Introduction
==========
Three organizational columns necessary to create power from the bottom :
1.) organizational structure
2.) effective mass communication (discussion tool)
3.) strategic knowledge
+ self-esteem
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# More detailed approach to discussion system (2nd column) #
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part 1 : from fulltext to core information
part 2 : the system itself
part 3 : from core information to fulltext
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part 1 - from fulltext to core information
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- fulltext version on the left hand side of the screen; extracted core information
on the right hand side
- fulltext should be loadable in all widespread formats (PDF, Word, TXT, RTF, etc.)
- Markup (Strg + click of the desired words like in other programs); maybe in
future it's possible to find the text parts that belong together through
semantic detection (e.g. click on one word to markup the whole core information)
-> logical link and optical markup of linking
- Link to full text parts is kept for later backtracking
- extracted core expressions are re-formulated to headwords by drag&drop to the
right hand side by semantic analysis and automatic
e.g. : Is tag of the milk products is to be scanned -> milk product tag to be scanned
- another option : a resident driver is installed which reacts on a certain key
combination and copies the currently selected text parts to the program or to
our server on a website making the user sorting the text into the database
after he processed it -> maybe also for handheld devices
- applications :
- somebody found an interesting fulltext and wants to copy the ideas and arguments
to the central core expression / arguments database
- a group of people wants to transfer the core expressions of a fulltext into
the database collectively
(e.g. a pretty huge scientific analysis) -> voting and measures to create
alternatives need to be offered for single points
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part 2 - the system itself
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- ### core of the system = systematic hierarchically categorized net of entries (topics,
sub-topics, statements, core statements (prime statements)
example 1 :
Environment
[Nuclear Power]
Final Storage
Salt Mines
Hazards
Collapse
Rusted through Barrels
Difficult Evacuation
Contaminated Groundwater
example 2 : (main category is different but one node is similar to example 1 -> no tree but
a net)
Science
Physics
Energy Production
[Nuclear Power]
...
- ### Sub-Components per Entry :
- pretty short but prominent titel (is the only visible element per entry when the user is
browsing the database)
- optional short summary (as tooltip and appears at the right hand side when the element
is chosen)
- fulltext description or link to detailed Wikipedia webpage (less memory consumption on
the own server and distribution of new knowledge to everyone) -> displayed below the
short summary on the right hand side
- ### How are core statements put into the system ?
1.) core statements can be collected in a list (links to original texts are kept through all
subsequent steps) by a group
-> own core statements
-> external core statements from fulltext source (scientific source, fulltexts from free
discussions in forums, chats, etc.)
-> temporary storage of free discussions (text, audio -> offline Speech Recognition,
etc.)
-> tool for core statement extraction from fulltexts
-> everyone is encouraged to make a proposal for the formulation and storage location of
core statements before they enter the database (saves time)
-> results are put on a temporary list to be edited by the group
a.) Online live brainstorming inside a group
b.) Offline brainstorming by individual users (local storage)
-> transmission to group on next session or at next online access
2.) Preprocessing inside group (no direct edits of central database by individual user ->
exception : global admin for serious violation of laws)
- Is core statement considered ? (relevance)
-> voting by everyone (except guests)
-> reject by present editors : formal requirements served ? (Redundancy removed ?,
No law violation ?, etc.)
-> training through video and test (when new rules appear : 1month time to solve
test); everyone can become an editor (if test was fulfilled)
-> if the reaction on posts is pretty negative, editors can lose their position (after
a certain off time the person has the right to make the test again to get the
position back)
-> if a group has lost all of its editors it cannot access the database directly ->
only proposals to other groups or fusion with other group possible
- if there are formal issues the present editors might apply some changes :
Short enough ? Easy enough ? Unambigious ? -> majority of editors decides about
formulations and corrections of the sorting scheme within the database
-> afterwards voting of all group members (acceptance of whole group needed for
publication -> not only editors)
-> Alternatives can be discussed in further loops
-> Steps with hints and recommendations are provided by the system
-> one in every group is voted as coordinator and moderator (can be dismissed all the
time)
3.) prioritization within the groups
-> throughput per group can be limited (reason for prioritization)
-> Voting through all group members (except guests) + alternative proposals can be
discussed by everyone
4.) Posting and Merging
-> challenge : In the very instant of posting, the database must be blocked against other
accesses to avoid inconsistency; it's not possible to already block the database
during discussion since it would slow down the response time to an unacceptable
degree for everyone else
-> content which was changed between the last download (before discussion) and the
upload (posting) needs to be merged and checked for consistency before final posting;
every unproblematic point is transferred to the central database; all other points need
to be changed and merged again on next vacant time slot
-> during high traffic, attendents are queued and only affected nodes are blocked
- ### How can the structure and the core expressions be changed ?
- individual users or groups can create templates for structural and textual changes which
are discussed and voted in the whole group
- extremely volatile topics are lifted one or more levels higher which means that no
individual base groups can vote but only collocations of groups (next level); therefore
delegates have to be voted by basic groups; level is increased until volatility shrinks
- ### How can fulltexts (resolutions etc.) be produced ?
