Upcoming Issues Forums 101 Webinar from Cool Tools & EDemocracy

Just registered for this great program offered by Cool Tools and E-Democracy.Org. See below for more information and a link to register.

Issues Forums 101: Making Effective Use of Your Local or Neighborhood Issues Forum
A FREE 90 minute online class
Register here

This special class is a part of an experimental partnership between Cool Tools and E-Democracy.Org and is designed to provide E-Democracy.Org participants with valuable tips and information regarding effective participation in a Local Issues Forum. While targeted at individuals participating in an E-Democracy.Org forum, the information provided in the class should be useful to anyone participating in, managing, or planning to launch a community based Issues Forum in their neighborhood, town, or city.

This class will cover:

1. What are Local Issues Forums? How are they different from other online forums? What are the differences between a city wide and neighborhood based Issues Forum?
2. The key rules of a Local Issues Forum and the reasons for them.
3. 11 Tips for effectively using your Local Issues Forum, such as:
* "It’s OK to delete messages and not read them"
* "Whenever possible, support your argument with a link to the source"
* "When possible, speak from personal experience rather than from ideology"
* and more.....
4. How to help strengthen your Local Issues Forum and in turn strengthen your community?

This class will be taught by Tim Erickson, who is the founder of Cool Tools and whose past (and future) resume with E-Democracy.Org includes the following:

1. 4 Years as volunteer forum manager for the St. Paul Issues Forum.
2. 3 Years as E-Democracy.Org's 'Director of Issues Forums' during which time he helped launch over 10 local and neighborhood Issues Forums in the US, UK, and New Zealand.
3. He helped edit the first version of the E-Democracy.Org Local Issues Forum Guidebook
4. Plans to serve as the volunteer Forum Manager for the soon to be launched Hamline Midway Neighborhood Forum, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Cost: Event is FREE, however we are asking participants to consider a small voluntary donation to support the work of E-Democracy.Org. Suggested Donation = $10.

Dates & Times Offered:
Time of class - Central Time USA
Saturday, April 17th, 9:00 AM
Friday, April 23th, 4:00 PM
Wednesday, April 28th, 3:00 AM