landscape of Wisconsin forever.
Category:
Political Blogging
Will You Lead This Session?:
No
By the time the conference rolls around the primaries will be over, and people will be working on GOTV for the final recall election. This election will have far-reaching influence on the future of the state - we will have a panel of people to discuss the importance of the recall, and what the long-lasting effects are likely to be.
How will this help build Wisconsin Netroots?:
It's the culmination of the past year's work in Wisconsin - we should talk about it.
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)
