Steven Clift will be in Canberra Nov 27-28 to discuss the potential for on-line discussion forums for Australian issues from the local level on up:

Building Civic Life Online ... As the sectors of democracy and the Internet as a whole develop and deepen their contributions to democracy online, we need to ask, What is missing? What is next? I want to help build the online public commons. I want to help others build them in their own communities and democracies around the world. I also want public and community information and services to be widely available.From The E-Democracy E-Book, Draft 3.1

Steven Clift was a guest of the Internet Reality Check, 3 November 1997 on a previous visit to Australia and would like to meet people interested in local community networking with a focus on local politics.

Steven Clift is an online strategist focused on the use of the Internet in democracy, governance, and community. He seeks to fundamentally improve democracy and citizen participation through the use of the Internet. From his local community up through global networks he is changing the world one e-mail at a time. He is an adviser to the Markle Foundation for their Web White & Blue 2000 online election information partnership and served as Project Coordinator in 1998. He is also Board Chair of Minnesota E-Democracy, a non-profit organization which created the world's first election-oriented web site in 1994 and hosts ongoing citizen discussions on state and community affairs. From: Publicus.Net

Please note that this IRC is being held in conjunction with the I. T. Hot Spot and will have a brief formal presentation as well as drinks.

IRCs are free (but you have to buy your own drinks and one for the special guest) and open to anyone interested: just turn up. Internet Reality Check (not to be confused with Internet Relay Chat) is designed so that members of the 'net community can meet and exchange the small amount of very important information which is not suitable for digital transmission. ;-)

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