Transcript Minnesota E-Democracy

Minnesota
E-Democracy
Steven Clift
http://www.publicus.net
Copyright 2002
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy
World’s first
election-oriented
web site in 1994
… so what?
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy
1994 – Election
information,
online candidate
debates, political
discussion
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy
Election Over.
People kept
talking.
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy
1994-2002 …
Hosting the
“Online
Commons”
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy Today
Capitol Forum
Communities Forum
•MN-Politics-Discuss –
400 Members
•MN-Politics-Announce –
500 Members
•MN-Politics-National –
100 Members
•4 Topical Spaces
•E-Democracy Legislative
Study Group
•Minneapolis –
700 Members
•St. Paul –
300 Members
•Winona –
250 Members
Election Content
Promotion, Online
Candidate Debates
Other external forums, great
diffusion after 1997 …
Board role, governance
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Online Civic Communication Model 1994-98
Group communication
remains highly private
without commons
Commons serves as public
group communication
organizer, multiplier, and
amplifier; “leaks” into private
communication
vs.
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Commons
Online Civic Communication Model 1998+
One-way content,
semi-public online
advocacy without
commons
Diffusion of interaction,
viable two-way options
tied to online advocacy
and one-way content
vs.
Commons
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy
Lessons
Eight years is a
long time online.
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy Lessons
1. Declare victory. Set reasonable expectations.
Building
momentum is more important than immediate success. Answer
why question every step of the way. Goal: To improve the
outcome of the public policy process with effective and
meaningful citizen participation.
2. Many-to-many discussions represent the unique strength
of this new medium. One-way content is a carry over from old
media and political communication. Geography matters. The
more local, the more relevant to a broader cross-section of the
population.
3. Facilitation is essential.
Moderation is not. Focus
conversations on issues to overcome personal and ideological
conflict.
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy Lessons
4. Building civic space is a public good.
Non-partisan,
advocacy neutral online public spaces for information exchange will not
exist without public interest efforts.
5. E-mail is king. Participants and readers are key to value.
Value of e-mail and convenience is supreme, often underestimated.
Web-only systems tend to work with larger audience sites, highly
motivated users, or for special online events and consultations.
6. Sustainability. Promoting self-governance and volunteer
spirit key to sustainability.
7. Scalability limited by current all-volunteer foundation.
However, complete professionalization of facilitation would make
expansion unaffordable while professional training and outreach
required.
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Minnesota E-Democracy Lessons
8. Expansion requires resources for
coordination, training, promotion, distributed management/facilitation
and adjudication.
9. Technical barriers exist. Use of proprietary
software tools and lack of access to technical expertise to adapt open
source options limits our advancement as well as the long-term
potential of our model to expand in a cost-effective way within and
beyond Minnesota.
10. Conversation has value. Think agenda-setting
among opinion leaders and media. Build respect among participants
and foster public opinion formation. Worry about the direct influence on
government decision-making process later.
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
If I had a million dollars, I’d be …
… building a grid for community conversation,
online consultation, and public interest
communities of practice/implementation.
An illustration from another presentation …
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Citizens Commons
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net
Childcare
Graffiti
Online
Civic Events
Recycling
Parks
Communities
of Practice /
Interest
Housing
Online
Consultation
etc.
More?
e-democracy.org
publicus.net
Steven Clift – www.publicus.net