In the fall of 2002, I got an interesting email about an upcoming (the first) national conference on dialogue and deliberation. At the time, I had been organizing online public policy discussions at my web site, Politalk.Com, on a volunteer basis, for almost 4 years. I had also done some volunteer work for E-Democracy.Org, including the organization and moderation of an online debate for candidates running for US Senate.

All of this work, was being done out of my basement without any real training or idea of how my work fit into the context of what others were doing around the country. I had previously had limited contact with a couple of folks engaged in similar online democracy projects, via the phone and email, but had not met any of them and felt quite isolated and out of touch with what others were doing, with the exception of the work I was doing with Steve Clift, who lived nearby.

Over the course of those four years, I had developed my own style and approach to online dialogue, but was feeling the limitations of how far I would be able to take my work, without the opportunity to meet and learn from others with similar interests and more advanced training and skills. In fact, I wasn’t sure if I had stumbled across a possible career path or had simply created a very time-consuming hobby.

I remember arriving at the first NCDD conference in Arlington, VA, quite shy and unsure of myself. Yet, I also remember a very strong and immediate sense that I had somehow come home and had been reconnected with “my people.” Over the course of several days, I met a number of people with who I have since developed very long and lasting friendships, people that I look forward to meeting at various conferences at least once or twice a year. That first NCDD conference  challenged me both intellectually and emotionally. I went home inspired, but more importantly, I went home feeling as I was a part of something much larger than myself.

Based upon the connections I made at the first NCDD conference, I found myself part of a national network of folks experimenting with online dialogue and deliberation. I became an active member of the Online Working Group of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium and eventually had the opportunity to organize and host an international meeting, in my home state of Minnesota, on the theme of “Deepening Online Deliberation.” At various times over the last six years, I have come to see myself as a leader in this emerging field of online deliberation. At other times, I’ve sought the advice and leadership of friends I’ve made along the way.

This year, I’m so very thankful to be attending my fourth conference on Dialogue and Deliberation, three NCDD conferences and one in Canada (C2D2). I look forward to the 4th National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation as an opportunity to connect with old friends, but more importantly, I’m looking forward to the next few days as an opportunity to challenge myself and grow on both a personal and a professional level.