The mission of the Public Sphere Project is to help create and support equitable and effective public spheres all over the world.

Projects

e-Liberate

Democracy and the Internet

Since its inception the Internet has been touted as a medium with revolutionary potential for democratic communication. Although other media including television and radio have not lived up to their democratic potential, it is too early to dismiss the Internet...

Civic Intelligence

Working together to solve problems for the common good

Civic intelligence is a key element of the Public Sphere Project. We are currently developing online resources that will help people participate in a collaborative learning process and build this theory from the ground up! Please...

Liberating Voices
A Pattern Language for Communication Revolution

The Liberating Voices pattern language is intended to help us develop the social imagination we need to better face the future as engaged and empowered citizens. Browse the...

Pattern Language

The pattern language that has grown out of the Liberating Voices project is an integral part of the Public Sphere Project. The example below is one of hundreds of patterns developed by members. If you're new to the site, please browse the patterns and feel free to ask questions in the forum.
Conversational Support Across Boundaries



Forces:

Many processes are too complex to be understood in detail by one person.
Performance on a task is generally a logarithmic function of time on task.
A person's time is limited.
Complex systems are typically designed and built by decomposition.
Systems to automate, semi-automate, or coordinate are generally designed by people who are not the people who...

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Recent Blog Posts

Civics of Modern Media
Michael O_Neill
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 18:58

As the means of communication have changed over the course of American history, so has the way public discourse has been carried out. National radio was a revolution that could put the voice of the president in every living room across the nation for fireside chats. With the rise of television,...

Appropriating Technology, Community-Building Journalism, Cyberpower, Digital Emancipation, Homemade Media, Intentional Networks of Alternative Media, Media Diversity, Media Intervention, Media Literacy, Online Deliberation, Public Agenda, Sense of Struggle, Social Responsibility, Tactical Media, Voices of the Unheard

Recent Activity

Civic Intelligence Cases Survey: Foundations and Resources

If you have information about projects or organizations that demonstrate civic intelligence, please consider making it available on the online civic intelligence knowledge repository vis this survey. For more information about this project, please read on.

Introduction

Liberating Voices
A Pattern Language for Communication Revolution

The Liberating Voices pattern language is intended to help us develop the social imagination we need to better face the future as engaged and empowered citizens. Browse the patterns in the book or see all of the patterns in the pool environment. 

Pattern Language Network Analysis

Marc Smith used the NodeXL tool to generate some graphics based on the pattern links in the book. Although these are preliminary they're still worth a look. Marc and I are planning more work on this in the near future.

Digital Storytelling: A cross-boundary method for intergenerational groups in rural communities

Abstract: Rural communities face tensions motivated, in part, by (mis)perceptions between homophilous groups. When tensions lead to conflict, crossing boundaries to give all parties an equal voice can be a challenge. This qualitative research project seeks to investigate how Digital Storytelling has the potential to act as an effective bridge across boundaries that occur within rurally-located intergenerational groups. Digital Storytelling, along with a selection of Web 2.0 tools, will be used as a method of communication in two rural Case Studies.

Civic Intelligence — Short Form 5-W

Fill in this form if you have something to describe that demonstrates civic intelligence and you don't have the time or energy to fill out the long form.

A project, product, campaign, etc. demonstrates Civic intelligence if it helps address one or more shared problems in a participatory, just, and sustainable way.