The first session I attended was the Future Leaders forum which was in the Netroots Stadium in Second Life. The session itself was unexpectedly engaging and exciting. It featured progressive candidates who ran in 2006, and will run again in 2008. I was impressed by each and every one of these people. They were practical, as well as passionate. They are running for office because they want to make a difference, and they have strong feelings about where our country should be headed. It is also worth mentioning that the audio and video quality in the Netroots Stadium is excellent, which really adds to the experience. I almost felt like I was in the auditorium in Chicago.

I attended another panel in the Digby’s Corner venue (not sure what panel it was…) while I was waiting for the lunchtime keynote session. The audio and video quality there was not as good as in the stadium (one of the YK folks explained to me why – mostly has to do with $$s), but it was quite acceptable. I had some good conversation with other attendees at this session. I really enjoyed it.

I am back at the stadium now listening to the lunchtime keynote with Andy Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), CLC. I don’t always agree with Andy’s point of view, but he has some excellent insights into the state of employees in America today.

Below is a snapshot from the Netroots Stadium today.

Well, today is the day. The Yearly Kos Convention kicks off today in real life, Chicago, and also in Second Life, Progressive Island. The convention center in SL looks great, and you can still register to attend in SL. You can view the Yearly Kos Second Life schedule by clicking on the link, or you can see it in SL outside the convention center. There is also a streaming video of the convention from Chicago on ustream.tv. I think they will be streaming this video to some of the venues in SL. I have also embeded the ustream feed below.

Check out this post on DailyKos for details on registering and attending DailyKos in Second Life. Here is a short excerpt from that diary.

There are three venues on Progressive Island where the sessions will be taking place: Netroots Stadium, YKOS Arena, and Digby’s Corner. Go check it out, and find out when and where you should be for your must-see sessions!

And don’t anyone forget that you can still register even after the conference has started! We definitely don’t mind if people show up late, as long as they show up.

Barack will be participating in the events on Saturday both in Chicago, and I believe there will be real-time interaction with the SL audience for the Presidential sessions.

More to follow on this topic….

Update:
Ron (Drip Wise) and I (Goldberry Graysmark) attended the keynote speech in Second Life tonight and really enjoyed it. The video and sound quality were excellent, and so was Gov Dean’s keynote speech. Check out the pictures.

Ron and I Sitting in Netroots Stadium

Checking Out the Video Stream

Gov Dean Giving His Keynote Speech

I have visited the YKSL registration center in SL, and it is quite well done. I plan to register this week, and will be posting more information about the event, and my experiences participating in it.