6 | | At the WSF 2009 in Belem, Brazil, an expanded format to the Forum process was introduced. Organizers for all corners of the globe were encouraged to participate in the Belem Forum from their local communities via Internet media. At the first United States Social Forum in 2007, technologists collaboratively developed a progressive approach to maintaining the Internet as a secure and open platform for movement building. These two processes have merged in what is known as a Techie Congress, an open virtual space led by progressive technologists. The ultimate goal of the Techie Congress are to address issues related to problem-solving global crisis, building bottom-up strategies through local representation, and building sustainable social movements by organizing the Internet; maintaining an open virtual space. |
| 6 | In that context, the role of technologists becomes critically and centrally important. Techies are the leaders of the Internet because we run its technology and lead the work on its software. Progressive techies have a very special role to play: our political perspective prioritizes the use of the Internet and development of its software for organizing (rather than merely commerce); our commitment to Free and Open Source Software makes us central to a struggle that is fundamental to the Internet's future; the fierce opposition we have long had to controlling and interventionist government policies help assure the Internet's essential independence and freedom; and our politics gives the progressive movement a leadership position within the Internet. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | The impact of our work, and the importance of the Internet, has never been clearer. It has drawn together all kinds of organizations (the Association for Progressive Communications, for example) and has driven the World Social Forum to its current situation. And, as the progressive movement has outgrown the Forum structure, an expanded format to the Forum process, first used at the Belem, Brazil WSF, is emerging. At Belem, organizers from all corners of the globe were encouraged to participate in the Belem Forum from their local communities via Internet media. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Simultaneously, a new concept in collaboration on-line became popular: used all over the United States and at various world and localized Social Forums. The "Collaborative Democracy Workshop" was first used at the first United States Social Forum in 2007 where technologists collaboratively developed a progressive approach to maintaining the Internet as a secure and open platform for movement building. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | These two processes have merged into what is known as a Techie Congress, an open virtual space led by and involving progressive technologists. The ultimate goal of the Techie Congress is to discuss and establish some principles about progressive techies responsibilities toward our movement, our rights in relationship to that movement and the social and political rights of all Internet users. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Because of the traditional isolation techies have had within the movement (and from each other), this type of gathering has been very infrequent and an international movement of these gatherings is unprecedented. |