*** Democracies Online Newswire - http://www.e-democracy.org/do *** The "online public commons" is alive and well in Tripoli, Lebanon. Last spring I found this forum on the EGroups site. It was the only Lebanon-based e-mail list that I could find that was currently active. Some older national lists seem to have died out around 1997. My post to their list <http://www.egroups.com/message/tripoli/426> in May resulted in an invitation to speak at the American University of Beirut. While walking back to my hotel I stumbled upon a travel shop and arranged a tour the next day for coastal Northern Lebanon. To my surprise the next morning I was picked up by the head of <http://www.tourismlebanon.com> and given the most amazing day tour of my life. It even included a stop in Tripoli and a visit to the family-run Badar Soap Factory that I used in my short presentation to the Democracy Online Project (3 minute Real Video clip) <http://democracyonline.org/media/testimony2/SteveCliftCombo.ram>. I just received a note from a Lebanese graduate student interested in e-democracy and thought I should send her to the Tripoli list and web site. Good stuff! They recently upgraded their discussion forum framework and rules (below). They help show how much thought it takes to make this work, but if you make it work how important the results can be. Read these in detail and take a look at my take on the "online public commons" <http://e-democracy.org/do/commons.html> if you want to learn more. Steven Clift Democracies Online From: http://tripoli-city.org/ The Tripoli e-Discussion Society (TeDS) Bye-Laws Please, read carefully before joining! SECTION I. Introduction The Tripoli e-Discussion Society was founded on 11th November 1999. It is an independently self-controlled body that aims at gathering Tripolitans residing all over the world to discuss issues pertaining to Tripoli - Lebanon. Most, if not all, of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society members feel that they have a civic duty towards their city and its people. As a result, most of them aspire for Tripoli to enjoy the following: A clean environment, including (but not limited to) clean river water, clean beaches, clean drinking water and air. Controlled and planned tourism, which does not damage Tripoli's ancient sites, and importantly its traditional values. Development of business opportunities in the city and providing gainful employment for all Tripoli's citizens. Environmentally sound construction, well designed and built, and correctly executed to professional specification. Human rights awareness and equality in Tripoli society. Planned urban and rural developments, harmonious with Tripoli's setting and general practice. Provision of parks for children to play in, maintenance and creation of forests, orchards and other areas of vegetation. Respect, preservation and maintenance of Tripoli's historical heritage, including its many ancient monuments. Tolerance and good will among all confessional groups in Tripoli. Transparent, honest and dedicated civil servants and administration. SECTION II. Objectives of the TeDS The Tripoli e-Discussion Society understands it can provide many services to the city of Tripoli-Lebanon and its people. Although any proposition made by the group would start on a theoretical and/or public awareness basis but it�s ultimately hoped that actions would take place soon after by the designated officials, taking into consideration the financial and practical feasibility of such proposals. It also understands that positive change requires hard work, co-operation and tolerance. Importantly, the Tripoli e- Discussion Society believes that positive change is possible if we work together with the responsible high rank officials. The Society aimed objects are: 1.Primarily, to improve and elevate the technical and general understanding and knowledge of members engaged or desiring to be engaged to act using their skill and competence as a "sounding board" of ideas or any related aspiration for Tripoli city improvement. Members should discuss, debate, brainstorm each other, and consequently raise sensible current or past issues related to the city of Tripoli and its people. Discussions should be both robust and productive. Preferably, discussions should have a clear, annotated, coherent beginning and a finite conclusive end. Ultimately yet frequently, a summary of the discussion should be written and produced for the members. Effectively afterwards, the Tripoli media should play a major role in order for the published discussions� summary to be emphasised and noticed in the city society. If possible, it should be the role of the moderator/administrator(s) to write a brief summary of the discussion (See Sections V & VI). In this way, the Society is making important contributions by bringing new ideas in regard to dealing with problems in the city, conveying a sense of social awareness and civic duty, and finally demonstrating new ways to discussing ideas, dealing with disagreements. 2.The Society members also aim to offer their skills and services to the city of Tripoli Lebanon. As most members do not live in Lebanon, the most effective way to contribute services is through the following means: Establishing a database of members and their appropriate skills and expertise (See Sections IV & V). Contact non- governmental Organisations (NGO's) and other groups in Tripoli who share similar interests with The Society. Provide such groups with ideas and, if necessary, written proposals, at their invitation. The Society should provide written summaries of its demands or discussions about relevant issues in Tripoli to relevant groups, government ministries and NGO's. For those living in proximity to Tripoli (or in Tripoli Lebanon), members should be able to provide their services to NGO's or other groups who share similar aims and who are in need of their expertise or skills. Most importantly, should take a pro-active role and rely on its self-initiative at all times. 3.For the purpose of (1) and (2), The Society will imply a " Tripoli �Cyber� Group" communication based. Its motto is summarised to signify: Thinking, Resolving, Informing, Publicising, Originating, Liberalizing, Improving, Contributing, Yielding, Benefiting, Educating, Renewing, Guiding, Remedying, Optimising, Uniting, Preventing, and all activities related or incidental to any of them. SECTION III. Discussions Nature 1.Discussions on the Tripoli e-Discussion Society are conducted in spirit of free, regulated but sensible speech. Thus, Tripoli e- Discussion Society considers free speech as its own privilege that should not be taken for granted. 