Post in Introductions

2007 Apr 01 05:35 UTC

I think it is a good idea for participants in this forum to post an
introduction. This forum is for conversations, and those work best when people
know each other. Please post your own introduction. To post your introduction,
just reply to this email, or log in and 'add to' the Introductions topic on the
web.

  http://canterburyissues.org.nz

I am writing this introduction from the Community Room at Plains FM in
Christchurch. There is small gathering of members of the Steering Team who have
collaborated to open this forum, and some members' partners. We are sharing a
small glass of fizz to celebrate the opening of the forum, and especially that
we have exceeded our target of 200 registered members on opening. The folks in
the Steering Team have been planning for this day since September 2006.

  http://plainsfm.org.nz

I am Projects Director at OnlineGroups.Net, where we make collaboration
software, and help all sorts of organisations to create successful online
groups. It was my idea to start this forum in Canterbury, so it makes sense
that I am the first to take up the role of Forum Manager. I found out about
online public issues forums from Steven Clift, when he visited New Zealand in
2002, talking about the online public issues forums that have been running in
Minnesota for over ten years. I have always been interested in what Steve and
the other folks at E-Democracy.Org have been doing, as they do online groups,
just like I do in my business, OnlineGroups.Net (called GroupSense in those
days). Since then, Steve and I have kept in touch. In 2004, Steve engaged my
company to help set up some online public issues forums in the UK. He helped us
to get some new features on our software GroupServer, and to package its first
version released as open source. Since then, E-Democracy.Org have migrated
their forums to GroupServer, and started the other forums that you see on the
site that our forum now shares. In 2005, I visited Steve and Tim Erickson in
Minnesota, and became truly 'dipped in the cauldron' of edemocracy.

  http://e-democracy.org
  http://forums.e-democracy.org
  http://onlinegroups.net
  http://groupserver.org

So in late 2005, I decided that, knowing how to start an issues forum, and
knowing that it would be worthwhile, I  would do what I needed to, to get this
forum started. Ron Kjestrup of PlainsFM, quickly joined me in this venture,
seeing the connection between this forum, and the kaupapa of community access
broadcasting.

My vision for this forum is that it develops enough momentum to be
self-sustaining, and that I go on to help start similar forums in other
regions.

So, thank you for signing up for this forum. I hope that it provides valuable
opportunities for you to engage with the Canterbury community. I encourage you
to post, and to encourage others to join. If you are interested in joining the
Steering Team for this forum, please do. The best way to do that is to join
'Democraseed', the online group where we have been planning this forum.

  http://onlinegroups.net/groups/democraseed

But post your introduction here first! And, if you have any questions about
this forum, please ask, either by posting to the whole group, or emailing me
directly.