We have a new site at http://www.OneKCVoice.org where we are trying to get the community to discuss public issues. Often there will be complimentary public meetings and we plan to try to put up more background about issues. I am interested in suggestions for supporting informed discussion and deliberation using off-the-shelf forum software. Thanks, Dan Blom
First off, the site looks great. It’s very visually appealing and I really like the logo.
How long has the site been up and running?
In response to fostering discussion; from what I’ve seen on other sites, sometimes it really helps to stoke the discussions by posting new topics and almost flat-out asking for opinions. That is the advantage of a blog, because one person or a few people are responsible for posting thoughts and topics and it makes for very structured discussions. Blog posts tend to be very opinionated, and while that’s not really a requirement, sometimes that is what really spurres banter on a topic. Though I gather that what you want is to solicit the opinions of your users while remaining objective as the proprietor of the site. Is that right?
What kind of response are you getting to your polls? Maybe you could post poll results as topics, which would allow you to bring up an issue for open debate without having to declare an opinion, yourself.
The site has been up for nearly three months. It had a flurry of activity after being unveiled at a large meeting. It really hasn’t been promoted since then and we need to regenerate interest and activity. You are right that we want to remain neutral in the discussion and get the general public involved. We are trying to promote discussion on issues of public policy. Do you have any suggestions for model sites we might visit?
The site looks great! I’m jealous to say the least.
When it comes to site promotion, I’ve had solid success promoting my community site with business cards. I go to every public meeting and event I possibly can. While there a discussion about the site always seems to come up with someone and before you know it people are asking for information about it. A Business card is a simple way to put the address in peoples hands and adds a touch of credibility with some folks (for whatever reason).
As far as forum software goes my experience is limited to InvisionFree. It is limited in some ways, and it is hosted which makes combining it with other projects difficult but it is completely free (it’s funded by a google ad bar on the site) and has reasonable controls that allow you to manage problem users and the like. For the record, I am not connected to InvisionFree in anyway, I just happen to like it (at least until I find something better).
When it comes to promoting active participation at a forum there is only one way I know of to do that. You need to get a few friends together and talk, talk, talk, talk, oh, and talk on the site. People rarely want to be the first to participate (and only about 1 in 10 who visit a forum will ever participate) so being active on the site with your friends and family (even to the point it feels a bit repetitive) is the way to go. Another benefit you get from creating active topics that could potentially draw new people into the discussion is that your posts with friends help set the tone of the site. A site full of discussion, all without foul language or personal attacks will do more to teach new users how to act than any effort to display rules and the like.
For an example of forum success check out America’s Debate. According to the site’s founders they started a few years back with just themselves and a handful of friends talking about mostly national political issues daily. Now they have over 3000 registered members and something like 13,000 or more topics.
We have a new site at http://www.OneKCVoice.org where we are trying to get the community to discuss public issues. Often there will be complimentary public meetings and we plan to try to put up more background about issues. I am interested in suggestions for supporting informed discussion and deliberation using off-the-shelf forum software. Thanks, Dan Blom
Think the possibility, at first, to start all the topics. After a while other will talk about the issues.
The dynamic menu could have a shadow below it in addition to the one on the right. Also the website is monochromatic (red and related colors) - another color could be added to the theme.
Datetopia Dating Software - 02 December 2007 05:33 AM
The dynamic menu could have a shadow below it in addition to the one on the right. Also the website is monochromatic (red and related colors) - another color could be added to the theme.
The colors maybe important but I think the visitor focuses on information and after that colors, layout, etc.
I think for any website its appearance has to be very appealing. It is the appearance of the website that can attract lot many surfers. So the colors, fonts, design all these things play a very vital role. After all this than you need to focus on the content part of your website because If you don’t have good content surfers won’t revisit your website even if its very attractive.
I have a complete IT solution site and its really nice have a look at it .It not only solution to your problem but at the same time its providing sponsorship for IT career aspirants.
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Datetopia Dating Software - 20 December 2007 03:00 AM
Do you have an online forum? I didn’t manage to find one. That would be a good thing to get more content and information online.
To get more information and content online just search for searching engines they have a huge data storage go for a search on them I think you can definitely get what you want.
Hey the site is awesome.I must say the design is totally attractive and I truly appreciate your efforts.I am also egar to know when the site got started.
