Anyone who doubts that technology isn’t dramatically changing politics in every way, shape and form needs to attend the Personal Democracy Forum conference. I didn’t need any convincing, but I’m afraid many of my allies in the conservative movement do. That’s how I can best explain why so few showed up yesterday at Pace University in New York for the day-long conference. (It’s not the first time it’s happened at a politics/technology conference.)

I give credit to those who did, including Matt Lewis, David All, Joe Mansour, Todd Zeigler, Mindy Finn, Christian Ferry, Adam Radman and Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry. But it was disconcerting that a representative from each Republican presidential campaign wasn’t in attendance. In fact, when someone said during the closing plenary with eCampaign directors that one of them would be working for the next president, I couldn’t help but chuckle. (Finn represented Mitt Romney, Ferry was there for John McCain and three other Democrats were on stage for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.)

Just as I’ve been complaining recently (here and here) about a lack of conservative activism online, I also feel that many of my friends on the right just don’t fully understand all of the technological tools available to them in the political sphere. If they did, they may be in control of Congress at this moment. As David All frequently notes, a shift of 82,000 votes would have kept the House and Senate in Republican hands.

I think part of the problem is lack of understanding. For instance, I applaud McCain’s campaign for sending Ferry to attend the conference, but he doesn’t need convincing. Wouldn’t it have been more productive for campaign manager Terry Nelson to attend? His appearance alone would have earned McCain’s team much respect, but I’m sure he (and other campaign leaders) would have left with a greater appreciation for the tools at his disposal.

As far as I know, only one elected official was at the conference. Fortunately, Utah state Rep. Steve Urquhart, the founder of Politicopia, is a Republican. However, he’s just one — and despite being a wonderful role model for others, he can only do so much. (Urquhart spoke on a panel I moderated at Resource Bank a few weeks ago.)

So I have a challenge to my right-leaning brethren: Next year, I want to see more of you at PdF. It’s not because I’m intimidated by a pack of liberals, but rather that you need to open your eyes and embrace the technology that’s changing politics. The longer you stay away, the harder it will be to catch up.