[Winona Online Democracy] It sounds like you, too, are unaware of how to access the national forum at this time Roy? Is anyone on this list aware of the address of the national forum? There has been some off-line speculation suggesting that since Steve Kranz had set it up originally, that it may now be somehow extinct with his change in situation. Can anyone verify whether this is the case? I have never subscribed to or participated in the national forum and I'm sorry that I haven't been much help in this area.
Kathy Seifert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roy Nasstrom" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, May 24, 2004 12:40 AM Subject: Re: [Winona] thoughts on separate forums > [Winona Online Democracy] > > Re Separate Forums > > > > > > Ah, d�j� vu, Kathy and Randy. The issue of separate forums and non-local > issues has come up often, the most recent in February 2002, November 2002, > and April 2003. But here we are again. > > > > I'm aware of the original goal of local affairs for Online Democracy. But it > became evident that participants found restriction to local issues confining > and often tended to go beyond Winona's boundaries. I now agree with those > supporting just one forum for local and national/international affairs. The > connection between the two, as Bob Sebo's comment on the Iraq War > illustrate, is great even when not specifically stated. Additionally, one > problem with moving to the national forum is that its URL is not listed on > Online Democracy's messages and that most people probably have no idea where > it is. I have no idea. The plan of separate forums seemed OK at one time, > but it hasn't worked out. The model for different Online Democracy forums > seemed to be the arrangement in the Twin Cities, where the separate forums > for national/international and state affairs accompany those for St. Paul > and Minneapolis. But the cities have many times the population of Winona, > and separation is necessary to avoid clogging lines of communication. There > is no need for Winona to adhere to such a criterion. Different geographical > places in Online Democracy need different approaches. In the past year or > two, with only one forum and an emphasis on local ramifications of issues, > we have gone for long periods without any messages other than announcements > or requests for information-and sometimes without even these. > > > > Whether discussion of non-local affairs tends to destroy civility is > questionable. A year ago Kathy and Sharon Ropes wrote, "It sounds like there > is interest in widening the discussion to include more of the big picture, > but not at a cost in civility.." Civility, however, is an individual matter, > and even in a separate forum, some items will evoke strong emotions. In any > democratic group strong emotions should be expected. (In the Twin Cities, > local affairs have often resulted in more ferocity in forums than national > or international affairs). But when emotions turn to incivility, moderators > can take action. Even assuming more anger over national and international > issues than local ones (and that is a big assumption), it is true that a few > emotional displays may dissuade some people from participation, but I > suspect that a larger number may be dissuaded by a lack of topics of > interest (or simply a lack of time). With respect to public officials, I > doubt that bursts of incivility really frighten many. (Controversial topics > do, but it would be self-defeating to eliminate these just to attract more > of these people). Overall, participation in one thread often encourages > participation in others, and a look over the archives makes it very clear > that Dwayne Voegeli is correct in asserting that "the most lively threads > have occurred when the forum was more free-flowing and when we weaved in and > out of local-state-national-global issues." > > > > Roy Nasstrom > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy > All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. > No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. > To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit > http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona > Any problems or suggestions can be directed to > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at > http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org > _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
