Over a year ago, I set up this blog as a placeholder for my politalk.org domain name. For over a year, this page sat empty, waiting for something to happen, while I focused all my energy on the rapid growth and development of E-Democracy.Org. Things at E-Democracy.Org are still going strong, but not so much for me. I’ve taken an extended absence from E-Democracy.Org to recuperate and refresh myself.  I simply needed some time to focus on my family and reflect on all the exciting work I’ve been doing over the last few years, and figure out where to best focus my efforts in the years to come. As of this moment, I am no longer working for E-Democracy.Org. Its not entirely clear whether or not I’ll return to work for E-Democracy.Org at some point in the future, or seek new challenges and opportunities. Right now, I’m simply taking care of myself and hanging out with my family.

For those of you who know me, they know that E-Democracy.Org has always been much more than a job for me. It’s been my passion. My work with E-Democracy.Org has taken me to places as far away as the UK, Austria, and Brazil. Through my role with E-Democracy.Org, I became known as a national expert in the field of online deliberative democracy and hung-out with many of the leaders in this exciting new field. Its been an exciting ride and an honor I’m not sure that I deserved.

I expect that the ride is not entirely over, even if I find myself changing modes of transportation. My vision for the future remains relatively unchanged. I’m very proud to have been a part of the groundbreaking work that E-Democracy.Org has accomplished in the area of onlince citizen engagement over the past few years. I know that E-Democracy.Org will be continuing that work, as I expect that I will, as well. The internet remains and underutilized resource for engaging citizens in the important decisions that effect their lives. There is much work yet to be done.

My short term plans are to do a lot of writing, in this blog and elsewhere, about the things I’ve learned, my ideas for the future, and whatever else inspires me. During this time, I’ll be thinking about how I can best and most effectively contribute to the important fields of online deliberative democracy and online citizen engagement. For those of you who share this passion, I look forward to encountering you somewhere along the road!

In the meantime, I’m on my way to the National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation. I can’t think of a better group of people to hang out with, during this time of transition.