Long-time readers won’t be surprised to hear that I’m psyched for this weekend’s Rootscamp: I sing its glories every year. Besides a great gathering of the liberal online tribe, it’s a tremendous education. Where else can you sit down with a data nerd who just ran a voter-targeting program in Denver, or some college kid who just coordinated a tech-enabled field operation in Raleigh? These are practitioners, fresh off the trail or (like me) jumping in from the sidelines, all eager to trade ideas and exeriences.
And since it’s an unconference, self-appointed “experts” (like me) can’t overshadow new folks doing new things — if you want to talk about something other people might find interesting, just schedule a session and watch the crowd roll in. I learn more at Rootscamp than just about anywhere!
If you’re coming, be sure to check out our panel on political tech in The Future (2020), one of the handful of pre-scheduled sessions. It’s a rockstar group and I can’t wait for the conversation. Besides that, I’ll likely hop onto a couple of discussions over the weekend, including at least one with old friend Beth Becker — our sessions are always a hoot, most of all ’cause we disagree a lot and aren’t shy about it. If you see me in the halls, say howdy! Then let’s get a beer…and let the REAL conversations begin.
– cpd