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1 Local Issues Forum Guidebook Prepared by E-Democracy.Org for the UK Pilot Iss

1 Local Issues Forum Guidebook Prepared by E-Democracy.Org for the UK Pilot Issues Forums Final UK Version 5.0 15 March 2005 2 Contents WHAT IS AN ISSUES FORUM? ................................................................................................................4 PREFACE:..................................................................................................................................................5 SPECIAL MESSAGE TO UK LOCAL AUTHORITIES...........................................................................................5 INTRODUCTION: .......................................................................................................................................6 SECTION 1: SETTING UP A LOCAL ISSUES FORUM............................................................................7 1. Pick Your Democracy .....................................................................................................................7 2. Steering Committee and Forum Manager.......................................................................................7 3. Create Mission, Establish Rules, and Set Goals ............................................................................8 4. Technology.....................................................................................................................................9 5. Recruit ............................................................................................................................................9 6. Community Approach ...................................................................................................................10 7. Launch Publicity ...........................................................................................................................11 8. Facilitate and Manage ..................................................................................................................11 9. Be Patient and Persevere.............................................................................................................11 10. Celebrate....................................................................................................................................12 MEASURING SUCCESS.............................................................................................................................12 WHATS NEXT?........................................................................................................................................13 SECTION 2: CITIZENS' GUIDE TO PARTICIPATING IN A LOCAL ISSUES FORUM ..........................14 BRINGING THE MEETING TO YOU..............................................................................................................14 WHAT IS A LOCAL ISSUES FORUM?..........................................................................................................14 SURVEY SAYS … ....................................................................................................................................15 WHY SHOULD CITIZENS PARTICIPATE IN A LOCAL ISSUES FORUM?............................................................15 WHY SHOULD/DO ELECTED OFFICIALS AND DECISIONS MAKERS PARTICIPATE?..........................................16 HOW DOES IT WORK?.............................................................................................................................17 YOUR LOCAL ISSUES FORUM IN PRACTICE................................................................................................18 HOW TO EFFECTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN A LOCAL ISSUES FORUM................................................................18 LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION......................................................................................................................20 EXPLANATION OF KEY RULES: .................................................................................................................21 Key Rule #1) “All posts must be signed by the author’s full and actual name” .................................21 Key Rule #2) “No individual may post more than two posts a day.”..................................................21 Key Rule #3) “No personal attacks.”.................................................................................................21 Key Rule #4) “Issues discussed must be local issues.” ....................................................................22 KEY RULE #5) “The Forum Manager has the duty to warn and remove members who fail to comply with forum rules.” ..................................................................................................................................22 SECTION 3: THE FORUM MANAGERS GUIDE.....................................................................................24 FORUM MANAGER - JOB DESCRIPTION:......................................................................................................24 QUALIFICATIONS - WHAT MAKES A GOOD FORUM MANAGER: .......................................................................25 TEN SPECIFIC TASKS OF THE FORUM MANAGER: (DETAILS BELOW): .............................................................25 1) Keeping the space “safe/civil” for all participants..........................................................................25 2) Encouraging/enforcing compliance with forum rules ....................................................................26 3) Keeping the discussion on-topic...................................................................................................27 4) Managing message volume..........................................................................................................27 5) Introducing new topics..................................................................................................................27 6) Encouraging alternate viewpoints.................................................................................................28 7) Provide positive reinforcement of constructive posts....................................................................28 8) When a new member joins the forum, make sure they understand the purpose of the forum......28 9) Customer service – responding to participants questions and complaints ...................................28 10) Recruit other list members to help encourage positive dialogue. ...............................................28 APPENDIX A: CHECKLIST FOR SETTING UP A LOCAL ISSUES FORUM..........................................30 APPENDIX B: SAMPLE CHARTERS ......................................................................................................31 3 MINNEAPOLIS ISSUES FORUM ..................................................................................................................31 BRIGHTON & HOVE ISSUES FORUM CHARTER ...........................................................................................31 APPENDIX C) THE GUIDE TO VIRTUAL DOORKNOCKING.................................................................33 SHORT OUTREACH NOTE – GENERAL PUBLIC ...........................................................................................34 LONGER INTRODUCTION EARLY IN PROCESS TO CIVIC LEADERS.................................................................35 APPENDIX D: RECRUITMENT CHECKLIST AND SAMPLE SIGN-UP FORM.......................................37 APPENDIX E: SAMPLE FORUM OPENING MESSAGES.......................................................................39 POST 1) WELCOME MESSAGE..................................................................................................................39 POST 2) RULES AND EXPECTATIONS ........................................................................................................40 POST 3) INTRODUCTIONS.........................................................................................................................40 POST 4) RECRUITMENT ...........................................................................................................................41 APPENDIX F: E-DEMOCRACY FORUM RULES ....................................................................................42 42APPENDIX G: E-DEMOCRACY MEMBER SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS...............................................48 APPENDIX H: ALTERNATIVE METHODS AND FORUM TECHNOLOGY .............................................52 APPENDIX I: BENEFITS AND COSTS DISCUSSION.............................................................................55 INDIVIDUAL BENEFITS AND COSTS ............................................................................................................55 ORGANISATIONAL COST/BENEFIT.............................................................................................................56 APPENDIX J: ABOUT E-DEMOCRACY.ORG.........................................................................................58 WHAT IS E-DEMOCRACY.ORG..................................................................................................................58 E-Democracy.Org Mission Statement...............................................................................................58 Goals ................................................................................................................................................58 CORE BELIEFS........................................................................................................................................58 BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF E-DEMOCRACY.ORG................................................................................59 4 What is an Issues Forum? You might be asking yourself, “What is a local Issues Forum?” Simply put, a local Issues Forum is an online forum like a town hall meeting or public commons where any citizen, journalist, or elected official can: • Post an idea, • Ask a question, • Make a public announcement, • Connect with one another, • Monitor public opinion, • Ask for public input, and • A place where journalists can look for story ideas or identify sources for articles. The goals of a local Issues Forum are to give everyone a greater voice in local decisions and encourage more citizen participation in local public policy making. It provides a forum for decision- makers to receive immediate feedback from the community on issues that must be decided or voted on in council. One of the most important features of a local Issues Forum is that it is citizen-driven. Anyone can introduce a topic, concern, or idea for discussion as long as it relates to an issue that impacts the quality of life in the local community. A local Issues Forum empowers individual citizens to bring their ideas, suggestions, and concerns to the forefront of public attention. Issues Forum Leader’s Office “Secondary Networks” e-mail forwards media agenda-setting Council Department Personal Networks Local Media Coverage Political Activist Reporter Citizen #1 Council Staff Citizen #2 Candidate Researcher Councillor Neighborhood Leader Student Forum Manager Citizen #500 Crazy Person C i t i z e n s Issues Forum GroupServer e-mails posts puts on web Online discussions in the heart of local power You subscribe once, commitment made Post via e-mail o/web 5 Preface This guidebook is designed for those interested in establishing Local Issues Forums. It is focused on the United Kingdom but evolved directly from the experience of E-Democracy.Org. E-Democracy.Org is based in Minnesota, United States. Care has been taken to present this guidebook for a UK audience, but we hope it is general enough for a worldwide “local” audience. The main audiences for this guide are new local E-Democracy.Org Issues Forum steering committee members, individuals who work with local authorities, and citizens exploring the Issues Forums idea in detail. Left in one piece, this guidebook is not designed for individual participants nor is it meant to provide a basic introduction to Issues Forums. That is the role of our website and the multimedia E- Democracy Experience. Special thanks goes to the UK Local E-democracy National Project and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for supporting the development of this guidebook, the open source release of improved GroupServer technology, and for their support of the initial Issues Forums in Brighton & Hove, Newham, and Melksham. Special message to UK Local Authorities As part of E-Democracy.Org’s arrangement with UK Local E-Democracy National Project, any UK local authority or community group may create an Issues Forum through at least December 2005 on our existing server. Furthermore, after a decade of non-profit growth, we have no plans to stop service to any existing forum. Our goal is to launch and support many more Issues Forums in local communities across the UK and around the world. Community or voluntary sector-based organisations may also use locally raised government funding or simply their own volunteer capacity to establish “Issues Forums” with E-Democracy.Org. These forums are considered part of E-Democracy.Org, which also assumes the limited liabilities that come from such legal ownership. However, Issues Forums established by a local authority are legally owned by that local authority, unless a different relationship is agreed with E-Democracy.Org. Such government-owned forums require a citizen advisory committee and clearly defined oversight policies to run on the E- Democracy.Org server. The “Cost/Benefit” appendix continues an exploration of our opportunity and policy implications. Any entity is free to adapt the Issues Forum concept (using a different name) for its purposes. Entities are encouraged to use the parts of this guide that are helpful and discard concepts that they feel are not appropriate for their situation. Furthermore, anyone may download and host the expert-level open source GroupServer software or use other interactive technologies. Please see Appendix H (page 52) on alternative Issues Forum technology implementations for more information. 6 Introduction This year, E-Democracy.Org is celebrating its 10th anniversary. For more than a decade, we have explored the frontiers of online citizen participation. We have found the power of the Internet to inform and engage citizens to be exciting to some and quite challenging to others. Despite these conflicting viewpoints, most observers agree that the era of online citizen engagement remains in its infancy and its potential has yet to be achieved. In this new environment, we are explorers and innovators charting a new course. We are laying a foundation and creating approaches and tools that can transform the role of citizens in a democratic society. Over these years of experimentation and innovation, E-Democracy.Org volunteers have accumulated a great deal of knowledge and skill in the formation and management of online civic forums. Until recently, this knowledge existed only in the heads of our volunteers. Our partnership with the U.K. Local E-democracy National Project makes it possible for us to assemble and present our practices in this comprehensive guide. The E-Democracy.Org model is one we share openly. Since the beginning, we’ve told everyone we’ve met about our democratic work and how we do it. Our goal is to encourage and empower citizens and communities around the world to use the Internet as a tool to strengthen local democracies. By setting up Local Issues Forums, we all can share ideas, information, and opinions with other citizens, public leaders, and the media. This manual is set up in three distinct sections, each focusing on a different audience – they may be printed and used independently or together: Section 1: Setting Up A Local Issues Forum – This section is intended for everyone on the steering committee of your Local Issues Forum. It includes step-by-step instructions for laying the groundwork and launching a successful local Issues Forum. It also includes ideas for what to do next and how to expand the work of your local Issues Forum in your community and how uploads/s1/ guide - 2023-05-30T043003.973.pdf