I’m delighted to be speaking next Wednesday, March 4, 2015, at the 2015 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) in Austin, Texas, on the topic of “A Choice Of Internet Futures – Will Nonprofits Be Stuck In the Slow Lane?” The event, sponsored by the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) will bring together over 2,000 people involved with nonprofit organizations around the world to learn and share information.
My talk is particularly appropriate in light of yesterday’s FCC ruling here in the US. Here is the abstract I submitted:
Will tomorrow’s Internet be controlled by large corporations like Facebook and Google? Or by governments? Or network operators? Will you have to ask permission before people can see your new video? Will you have to add to your budget to pay Internet service providers to let their customers see your website? Or will tomorrow’s Internet enable you to reach even greater numbers of supporters? And raise more funds? Or will you, as a nonprofit, be stuck in the slow lane of the Internet? We are at a critical point in the evolution of the Internet where the choices we make today will determine whether we continue to have an Internet that enables great opportunities, or one in which it is difficult for nonprofits to communicate and serve their mission.
The Internet Society’s Dan York will walk through different scenarios for the future of the Internet, and cover topics including the rise of mobile devices and apps, social networks, security and privacy, network neutrality, Internet governance, and more. Please bring your questions and join this interactive session. You’ll leave with a solid understanding of how the Internet may evolve, and what actions YOU and your organization can take today to help ensure tomorrow’s Internet works for you!
I am VERY much looking forward to this opportunity to speak about a topic that I am so passionate about. You can expect to see me talking about some of the “Future Scenarios” work we did several years back – although updated with new information. I’ll also be offering my views on how we got to where we are and where we are going – and what we need to do to make the choices that keep the Internet open.
I don’t believe the sessions will be recorded or streamed, but you can follow the Twitter hashtag #15NTCnetadvocacy. I also intend to post the slides after the event. The session will be starting at 10:30am US Central Standard Time (UTC-6).
If you are going to be at #15NTC in Austin, you can visit the page for my session and add it to your calendar. I also would be glad to meet with people there – you can drop me a note at [email protected] or contact me through one of the various social media channels. I will be on site there for Wednesday, March 4, and Thursday, March 5.
I’m looking forward to having a great discussion – and also for participating in some of the other sessions on what is an incredibly packed agenda!
Speaking of that packed agenda, my colleague Todd Tolbert will also be presenting on Thursday, March 5, at 1:30pm on the topic of “You CAN Run Your IT Completely in the Cloud! Open Source, Proprietary and Private Cloud – It All Works!” I’m looking forward to hearing Todd’s session!
See you there!