- relevant core expressions and arguments are collected from the database, sorted by importance and formulated by a special editor (rhetorical hints are provided); can be done individually or in a group; when the text template is ready, it can be discussed in a "Liquid Feedback" like tool
Minorities
========
protection of minorities :
- kind of topic-related group forming tool gives members of smaller minorities the
opportunity to find other members and form an interest group (e.g. subscription to
individual topics; as soon as enough people have come together the group can
constitute and start working)
-> minimum group size : 6 (global setup parameter)
-> recommended maximum group size : 12
Group
=====
- free discussion always possible (phone conference like Mumble, Chat, Email, Forum,
Reallife, etc.)
- free choice of group membership within one topic (but only one group per topic at the
same time); if the sufficient number of participants is not available, it is also possible to
look for persons in one of the topics above
- majority of group members who have attended the voting within the respective time span
decides; votes can be delegated to others (e.g. while holiday, etc.)
- advantages of strict group work :
- less changes on the the central database (less delay during checkin, less rejects, etc.)
- content has a much higher quality (already pre-discussed)
- effective protection from DDOS attacks (further, protection delays of one or two seconds
between some steps can slow down attacks)
Navigation inside the Database
=========================
- storable favorite entries
- last visited nodes
- search function (also using synonyms)
- different GUI type views (Debategraph, Mind42, ...)
-> different approaches to visualize the database as a net of nodes (no tree !)
- positive filter (only show desired content of the whole net)
- thematical filter
- limited hierarchy depth (upper and lower limit)
- filtering by votes
- negative filter (suppress things you don't want to see)
Staying up-to-date
===============
- means to subscribe to desired content :
- date of last update storable -> all changes are marked-up (graphically / textually)
- RSS-Feed
- create message filter to avoid a flood of information
Offline Usability
============
- complete database or parts can be saved locally (except personal data of others)
- Offline version of the program needed to process content without connection
- own proposals for content and discussion storable (transmission to central database can
be done later on in the group)
Editors
========
- an Editor is always responsible for the content he lets get into the central database or not
- every moderator (after lerning video + test) starts with a neutral score
- as long as he gets positive votes, his influence is growing und his position is
tightened
- when he receives bad votes, his influence shrinks and he can lose his post as editor
if the score falls below a certain level (bad score has much more influence
than good score); if the level even more decreases, the person can also lose his means
to vote and contribute initiatives (only pre-discussions allowed)
- for bad annoyance a person can be excluded from a group -> after a 24h delay he can
enter another group (enough time to think about his mistakes)
- bad score slowly decreases after a time so that everyone finally has the chance to take
part as a full member of the community after a certain delay
- if someone has collected a lot of bad score, he can restart his "career" again by giving
desired content to the community (reward not only given to the moderator / editor but
also to the original author); bad content can decrease the score even more (until
minimum)
- if a pretty bad article happens to pass to the community and the mayority against this
article is overwhelming, all editors of the submitting group who voted in favour will receive
a bad score and all editors who voted against it, can get a positive score
(only if enough people had the opportunity to vote and and the tendency is unambiguous)
- if an editor violates laws and rules of the system (depending on scale), more and more
penalty is given to him (from warning to blocked account and threat to call the police)
- to access the central database at least one editor needs to be a member of a group to
look after the content and formulation of the posts; only those entries can be posted
which have been passed by the mayority of the respective group
-> during vacation : either blocked access (bad in emergency case) or delegation of votes
(decided by majority)
- scale of punishment needs to be adjusted by poll from time to time
Throughput
========
- depending on the rush of posts for one topic of the central database, the number of posts
can be limited per group (e.g. n posts per day/week); if the demand is pretty challenging
for the system and it is hard for the users to follow, the creation of super-groups
(collection of groups) can be enforced by voting of delegates -> at the meetings of the
super-groups the base group can participate by voting and forums which can be either
normal chatrooms or structured as the big discussion database but with access for all
base group members without restrictions
-> chat content only saved for a limited time but can be archived on the own PC
-> super-groups only necessary for hot topics
- force to cut the content shorter can be applied
- force to prevent too many sub-topics per topic can be applied (number of entries per level
can be limited)
- if the systems lacks memory it can detect topics which are not so interesting for the
community and asks everyone if it can be deleted
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part 3 - from core information to fulltext
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- create a list of desired core expressions from the database by selection or
drag&drop
- sorting of core expressions by relevance (program gives automatic hints for
a maximum of rhetoric) -> Drag&Drop or Up/Down buttons
- fulltext on the left hand side; list of core expressions on the right hand side
- core expressions are copied to the left hand side after sorting and can be
re-formulated -> words can be shifted by Drag&Drop (maybe further rhetoric
assistance)
- link to the core expressions from the database is kept for backtracking
- fulltext can be saved in all widespread formats (PDF, Word, TXT, RTF, etc.)
- applications :
- somebody wants to formulate a motion, a speech, an appeal for protest,
a brochure or other sorts of fulltext documents for himself using the
arguments form the database
-> alternative to the fulltext editor of the System : installation of resident
driver on the client's computer which copies selected core expressions from
the database to the standard text processing tool (e.g. Word, Acrobat Writer,
etc.) -> no support for fulltext formulation, no voting, no collective
processing of alternatives
- a group wants to create a fulltext collectively -> measures to vote on single
points and processing of alternatives (usage of Liquid-Feedback-like tool)