Abstract
ABSTRACT In 2004, three organizations in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, embarked on an experiment in using the Internet to encourage public debate and civic engagement. They hoped that by sponsoring a series of online candidate debates using Web logs, or “blogs,” they could develop a new mechanism for political discussion that could provide benefits for voters, for candidates, and for the campaign process. This article describes the planning and execution of the online debates. It discusses a variety of indicators that were used to gauge the impact of the debates, including data gathered from the Internet using server analytic software, the results of an online survey, and interviews with candidates. Both candidates and voters saw benefits to the blog format, and there were indications that the blog format could enrich and improve local political discourse. Suggestions are made for future implementation of online debates.
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