- Who participates in civic discussions?
- What issues are on the agenda?
- How are issues placed on the agenda?
- How are discussion and decision-making processes conducted?
- What are the consequences?
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Public Sphere Project |
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Pattern Language Project |
Seattle Statement |
for Social Responsibility |
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Welcome to the Public Sphere Project! We appreciate your interest but we need to mention what you probably already know: This site is under construction! It should incrementally be more manageable over the new few weeks. Thanks again and don't be scared off by this! |
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When it becomes a program, hopelessness paralyzes us, immobilizes us.
We succumb to fatalism, and then it becomes impossible to muster
the strength we absolutely need for a fierce struggle that will re-create the world.
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What's New?
Scary stuff!
Be sure to read
Hijacking
the Internet: How Big Cable and Phone Companies' Plans for Broadband
Threaten Democracy
By Jeff Chester. Here is how it starts:
The nation's largest telephone and cable companies have a vision
for the Internet's future. Verizon, AT&T (formerly SBC), Comcast,
and Bell South want to create a privately run and branded "pay-as-you-go"
Internet, making everything we do online a "billable," revenue-generating
service... The Fight is On!
E-Liberate system available soon.
We at CPSR's Public Sphere Project are beginning to work with
groups who are interested in trying the
e-Liberate
online deliberation system to support actual meetings.
Please indicate your interest
on our form. Please see the
transcript
of a demonstration meeting.
Our hope is that non-profit groups will use
e-Liberate to save time and money on travel and use the resources
they save on other activities that promote their core objectives.
We are enthusiastic about the system but we are well aware that the
system as it stands is likely to have problems that we will need
to fix. It is for that reason that we plan to host a small number
of meetings over the next few months and gather feedback from
attendees. After that we plan to make e-Liberate freely available
for online meetings and to release the software under a free software
license.
Also see
Smart Enough
Soon Enough? Understanding and Enhancing Society's Civic Intelligence
presentation for Center for Citizen Communication and Engagement, University
of Washington.
I have also proposed
two models -- a
descriptive model and a
functional model
-- which may be useful to help characterize projects and ideas that
demonstrate "civic intelligence."
"Another
(Better) World is
Possible". Thoughts on the World Social Forum
in Mumbai (Bombay), India in January, 2004.
If your favorite book, article or web site isn't in our
shared bibliography,
please add it! We're looking for good sources of information
on community networks, media critique, grassroots media,
progressive technology, civic intelligence, community
and social informatics, etc. etc. Thanks!
Cidade do Conhecimento / City of Knowledge
Trip Report, São Paulo, Brazil
Seattle Statement.Participants at CPSR's "Shaping
the Network Society" symposium drafted the "Seattle Statement" calling
for new public spheres to help address societal concerns. The statement
is now available in seven languages and has over 300 signatures. We
invite your signature and your assistance in developing the next version of
the statement.
Please Sign!
Seattle IMC
The Independent Media
Center (1415 Third Avenue in Seattle) and its
website were launched in the fall of 1999 to provide immediate,
authentic, grassroots coverage of events surrounding the World Trade
Organization Ministerial.
Now, just two years later, the website serves
as the backbone to a powerful independent communications network which
continues to expand at an exhilarating rate - over 80 IMC's currently
span six continents.
Reporters Without Borders is publishing the first worldwide
press
freedom index.
The first worldwide index of press freedom has some
surprises for Western democracies. The United States
ranks below Costa Rica and Italy scores lower than Benin.
The five countries with least press freedom are North
Korea, China, Burma, Turkmenistan and Bhutan.
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promotes equitable and effective use of information and communication technology; promotes civic and community problem solving; promotes human -- not technology -- centered approaches; promotes appropriate local and regional tactics and strategies; promotes integration of education, research, technology development, policy and activism; and promotes collaboration with individuals and organizations all over the world. |
The Public Sphere Project is an initiative of |
Updated August 17, 2007