Alec Ross of the One Economy Corporation delivered the keynote address at the Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement’s opening banquet. He expressed being enthusiastic and excited about the fact that for the first time he wouldn’t have to speak about his job from a technical level and he was happy to be speaking to Northwestern, his alma mater. Ross, who also works as a technology adviser for the Barack Obama campaign (though was explicit about not speaking on the campaigns behalf), illustrated his age by having the audience of young delegates imagine how many emails that they have sent in their college careers and then informing them that he sent not one. Articulate and funny, he addressed the audience about their future in collective altruism.

One of the two things he has learned since graduating from college, he explained, is the importance of holding onto and embracing the audacity that he says is inborn in college students. The other is the importance of recognizing failure. Failing shouldn’t be that devastating, he said, when you have such relatively little to lose. While he didn’t speak directly to the power or importance of web action or organization, such inspiring and well-delivered words by someone whose impressive outreach work is carried out by creating greater opportunities for connectivity seemed appropriately worth conveying.

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