SCHED* SXSW 2011

event::type Panel → Interactive
Venue: Austin Convention Center, Ballroom E (500 E Cesar Chavez St)
Speaker: Jennifer Pahlka
About: Citizens of the Internet have suddenly realized that they are also citizens of something that costs a great deal more than a monthly broadband bill: their government. And that government has a lot to learn from the Internet if it wants to provide the value in citizens’ lives that it should. A movement has sprung up to make government more efficient, open, and responsive to the needs of citizens, and what once seemed like an intractable problem now appears as a giant possibility space, with enormous obstacles but potentially enormous gains. This session provides an overview of some of the individuals and organizations attacking this problem, their various approaches, and how the SXSW community can contribute to the effort. There are commercial and entrepreneurial opportunities, fellowships, volunteer efforts, and activism. What’s working? What’s not? Can we affect change from outside? What are the problems YOU want solved? Where is the voice of the tech community in government at the local, state and federal level?