Interview with Julie Barko, Deputy Director at IPDI, about ‘Politics Online Conference 2007′
eGovBlog had the opportunity to speak with Julie Barko Germany, Deputy Director at the Institute for Politics, Democracy & The Internet (IPDI) about the 14th edition of the Politics Online Conference 2007 that will take place on March 15-16, 2007 in Washington DC. The gathering is a major event in the field of politics and technology, and will bring together top international speakers. We want to thank Julie for her time and enriching comments. Below, the Q&A’s.
eGB: Julie, can you give us a few insights about the Politics Online Conference 2007?
JB: The Politics Online Conference sits at the intersection of good governance, smart politicking, and really cool technology. This year, our unofficial theme is integration: integrating what you do offline with what you do online, integrating your database with your website, integrating your fundraising and volunteer efforts, etc. Our keynote speaker is Elliot Schrage, the VP for Global Communications and Public Affairs at Google. He will be talking about Online Politics in 2008: The Good, the Bad & the Unkown.
eGB: Will this edition of the gathering highlight or be focused on specific topics?
JB: We highlight several “big” topics each year in our plenary panels, and we tackle more specific topics in our breakout panels. Our plenary panel topics this year look at lessons from the corporate world, building a web team, using data effectively, and how the media uses Web 2.0. Our breakout panels cover a lot of territory. The complete list is online at http://polc.ipdi.org/Agenda/default.aspx. You can also see our interviews with some notables in online politics on our vlog at http://www.ipdi.org/Blog/.
eGB: What are the outcomes that you institutionally expect from the event?
JB: We just want everyone to have a good time and learn more about using technology effectively in politics as a tool for engagement and persuasion.
eGB: In which way do you consider the Politics Online Conference a unique opportunity for those interested or involved with e-Democracy issues to take part?
JB: The conference is the premier event for people interesting in politics and technology. This year, we look closely as using something called Constituent Relationship Management in elected office in order to respond better to constituents. No one else has broached the topic (at least not in the US).
eGB: Finally, is there any new research work or publication planned or set to be released soon?
JB: Yes! We are releasing a new publication at the event called Constituent Relationship Management: The New Little Black Book in Politics. We are also releasing our Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet/Zogby online poll results. The poll looks at how effective the web videos of the presidential candidates are. Finally, we will provide a sneak peak at new research on Poli-Fluentials, people engaged in political activities online. The survey results will be published this spring.
