Jim Gilliam, formerly of Tweet Progress, act.ly and other ventures, at this year's Personal Democracy Forum (PDF) in New York City. Jim was talking about his own life and how the people connecting and acting through the Internet had literally saved his life by helping him receive a much-needed blood transfusion and, later, a double-lung transplant.  There wasn't a dry eye in the place.  Watch Jim's stirring testimony here.

Amidst the broiling New York heat, I pondered the "soul" of a conference, what makes it truly different and important to a larger community. We go to a lot of conferences, and each one has a unique personality. For some conferences, this essence revolves around tactics and strategy, for others, around networking and bonding.

PDF reminds us of who we are and what we can become.

Surrounded by Salsa friends and partners (shout-out to folks like Ben Rattray at Change.org, Courtney Sieloff at Revolution Messaging, and Sabrina Hersi Issa of Be Bold Media), Lacey and I heard about the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia and how allies elsewhere can help; we heard about the evolving nature of mobile and mobile applications and how they're changing the way we do things around the word; and most of all, we heard about our own agency -- the scary and reassuring message that through our actions, we can make the world better.

PDF was a reminder of why I work at Salsa.  Supporting progressive causes and change-driven organizing wakes me up more than coffee ever could.