Liane "mataliandy" Allen

Name:	Liane "mataliandy" Allen
Location:	Newbury, VT
Where I blog:	http://www.greenmountaindaily.com http://www.epluribusmedia.org http://mataliandy.blogspot.com

My Experience in progressive politics:

I've been involved in a little of everything. I first got interested in politics during the Dean campaign, not because I agreed 100% with Governor Dean, but because I believed he was telling me the truth about his positions. I took it literally when he said "you have the power." So, I started out small, with phone calls, meetups, and writing letters to voters. I joined the DFA blog, contributed ideas (which was pretty much all I had at the time), and encouraged others in following their own ideas.

After the campaign ended, I participated in the first DemocracyFest as the last-minute volunteer vendor coordinator. The following year, I joined the DemocracyFest board, and continued to help organize the two subsequent DemocracyFests (including building an ecommerce web site). In the mean time, I also provided some of the expertise I had gained during the growth of DemocracyFest to help create RootCamp, ePluribus Media, Talk2Action, and EnergizeAmerica. I was one of the early voices at Green Mountain Daily.

I teach linguistic framing techniques to individual candidates and county committees.

I have occasionally volunteered at DFA HQ.

My personal volunteering highlight:

It's a small thing, but enabling Gold Star parents Carlos and Melida Arredondo to share their story with others has been one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done. Seeing the effect of their story on those who might otherwise succumb to cynicism or frustration about the continuing war in Iraq - watching those people become inspired to work harder - is deeply satisfying.

I also enjoyed my very first real public speaking engagement, which was done for Root camp, an organization that tried to help grassroots activists build a knowledge-base of effective activities and ideas. As a PAINFULLY shy person, who still struggles with shyness every day, it was an amazing experience to speak in front of more than 100 people about the importance of stepping out of our individual issue "silos" to accept that we are all part of the same movement and must work together if we want any hope of being successful.

Steps I've taken to combine on-line and off-line action:

Almost everything I've done has been bi-directional. I write about real life for the online world, and help online folks create new real life organizations. I also take whatever I learn in either realm and share it in both.

Why I want to attend Netroots Nation:

To carry back some what I learn to VT and apply it locally. Also, it would be nice to finally meet the rest of the Energize America team, the ePluribus Media team, and others with whom I've done remote projects over the last 4 years. I also hope to be able to share some of what I've learned over the years with other attendees.

The real strength of these events (Netroots Nation, DemocracyFest, Take Back America, etc.) isn't actually the speakers, it's the interaction among participants. Sharing what we know with one another is one of the most powerful ways to move the progressive movement forward. By sharing the lessons we've learned with one another, we save one another from reinventing the wheel, enabling faster progress.

What I want to get out of Netroots Nation:

I hope to learn more tricks for being effective at grassroots organizing, to network with others who are active nationally, and to build a stronger, more interconnected movement.

What is a progressive activist:

A progressive activist is a person who works to make the world a better place for real people. This work can be done at any level, from the local community to national office. In progressive activism, every action counts, no matter how small.

How I think blogs fit into the progressive movement:

I feel blogs are like the lamp-posts of ages past, on which pamphleteers of the day would post their calls to action.

The big difference is that, while many people tend to just happen upon a lamp post as they walk down the street, and thus accidentally see the posted information, blogs aren't automatically visible. As a result, you need to do more work to cultivate visibility for a blog, mentioning it on other blogs, on any printed materials, in radio and TV coverage, and in person.

Blogs are a great way to get information out quickly, but since they often require the reader to come to them (if they don't use rss or other technology to push the data); and since they are available only to those with internet access, they cannot be the only method of communication on any progressive activity.

How I think Democracy For America fits into the progressive movement:

I feel DFA gave rise to and helps propagate and support both the online and real-world progressive movement. With in-person trainings, online calls to action, support for candidates, and support for events like Netroots Nation and DemocracyFest DFA helps to cultivate the infrastructure that makes the success of the progressive movement possible.

In 10 words or less, create a bumper-sticker slogan against John McCain:

War. Failed Economy. Expensive Gas. McCain: More of the Same.