Edward Lynn

Name: Edward Lynn Location: Kanawha, IA I'm an activist/blogger, artist, & innovator doing my best to be a modern day renaissance man & make the world a better place. fb.me/edlynn2

A little about me

As 'Chief of Staff' of the Beer Party, (so named as a tongue in cheek riff on the Tea Party - because really... which kind of party would YOU rather go to??) I've played a key leadership role in building up a core membership of over 36,000 progressives, who in turn share our message virally to reach an audience of over 10 MILLION views a month! We've created chapters in 20 states so far & should be in all 50 states by the end of the year. Our chapters take online activism to the streets and coordinate with progressive organizations like Moveon, DFA, & OFA for rallies, petition drives, voter registration drives, volunteer recruitment, etc. You name it, we do it.

As Founder/Editor of ProgressZine.com, I've been able to give a home to 62 progressive bloggers (& growing) since Huff-Po sold out to AOL.

During the health-care reform debate I came up with the idea for President Obama's Healthcare Stories For America website (read more about that here: http://netrooted.com/blog/2010/09/10/obamas-healthcare-stories/).

I run netrooted.com, a web hosting, design, & consulting group (of 1) where I also share helpful hints for progressive activists.

In 2008 I caucused for Obama here in Iowa & ran the county campaign.

Back in the 90's I was one of those trail blazers who built some of the early social networking sites from which evolved today's social media titans like Facebook, etc.

Professionally I'm a freelance photographer & web guru.

Most importantly of all, I'm a proud Uncle/Dad.

I would describe myself as a

blogger

Why I deserve a Netroots Nation Scholarship

I helped create social media as we know it today & have watched in awe as it transformed the world, giving people around the world a powerful new voice that cannot be ignored. Yet, despite the great wealth this revolution has brought to a few, the only way I have been enriched by it myself is by the joy in my soul at seeing people stand up for freedom & justice. Truthfully, I feel richer than the dreams of avarice – even if I can't really afford all the expense of this conference. Money isn't everything.

Today I am just one of many using this monster which I helped create to change the world for the better – yet I am one of those who are highly effective at it. Going to Netroots Nation, for me, will be about making new connections, learning & teaching new tricks, and becoming better prepared and connected to make my efforts, and the efforts of all those I am able to influence to make some, more effective.

I am asking you to help me to help you to help us all. To help me change, to be more effective at affecting change. If you feel that's a good enough reason to send me to Netroots Nation, then I'd appreciate your support. Thank you!

I manage these blogs

The Beer Party
Progress 'Zine

The blogs I use most are

Crooks & Liars
Daily Kos

What first inspired me to get involved

I saw democracy itself come under attack in 2000 - as a man of conscience I had to act. Today, the stakes are even higher and the battle rages on, so I am still in the trenches, fighting it out.

How I've gotten others involved

Between the 10 million people a month viewing our posts on The Beer Party on Facebook alone, plus those who get our message on Twitter or our blog, and the 20 local chapters of the Beer Party we've formed that are all on Facebook as well as on the ground in the states, the readers and authors of Progress 'Zine, and the hundreds of thousands who told their stories on the Healthcare Stories for America site, I know I've inspired a lot of talk, and yes a whole lot of action too.

I'm hoping to do a lot more in the years to come!

The blog post I am most proud of

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=165848600131713

Why I think participation in the blogosphere is important

It's always been important to take part in the conversation of the times, no matter where or how that conversation took place. It's no different today, except that today that conversation is taking place online. And this is very good because once again the citizenry has found it's voice. Citizen Journalism, a.k.a. "blogging", and the equally important sharing of blogs, has created a current of information which replaces, and indeed surpasses that which our watered down, over-produced and under performing media no longer creates - truth, for truth's sake. But there's a dangerous undertow of ignorance and confirmation bias in this current, and so it's even more important for educated, enlightened thinkers to make their voices heard above the clamour. I'm doing my part to make that easier.

More about my involvement with DFA and local work

Working with Democracy For America is more in my future than in my past. I'm looking forward to it!

More about my volunteer work

Locally I've worked a great deal with Organizing For America, and was a 3 time Obama delegate, went door to door registering voters and handing out leaflets, organized volunteers, ran the Obama For America campaign in my home county in the final months of the 2008 Campaign... I continue to work with and support Iowa Democrats and groups like One Iowa and PFLAG, and on fund-raisers like the Iowa Democratic Wingding. And of course I run the Iowa chapter of the Beer Party, as well as being a leader of the national Beer Party, overseeing chapters in 20 states and growing.

My feelings about volunteering in general are that it seems like the things I've done in my life which have been more about doing good and bringing people together than they have been about making money have been the most successful and rewarding things I've done - so I'm going to keep it up!

My Twitter manifesto on online activism

A lone voice soon becomes a chorus, a lone rebel soon becomes an army. Sing! Stand! Alone if you must. You shan't be alone long.

My suggested bumper sticker slogan

I'm not rich, and I vote!

My idea for a cool new online action

The horrible Citizens United decision opened the floodgates for people like the Koch Brothers and Karl Rove to spend, spend, spend on a deluge of ads that practically brainwash people. But for all that money, what do they get? Paper and air, and little more. What do I mean by that? Paper refers to the fliers and brochures that they mailed out by the millions, air refers to all the hot air on the TV and radio. And when you think about it, that's not really much. So what would happen if every engaged progressive in America were to write a handful of letters, or print out a pile of brochures, or burn a stack of CD's or DVD's, and then we delivered them to our neighbors? We could organize this online and combat the big national money with small, local efforts coordinated on a national scale.

That's just one. I've got more. Lots more.