For the past few months I’ve been timeline-ing, goal setting, visioning and Excel charting.

You know … the kind of stuff that requires mammoth pieces of flip-chart paper and plenty of colored markers.

These are just some of the tools that’ll help me plan the program for the next National Conference for Media Reform, which will be held in Denver on April 5–7, 2013.

But there are still some big questions to answer, like: What will we do at the conference? Who will present? What topics do we need to dive into?

I know that the answers to these questions start with you. That’s why we’re launching our 2013 conference call for suggestions and asking you to submit your proposals today.

The call for suggestions is Free Press’ way of gathering input and ideas from everyone interested in changing the media and building a better democracy.

We’re available to brainstorm with you and help you hone your ideas this summer — and we’ll need you to submit your proposals via our online form by Sept. 10, 2012.

So who’s going to run a hands-on workshop on Net Neutrality? Who should go head to head in a debate? What hot topic do we need to dissect in a roundtable discussion? Let us know what you want to see at the conference.

After you submit your proposals they’ll go through a two-part review process.

In part one, we have a quick initial approval process to ensure proposals fit conference themes and priorities. If they do, they’re entered in a public online voting system. Voting allows people to weigh in on proposals and send us their feedback.

Part two involves a review by Free Press staff. The conference committee evaluates each proposal, considering vote count as one of many factors. Click here to learn how we make decisions about conference programming.

No ideas are too wild or too wacky … so if you want to suggest a presenter or topic or submit a proposal, click here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Would you like to support the planning of the National Conference for Media Reform? Kick in $5 today. This conference is not a moneymaker for Free Press: Registration fees cover less than half of the costs. And because Free Press is funded solely by gifts from individuals, foundations and public charities, contributions from everyday people are our lifeblood. Thank you!