Difference between revisions of "Comparing Issues Forums"

From E-Democracy.org

Issues Forums are like blogs in that:

An individual, the forum manager, provides leadership.
Technically speaking, an Issues Forum is a massive multi-editor blog.
Like blogs, our Issues Forums have "web feeds".
A good Issues Forum, like a good blog can play a strong political agenda-setting role in a community.
You can share links and comment on content from across the web.
People who are not register can choose to view it on the web.

Issues Forums are not like most blogs in that:

Issues Forums are many-to-many. Blogs tend to be one to many. You really need a blog to have standing in the blogosphere. Issues Forums are more democratically equitable by design.
Most people receive the e-mail version making an Issues Forum more broadcast like.
Any registered participant may start a new topic or add a comment via e-mail or the web.
All comments must be signed with a participants real name.
Anyone can start a new topic of conversation.

Issues Forums are like social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) in that:

Issues Forums are not like geographic spaces on social networking sites in that:

Issues Forum Administrative Costs or Burdens - Since 1994

We've never been sued for liable or had any content requested by a court.
We do not pre-screen posts before instant distribution via e-mail/posting on web. Our Forum Managers may moderate new members from a technical perspective to prevent fly-by spammers. And with notification to the individual moderate a rule violating participant.
We do not remove, post-moderate or edit posts. After hundreds of thousands of post over a dozen forums we taken extraordinary and extensively debated Board action to remove two off-topic posts from one thread, edit one subject line involving a false personal attack displaying a top a Google search, and adding a special annotation pointing out a later correction . That's it.

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 * People who are not register can choose to view it on the web.
-Issues Forum are not like most blogs in that:
+Issues Forums are not like most blogs in that:
 * Issues Forums are many-to-many. Blogs tend to be one to many. You really need a blog to have standing in the blogosphere. Issues Forums are more democratically equitable by design.
 * Most people receive the e-mail version making an Issues Forum more broadcast like.
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 * All comments must be signed with a participants real name.
 * Anyone can start a new topic of conversation.
+Issues Forums are like social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) in that:
+* Members have profile pages
+Issues Forums are not like geographic spaces on social networking sites in that:
+* We require real names and civility
 Issues Forum Administrative Costs or Burdens - Since 1994