But whatever happened to the power of the people? Whatever happened to the “we”? We haven’t heard about it since the 2008 victory. “They built the largest online community in the history of the presidency,” says Andrew Rasiej, founder of Personal Democracy Media, which tracks the intersection of technology and politics. “But then they stopped talking to them and engaging them” – that is, until they called in recently with a pitch for money.

Obama did make some efforts to be the first Internet president, with a twitter feed, a blog and the Internet version of the traditional town hall. He launched an open government initiative with the aim of cutting the influence of special interests and giving the public more influence over decisions that affect their lives. Compared with other countries around the world, the U.S. is the gold standard for government openness.

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Guardian's platform for innovators working across all sectors who are using the internet and its associated technologies to change the world. 
On 3 May 2012 some of the world's most influential and inspirational figures will once again descend on NYC's Paley Media Centre to discuss and debate the critical issues and strategies driving a more connected, creative and cohesive planet. They'll be examining the influence of web technologies on areas as diverse as global media and finance, the environment, citizenship and access, democracy, government and accountability, education, the developing world, society, health and humanity. Understanding how and why web technologies are reshaping almost every aspect of society poses one of the biggest questions and offers one of the greatest opportunities of our time.

Source: ForaTV

Activate is the Guardian's platform for innovators working across all sectors who are using the internet and its associated technologies to change the world.  
On 3 May 2012 some of the world's most influential and inspirational figures will once again descend on NYC's Paley Media Centre to discuss and debate the critical issues and strategies driving a more connected, creative and cohesive planet.
They'll be examining the influence of web technologies on areas as diverse as global media and finance, the environment, citizenship and access, democracy, government and accountability, education, the developing world, society, health and humanity.
Understanding how and why web technologies are reshaping almost every aspect of society poses one of the biggest questions and offers one of the greatest opportunities of our time. 

Speakers 2012: Andrew Rasiej Founder of Personal Democracy Media

Andrew Rasiej is a professional doer, futurist, social entrepreneur, and Founder of Personal Democracy Media, which publishes information and produces events about how the intersection of technology, politics, and civil society is empowering new levels of citizen engagement. Among its offerings are TechPresident an award winning blog and Personal Democracy Forum, an annual conference held in New York City in June. He is also the founder a not for profit organization called

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Internet Week - NYC BigApps: Civic Hacking, Startup Success

Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM (PT) New York, NY

New York City is quickly becoming a global hub of technology and innovation and an emerging data platform for residents, businesses, and visitors. The annual NYC BigApps competition, which challenges developers to create useful apps using City data, is an important piece of the City’s overall efforts to promote innovation and open government. So far the City, through a partnership with BMW, has awarded more than $100,000 in prizes among 31 winning BigApps.

PANELISTS
Kristy Sundjaja
Senior Director, Head of Industry Transformation, NYCEDC (moderator)
Joel Natividad
Co-Founder, Ontodia
Andrew Rasiej
Chairman, New York Tech Meetup

Robert Richardson
Director of Strategic Technology Development, NYC DoITT
Dan Robinson
Head of Product, Roadify
Steve Rowe
Chief Revenue Officer, MyCityWay

CUNY TV 75: City Wide- Talking Politics

Series host Ken Fisher talks with technology strategist Andrew Rasiej, the founder of Personal Democracy Media. Rasiej discusses the use of new media in national and local political campaigns, those who "get it," and those who don't, and the increasingly critical role of social media networks in political communications.

Crain's New York Business.com: NY Tech Meetup’s rising voice

By Judith Messina

The membership and buzz have been building for years, but a key shift took place in January, when the organization mobilized its membership in a protest that helped shelve SOPA and PIPA, bills that would have strengthened protections against theft of intellectual property, but were opposed by the tech community, which said they would put the kibosh on free expression. The protest got the attention of Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, who were co-sponsors of the legislation, and attracted 2,000 new members to the group, according to NY Tech Meetup chairman Andrew Rasiej

The group’s elevated profile means its mission speaks not just to techies, but to Fortune 500 types, lawyers, venture capitalists and academics. It has grown from its early goals of building community and showcasing early-stage companies to being a force on the policy front and a cheerleader for New York. Mr. Rasiej attributes the growth to the fact that technology, once the province of West Coast chipmakers, is now playing to New York’s prodigious strengths in developing and distributing content.

Complete article: Crain's New York Business.com

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