How to Join the Legislation 2.0 Conversation

by: Matt Stoller

Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 18:38

(The fun starts tomorrow - promoted by Chris Bowers)

Welcome to OpenLeft. These instructions are meant for anyone participating in the weeklong 'Legislation 2.0' discussion on broadband hosted by Senator Durbin. They include instructions on how to create a free username/password on OpenLeft and how to add your own comments to the site.

Every comment on the site discussing broadband will be read this week by either Senator Durbin himself or a Durbin staffer and incorporated into the legislative process. You can find the most recent blog post on broadband policy by going here.

Matt Stoller :: How to Join the Legislation 2.0 Conversation

To be a part of the process, all you need to do is register for an account, find a blog post on the site that you want to comment on, and post your thoughts. If you have your own blog, you can be a part of the conversation by blogging your thoughts and leaving a comment here with a link to your blog post.

For those of you who don't have blogs, here are instructions for signing up for an account and adding a comment.

OpenLeft is a blog, which means that much of the content in the site is contained in blog posts written by site editors. Conversations on open left take place in the 'comments', which are user-generated pieces of content nested below blog posts. Anyone can register an account and begin posting comments to add to the discussion.

Blog posts, which are sometimes known as diaries, are used as jumping off points for discussion. Here's what a blog post looks like.

blog post.jpg

At the bottom of each post are what's called 'comments'. The number of comments in the discussion is shown at the bottom of each blog post.

To enter a discussion on the blog, you will have to register for an account. To register for an account, go to the upper right hand column under 'Menu'.

make a new account.jpg

Click on 'Make New Account'. Follow the instructions on the page. Enter your username and email address, and you will be emailed a password. If you are not emailed a password, contact PSlutsky at progressivestrategies.net for help.

With your password, login to the site. To comment on a blog post, click on the title of that blog post, and there will be a 'comment thread' at the bottom of the post. A 'comment thread' looks like this.

comment on a thread.jpg

To add your own comment, click on 'post a comment'. You will see a screen that looks like this.

post a comment.jpg

Enter a title and some content, and click 'preview'. You will then see what your comment will look like, and have the chance to edit it for any errors.

Once you are satisfied, click on the 'Post' button. Your comment will appear.