(cross-posted at EdCone.com)

Election 2004 is the name of the session I'm steering at B-Con. It should really be called Election 2005.

What is the next online campaign going to look like? What works, what doesn't, and what do we have reason to believe might work in the future? How will next year's local races play out on the web, and what will they tell us about House and Senate races in 2006, and elections beyond those?

No tears. No cheers. It's not an encounter group or a political rally. Practical wisdom, lessons learned, and a template for future campaigns are what I'm hoping to end up with.

But it won't be dry, and it won't be dull, and once it starts it will take on a life of its own. Y'all come.

# Posted by Ed Cone on 11/6/04; 6:31:52 AM - --

The webcast, thanks to Doug Kaye and IT Conversations, will include sessions from room 209 -- the National Anthem, Podcasting, Overload, Election 2004, Making Money and Fat Man Sings sessions.

We will record the sessions from the other rooms, they will be available in MP3 format, Murphy-willing, shortly after the conference.

# Posted by Dave Winer on 11/6/04; 5:18:57 AM - --

Last night's opening dinner was wonderful. One of those dinners when everything came together, I got to make about a dozen fantastic intros to people whose lives (I think) will be richer for knowing another person. For example, Mary Hodder and Alex Cohen, both brilliant, both from Berkeley, both true believers, both people I believe in. It was like a library of favorite tunes, time-tested favorites, and hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Some of the people in the room go back very far, and I met many just that night. I got to introduce Adam to some people he loves working with and had never met. I met an old boyfriend of Betsy Devine! How about that. Two members of The Gillmor Gang. Also quite a few people have been to all three BloggerCons.

Last night's dinner was a reminder. We come together to talk about all kinds of stuff. Weighty issues, new technology, professions, tools, but like all other serious subjects, they just serve to distract from the real reason we worked so hard and traveled so far to be with each other. We came to fall in love. And this is something humans do very well, very easily. Last night's bright bouquet of flowers will be gone in a flash, by the end of the weekend we'll all be back in front of our usual screens, but when we read something written by another blogger, now there will be a better chance that we know something about them, something important, that they're a person, like we are, doing the best they can.

# Posted by Dave Winer on 11/6/04; 5:03:27 AM - --