米大選之後 網路民主動能何去何從？

米國A小姐提供哈佛某研討會訊息…

Votes, Bits & Bytes Weblog
Can Web Make Young People Care About Politics?

How are technologies changing politics, both in the U.S. and abroad? The purpose of this conference is to take a skeptical, results-oriented look at the current state of politics after the 2004 election and from an international perspective in terms of issue-based campaigns, emerging business models, and new tools that affect politics both online and off. The conference will focus on the following questions:

– Has “citizenship" changed in the online era?
– Are online business models helpful guides for politics and political organizing?
– What international examples are promising?
– Did the web affect the 2004 election?

在台灣的政治圈，普遍不把網路當成一回事的這個年頭，這些可能在三到四年後，開始影響所有人的議題，反而更顯出及早探討的必要性。與其到頭來渾然不覺，不知如何解讀起，為什麼不現在就多花一點心思去了解呢？

我敬愛的Howard Dean也寫了一封信，信中提到：

Historically, whether through the campaign of Gene McCarthy in 1968 or John McCain in 2000, the enthusiasm and hard work waned after the election.

This time we cannot let that happen. Democracy is the most highly evolved system of government ever created by human beings. And like everything else we create, it will wither and die unless we nurture it.

一年多來，我在彼岸的此地，藉由網路跟著遠端的美國總統大選，也發生許多關係。我還真希望在大選落幕後，去參加這場由Berkman Center for Internet & Society所主辦的研討會。有沒有什麼政府單位還是研究機構要贊助我的？我可以寫出還不錯的觀察報告喔。:p

更新：

* 來自inertia《投票之外/後的行動》