[EQAB-list] Citizen participation in list server, reports format

[Ellen Smith]

Consistent with Fred's "wondering", I believe that some sort of Web 2.0
arrangement (i.e., a website that allows interaction and feedback) is
needed as part of the next round on the sustainability initiative. After
the ideas from the forum have been "processed," they need to be posted
in a fashion that allows people not only to read them but also to
comment. 

Neither Word files nor nor PDFs nor plain text messages with hard line
breaks every 50 characters or so are particularly good ways to
disseminate electronic content for public discussion. I think that the
blog-like format that newspapers use (in which every article has space
for comments on the bottom of the page) might be a good way to both
disseminate the ideas and invited comment. For example, there might be
about a dozen different pages, each listing a group of related ideas
(collated from different forum tables), with all pages linked from a
common index page and with each page including a space for comments. I
know this can be set up pretty easily using the free open-source
Wordpress software, but I don't know what comparable capabilities are
available on the City's website.

-- Ellen

On Mon, 2009-01-19 at 11:39 -0500, Fred L Stephens wrote:
> I would like to see plain text versions as well as the attachments 
> when possible and encourage public participation on our list server - 
> - as readers.
> 
> I think having the reports as attachments in MS word format is nice 
> however I have two concerns. One, MS attachments do not archive well 
> on list servers (go look into the archives and find the MS Word 
> attachments) and more and more people are having trouble with MS 
> files due to the newer MS word files structures that come with MS 
> Word 2007. Secondly, attachments can be troublesome for some users on 
> the road, or less technology savvy older Oak Ridge citizens.
> 
> I wonder also if a second list server might be helpful for allowing 
> citizens to contribute as well as follow along on the matter of the 
> sustainability and green issues. Just a thought as this point.
> 
> Fred L Stephens
> email: freds7 at dancingcreek.com   
> 
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