Zack Exley explains why RootsCampDC is now only accepting people—anyone—who worked on the elections this cycle. Space is limited and it was filling up with executive director types, whereas RootsCampDC is supposed to be

a place where the volunteers and precinct organizers would analyze the elections together with directors, candidates and consultants as peers. We also wanted to bring in people who worked on the elections in new ways: bloggers, guerilla ad makers, programmers and others.

I’m with Zack on this. Applying any explicit admission criteria goes against the BarCamp philosophy, but I’m more interested in having a good meeting that nudges democracy forward than in being a BarCamp purist. Diversity of experience and position matters a lot here.

I’d already signed up to attend the second day—I have a family event on the first day—although I don’t fit into any of the categories. Making get-out-the-vote phone calls for the Deval Patrick campaign doesn’t put me in the same solar system as the folks who poured their time and hearts into campaigns this year. I expect to listen a lot and learn a lot at the get-together. [Tags: politics netroots zack_exley barcamp ]

Categories: Uncategorized dw