2.Members of the Tripoli e- Discussion Society should act as an example of how sensibly yet relevant free speech contributes to productivity and the deliberation of ideas. Therefore, taking full responsibility of free speech must also be understood. The following practices should be avoided at all times: Personally abusive, insulting or lewd language. Comments which inflame sectarian or racial hatred. Discussions that are not related to Tripoli (e.g., Lebanese politics and other regional topics) since they are not the rule of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society. Discussions that advertise/insult any form of Tripolitan/Lebanese political organization/institution/personality. 3.If a member does not abide by these rules, it should be the role of the administrators/moderator (See sections IV & V) to do the following: Give a warning to that member; outlining the reasons why the warning is being given. If the problem is not corrected: (1) messages of that member will be moderated before publishing, (2) his membership will be temporarily suspended, and, subsequent violations will cause (3) that member to be permanently banned from the Tripoli e-Discussion Society. SECTION IV. Members 1.Tripolitan expatriates and people from Tripoli and its surrounding areas are highly encouraged to become members of the Tripoli e- Discussion Society. 2.Existing members should provide their personal data in the "member profile" section of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society at www.egroups.com. The member profile should contain the following information: Full name, age, city and country of residence Educational and/or vocational background Area of employment or study Professional skills, which may contribute to the welfare of the city of Tripoli Lebanon. 3.New members are urged to fill out the same form as soon as they register. 4.All members should ensure the accuracy and validity of the data they provide. These data will be only available for the members, administrators, and moderator of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society. 5.Members can vote in public polls at the Tripoli e-Discussion Society. Thereafter, the results would be announced by the Moderator. 6.Members have to follow the rules of discussions of the Tripoli e- Discussion Society as detailed in Section III. 7.In addition, members are advised to: Use English as the language of communication. Use of other international languages is allowed, but, generally, will not make it possible for all members to join efficiently. Use of scanned Arabic scripts/letters is also allowed. Write a clear Subject Title for their messages when addressing themselves to the society. Control the size of their messages before posting them to the Tripoli e-Discussion Society. If the message exceeds a total size of 100 Kbs because of an attached file, it is preferable to upload that file to the Tripoli e-Discussion Society web site at www.egroups.com or provide a direct Internet link to the server hosting that file. Large files can cause serious technical difficulties for members who are using modems to connect to the Internet or for members suffering from slow lines, especially those from Tripoli and the regions nearby. SECTION V. Administrators 1.Members of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society can nominate themselves to form the Administrators Board provided they have made available their personal data to other members through the Tripoli e-Discussion Society database. Voting rules are applied (See Section VII). 2.The Administrators Board includes a number of administrators relative to the size of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society (estimated as 5%, preferably an odd number). 3.Administrators follow the same rules as the regular members (See Section IV). 4.Additional duties of the Administrators Board include: Voting for accepting new members, when needed. Ensuring a complete database of the members profiles. Ensuring discussion rules are abided by. Vote for suitable actions against violating members. 5.Decisions taken by the Administrators Board are voted and subsequently privately mailed in a collective manner to the moderator for direct application. SECTION VI. The Moderator The moderator acts as a secretary of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society. The functions of a Moderator are the following: 1.Obeys the same rules followed by regular members (See Section IV). 2.Advertises the Tripoli e-Discussion Society with all possible means (The Tripoli Internet Database/tripoli-city.org, local Tripolitan/Lebanese media, etc..). 3.Maintains an up-to-date version of this document available for new members in the welcome message and at the introductory pages of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society at www.egroups.com and The Tripoli Internet Database/tripoli-city.org. 4.Publishes a public periodical report on the activities of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society. 5.Announces the results of public Polls activated by the Tripoli e- Discussion Society. 6.Co-ordinates and applies actions voted by the Administrators Board. 7.The moderator cannot cast a vote at the Administrators Board unless it reaches a state of equal indecisive votes. 8.When necessary, a deputy moderator should also be nominated by the group to deputise in the absence of the main one. SECTION VII. Voting 1.Public voting may be a necessity when a general consensus cannot be calculated when dealing with a certain issue raised by members, administrators, and the moderator of the Tripoli e-Discussion Society. The Tripoli e-Discussion Society web site at www.egroups.com has the available "Poll" option which can be activated by the administrators/moderator to collect the ideas of all members concerning a certain issue. Rules of www.egroups.com will apply for the "Poll" to ensure accurate results. 2.Votes within the Administrators Board are circulated in private between the administrators and the moderator and may be publicized, if necessary. SECTION VII. Edition Information First Published By: Diaa Hadid (11.11.2000) Revised By: Ghazi Omar Tadmouri (13.11.2000) Revised By: Diaa Hadid (14.11.2000) Revised By: Ghazi Omar Tadmouri (15.11.2000) Revised By: Hilal Kabbarah (27.11.2000) Revised By: Ghazi Omar Tadmouri (08.12.2000) Voted and Approved: (18.12.2000) ^ ^ ^ ^ 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. ***
