The Public Forum Institute

There are a number of ways you can get involved in your community. The Public Forum Institute provides you with a few opportunities here:

	MeetUp helps groups organize meetings within their communities to discuss issues that are of utmost importance to their lives.

	Study Circles offers resource material for individuals and groups seeking to host public policy discussions. From sample press packets to best practices for increasing participation, Study Circles provides the necessary components for local debate and deliberation.

	eThePeople is a virtual town hall for citizens to discuss pertinent policy topics. Start a petition, organize with other members, or comment on opinion articles to get your voice heard.

As the internet becomes more widely available to ordinary citizens, more Americans are participating virtually in discussion about issues of the day than in person. Below is a short primer on some of today's tools that enable millions of Americans to engage in popular discourse.

Online deliberation is a simple way to engage the public in policy discussion. Most often these are webchats, where a professional moderator guides a session of commentary and debate around a central political issue. Participants are able to ask questions of experts or present their own researched positions while others review and consider their points. The moderator is able not only to focus the group but also to provide background or statistical information from preliminary research. These webchats can either be held by a policy research group or opened to individuals or groups who wish to discuss issues of particular concern to them. Groups: Dialogue Circles, byDesign eLab, Information Renaissance, Weblab

Proxy dialogues use a television program to guide viewers through the deliberation process and to present material that is of high importance to a policy debate on a particular issue. By using television, millions of viewers can be reached, which provides a more accurate response as well as a better-informed public. This eliminates the problem of certain citizens not being able to attend a forum due to distance or scheduling. Proxy dialogues can then be followed by online discussions and deliberations or simple feedback so that general public opinion data can be gathered and solutions can be devised. Groups: Co-Intelligence Institute

Virtual forums transform live summits into entirely electronic debates that allow thousands of citizens to participate from their own computers. These online conferences can provide documents, PowerPoint presentations, and audio/video feeds of panelists and moderators that might provide informative material on the subject to all audience members. By eliminating space restrictions and distances between participants, many more citizens can view important policy discussions and voice their opinions. Polls, live chats, and question-and-answer sections can be set up within the forum screen to gather live data on participants and their opinions. Groups: WebEx

Online-Asynchronous

Consultations can be an important tool in gathering public opinion on certain congressional resolutions or policy suggestions. The public is provided with a list of items up for consultation and invited to comment and read other background information on the topic at hand. Often, these consultations will include poll questions that further analyze public opinion and encourage the audience to think in depth about certain policy suggestions. Groups: Citizen Space, Dialogue by Design

Weblogs (Blogs) are another important asynchronous tool that can be used to further policy discussion. Members are able to write short articles or opinions similar to op-ed pieces in newspapers and present them to other members for comment and debate. This strategy provides a discussion between citizens about important issues without a moderator and allows for more in-depth proposals than a message board. Blogs require little upkeep as they are similar to message boards and are extremely popular among journalists and those interested in public policy debate. Groups: eThePeople

Message boards are one of the easiest methods for allowing citizens to debate issues. Participants are able to discuss any issue that they have an interest in and receive commentary in response. The asynchronous nature of message boards means that anyone, at any time, can join the debate and contribute to the discussion. Forum administrators can suggest topics for discussion or provide links to important background information. Groups: Civic Chat, Public Forum Institute

Polls are the most direct way of allowing citizens to express their opinions concerning specific policy issues. Results can be shown immediately to all participants, and the statistics can be gathered and used by decision-makers to make choices that best represent the voices of the constituency. While most online polls are unscientific, they provide an easy method of gathering public opinion information. Groups: eThePeople

E-mail links to policymakers present concerned citizens with a way to direct opinions electronically to their representatives in government. Web sites can provide menus where a citizen can enter a zip code and immediately be given a list of their representatives, e-mail addresses, and office addresses that would encourage constituent communications because of the ease that e-mail offers. Groups: eThePeople

Network Creation

Study circles is a method for civic engagement groups to assist local community members in organizing their own smaller, more personal forums. The professional groups often display upcoming study circles according to region for other citizens to browse and attend. Study circles are advised on how to best attract local audience members, conduct an organized and helpful debate, and implement the recommendations that arise or contact policymakers who may be able to assist them. By assisting these small groups in their local debates, online civic engagement firms can further debate on a wide range of topics and allow for local issues to be discussed. Groups: Study Circles

Member databases are often provided as a way to further civic participation in policy discussions. Concerned citizens can agree to be placed in a searchable database where those who wish to host local forums can sort people by region and contact those nearest them by email to join study circles. The invitees then have the opportunity to RSVP and attend specific functions and debates according to what issues they feel strongly about. The role of the web site or company is to facilitate the formation of these study circles, which are often hard to come by due to distance or lack of communication through standard means by concerned citizens. Groups: National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, Study Circles

Facilitators are professional moderators who work pro-bono in an effort to increase the ability of citizens to discuss and debate key issues. By organizing information and keeping debates focused, facilitators are able to play a huge role in civic engagement. Web sites can provide databases of facilitators for concerned citizens to access when they decide to host their own forums. Alternatively, companies can offer facilitator-training programs for participants who wish to help others hold policy debates in their local communities. Groups: National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, National Issues Forums