*** Democracies Online Newswire - http://www.e-democracy.org/do ***
All I have to say is, "rock and roll." This is what I really like about my various trips (see you in Melbourne, Nov. 26), it forces me to surf the net looking for examples of what is really going on in different places. In 1997 when I first visited Melbourne in the State of Victoria, Australia, it really struck me as place that has its public-minded online act together. If they had an online promoter telling their story across the Internet they'd be much better known as a place to watch around the world. Check out the State of Victoria's online consultation effort: http://www.haveyoursay.vic.gov.au/discussion/ Check out the government-funded community communications effort: http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/ Press release: http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/page.cgi?session=&file=launch/media_release.htm And look back to DO-WIRE Jan. 2000 for some information on the roots of this effort: http://mail.tc.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0001&L=do-wire&P=R3139 As well as the long-time VicNet project which seems to planted many seeds: http://www.vicnet.net.au/ Looks like they have a community networking conference next July as well: http://www.ccnr.net/2002/ If you are aware of other community/public content and interaction projects with aggressive government funding, drop me the details. With the vast majority of the Internet's public interest potential clearly requiring multi-sector non-profit collaborative endeavors to exist, it is great to see some societies figure that out and make things happen. Steven Clift Democracies Online Newswire http://www.e-democracy.org/do Full text of the About section on the consultation effort: http://www.haveyoursay.vic.gov.au/discussion/about.html A TRIAL INTO ELECTRONIC COMMUNITY CONSULTATION The "Have Your Say" forum trial is a product of the State Government's commitment to using the Internet as an interactive consultation tool for encouraging public comment on important issues. The "Have Your Say" trial aims to provide an opportunity for Victorians to contribute their ideas, and also comment on other viewpoints, relating to government activity through meaningful discussion. Please take note, "Have Your Say" is NOT a chat site. The fundamental purpose of the "Have Your Say" trial is to encourage those people who may not participate in the more traditional methods of community consultation, to play an important role in the formulation of government policy. DISCUSSIONS To start off the discussion, we will post a short background summary of the issues relevant to the forum topic or pose a series of questions to stimulate debate. Then it's over to you. At the conclusion of the discussion period, a summary of the collated views will be posted to the forum, together with an indication of how the results from the consultation may be used. MODERATION PROCESS For the purposes of the trial, all contributions will be pre-moderated. Moderation is a process of assisting conversation between members of an on- line virtual community. It ensures that the discussions conducted are topical, relevant to the original forum topics, and will ultimately prove useful to both the public and the participating government departments and agencies. Under no circumstances will moderators directly edit postings. Where a posting does not meet the criteria as set down by the User Agreement (section 3), the moderator will forward an e-mail informing the contributor that the submission was not suitable for publication, and the reason for the action taken. REGISTRATION To take part in the discussion forums on "Have Your Say", all participants are required to register. As a part of the process, potential participants are required to read the User Agreement and either accept or reject the requirements contained. The User Agreement sets the standards for the trial, which covers the conduct of all participants. Registration is free, and there is no requirement to post your actual name. Although, the name you do choose will viewable by other "Have Your Say" users. So if you are uncomfortable with your personal details being posted, you may select a suitable alternative user name. E-MAIL To enable us to respond to you in the event a contribution being rejected, your actual e-mail address is required. E-mail addresses are only viewable by participating government departments and the site administrator. In accordance with the trial guidelines, e-mail addresses will not be utilised for activities other than responding to contributions. The trial will run for a period of 6 months. Upon completion of the trial, a review will be carried out to determine the future purpose and use of online community consultation. ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - W: http://www.publicus.net Minneapolis - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - - - - ICQ: 13789183 *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To unsubscribe instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please forward this post to others and encourage *** *** them to subscribe to the free DO-WIRE service. ***
