Elizabeth Edwards spoke to guests at the 2008 Personal Democracy Forum about how the internet is influencing the world of politics. But it was husband John that later stole the show with his surprise (even to him) appearance.

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Another one of the presentations that I’d like to highlight from the Personal Democracy Forum is the one by Mark Pesce, who is currently an honorary professor at the University of Sydney.  I was glad that Pesce decided to make the trip because his speech was by far my favorite of the two-day forum.  A great written version of the speech can be found on his blog here, so I will save you the summary and simply discuss the fun facts that I found most intriguing.

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The Bivings Group was featured on an NPR segment that discussed Presidential candidates use of the Internet this cycle. Following is the teaser for the piece:

Through ring tones, viral videos and social networking sites, presidential candidates are relying more on the Internet than any of their predecessors. We explore the highlights and examine whether cyber-connectivity translates into votes.

In the interview, I talk about Barack Obama’s web program and Ron Paul’s fundraising ticker.

You can listen to the interview here.

It is just sort of a fact that very few trade associations blog.  One of the few that does is the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), whose blog is called shopfloor.org.

Not only does NAM blog, it does so very effectively.  What makes shopfloor.org work is that it is written by real live human beings who have opinions.  Sure, some people aren't going to agree with NAM's point of view.  But regardless of your politics you have to respect NAM's willingness to participate in the conversation online.  What they are doing is extradinary for a DC-based trade association.

Following is a Q&A with Pat Cleary, the Blogger in Chief at shopfloor.org.  Listen to what he says - Pat is a true innovator whether he'll admit it or not.

(1) When did NAM start blogging?

November of 2004.

(2) Where did the idea to launch the blog come from?

I had always wanted to do one. Was the head of Public Affairs when we started it, went to Gov. Engler and he said “go.” It’s important to note that he didn’t say “What’s a blog?” He’s very tech savvy, gave us the green light, for which we are eternally grateful. Most assns are stuck at that step, awaiting a green light from the boss.  (more…)