If you think of yourself as the last person who might attend a conference about using the web, then ConvergeSouth is the conference for you.

My newspaper column is about ConvergeSouth, for which you can register here.

Getting online by going offline

by Edward Cone
News & Record
9-23-07

If you think of yourself as the last person who might attend a conference about using the web, then ConvergeSouth is the conference for you.

Yes, it is a conference about using the web, but it's not a technology conference, or an industry conference, or even a particularly geeky conference. It's a conference about connecting offline to learn more about connecting online. ConvergeSouth, scheduled for Oct. 19 and 20 on the campus of N.C. A&T, is dedicated to discussing and exploring things you can do on the Internet. The founding motto of the annual conference, first held in 2005, was "Creativity on the web for all people," and that still sums up the spirit of the thing.

Are you a complete noob, but aware that the Internet is kind of a big deal and you cannot ignore it forever? Are you a web expert who wants to teach, listen, and interact in the physical world? Are you an academic, or a student, or an entrepreneur? Are you curious about the future of journalism and politics, or interested in writing, activism, social networks or video? You need to be there.

ConvergeSouth is free and open to the public. All you've got to do to attend is register online and show up at A&T for all or part of the program. As usual, a lot of smart folks from across the country and around the region will be coming to share their wisdom on a range of topics. That includes the session leaders — past visitors have included Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, new-journalism guru Jay Rosen, and Elizabeth Edwards — but a lot of the value comes from the people formerly known as the audience, who participate actively in the conversations and workshops. In addition to the daytime sessions, there will be music and informal gatherings in downtown Greensboro, as well as the inaugural ConvergeSouth film festival.

The lack of formality and hierarchy at ConvergeSouth reflects the culture of the web itself, and the nature of the conference. It's organized by volunteers (including me) with the support of A&T, and funded by foundations, individuals and the occasional sponsorship. ConvergeSouth is a grass-roots effort that has made Greensboro a destination, however briefly each fall, for a small but influential group of creative people. It has thrived despite being ignored, year after year, by the downtown organizations that talk about our need for a "creative culture" and a "creative class." I guess those folks should come, too.

Seriously, we're getting to the point where knowledge of the Net — or lack thereof — has real consequences. In my profession, understanding the online world is a matter of survival. This summer, to choose one example with a local angle, Elon journalism professor Michael Skube wrote an article for the Los Angeles Times that aimed to skewer blogs and reaffirm the supremacy of traditional publications. Instead, his column became a national punchline when bloggers quickly showed that he had not done his homework in preparing it.

In politics, you already are behind the curve if you don't have a web site. Online organizing, fund-raising and communications may be the deciding factors in the upcoming race for the White House.

Pretty soon, voters are going to find it downright insulting if you don't reach out to them via the Internet. The lack of a meaningful web presence will tell them you don't want to share information, or engage with voters, or bother to learn how to use the cheapest and most flexible way of communicating your views.

This stuff is coming to every industry and profession. Think social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are for kids? Think again. Later this year, to choose another close-to-home example, Wachovia Corp. will begin rolling out its own in-house social network to 110,000 employees. Blogs and wikis, exotic just a few years ago, are now mainstream in the business world. Entire sectors of the economy are being remade, and the changes are only beginning. You can't afford not to keep up.

Oh dear. I've made all of this sound like eating spinach, when I really wanted to say that increasingly, inexorably, it is becoming the way we live, work and play. ConvergeSouth is serious, but in a fun and interesting kind of way. I hope you'll come and find out for yourselves.

© News & Record 2007

Edward Cone (www.edcone.com, efcone@mindspring.com) writes a column for the News & Record most Sundays.