Seems like any energy or ideas that this conference could have generated are going up in flames. That's too bad. I can sympathize very much with people that felt marginalized by the conference - I know at times I did too. I can also sympathize with the person who commented on the lack of critical analysis of the role of capitalism and the state in all of this.

However, you get out of these things what you put into them. Not only whatever work you put in them, but also the attitude you go at them with. Realize, not everyone is going to be happy. There's always going to be something that goes wrong, some group that feels they're not getting everything they want, and some people left off the back patting thank you list. Oh well. Roll up your sleeves and deal with it.

I for one, would have loved to see discussions on the adverse affects of capitalism on art, culture, and media. I would've loved to have seen something come from an anarchist perspective. It would've been nice if there was a free media center for anyone to use in the conference. It would've also been nice if more people recieved scholarships, and attendance fees weren't so high.

But we can't change what happened in the past, and spending hours and days fighting with each other about what went wrong at one of many conferences like this is wasting valuable time. I think alot of people are focusing too much on the negative (and I saw this at the conference as well) and not enough on positive things that might've happened.

Realize, there's not going to be any power sharing or agenda setting on a level that satisfies everyone. There's not going to be enough discussions, or enough time to have all the workshops and skillshares that we want. Such is life. I think one plus is that there was alot of free space in the entire hotel to organize meetings (not only provided by Free Press, but simply unused space in the hotel), workshops, skillshares, etc. You might not get more than 5 people to show up, but it's a start.

Conferences like this are meant for alot of backpatting, cheerleading, and celebrity encounters. I don't see that changing in a huge way anytime soon. However I do think that if we focus our frustrations into positive discussions (instead of walking away frustrated or just complaining about it online) and actions for the future.

I would say that anyone should e-mail their comments directly to the organizers, whose contact information is not that hard to find on the internet at all. Furthermore, don't just complain - if you saw something you'd like as a session, suggest it. If you want your group or organization to be involved, then get involved. If you think you can do better, than organize your own damned conference. Next time this kind of thing comes around, show up with your own ideas and suggestions and if you think you can contribute a workshop than by all means - do it. There were tons of opportunities for impromptu sessions. Granted, they were sparsley attended - but something is better than nothing.

I knew going into this conference that there wasn't going to be anything really radical happening. It's a media reform conference - there's lots of different people from different backgrounds. You had everyone from anarchists like myself to Phil Donahue talking about God. That's not a bad thing though. I think a great job was done to bring so many people from so many different groups under one roof. After that, it's up to all of you to do your own legwork.