© 2009 Intellitics, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Last updated: December 3, 2009
ParticipateDB is a collaborative catalogue for online tools for participation (often referred to as tools for web-based engagement, online participation, e-participation, e-consultation, online dialogue, online deliberation etc.).
Our goal is to build a comprehensive directory that allows people to easily share, discover, explore and compare the tools available today and how they can best be applied.
ParticipateDB has been around for 176 days and currently boasts 125 tools, 133 projects and 56 references, joined by a total of 301 associations. The site is maintained by 28 contributors.
ParticipateDB is brought to you by Intellitics, Inc., an early-stage startup in the e-participation space based in San Jose, CA (USA).
ParticipateDB is a non-commercial initiative serving the public good. Our hope is to establish ParticipateDB as one of the premier community-driven resources in this field. The site will be free for anyone to use. There are no plans at this point to make any money off of it (aside maybe from a little swag here and there). We believe that the site has the potential to create a lot of value and is sure to reward its contributors in many, albeit non-monetary, ways.
Sorry, we don't have a media kit ready yet. This FAQ should be a good starting point, though. If you plan to write about ParticipateDB, feel free to give us a heads-up and we'll answer any additional questions you may have. There's a number of ways you can contact us.
As of November 2009, the site is still in closed alpha. Over the coming months, we'll gradually open up to the public. The switch from alpha to beta should happen later this Fall.
Because ParticipateDB is still in closed alpha you need an invite to get in (contact us if you're interested). Eventually, the site will be open for anyone to join and add content.
We're still finalizing the details but our intention is to make all content freely available and open for easy re-use and sharing (most likely, some kind of Creative Commons license will apply).
Apologies, we're currently still working on those two important documents. Needless to say, we strive to protect our users' personal information and would never do anything harmful.
No. ParticipateDB aims to collect tools and projects from around the world, not just the U.S. (if you browse the seed content you can see it's already slightly international). We especially look forward to seeing contributions from non-English speaking countries.
For the time being, we will define tools fairly broadly as any kind of information and communication technology (ICT) that is being used in or being developed for the purpose of public participation. We expect the majority of entries to be web-based services of some sort but don't want to exclude other interesting approaches to e-participation.
A project is usually defined as a temporary endeavor (meaning it has a defined beginning and end) undertaken to create a unique product or service. In the case of public participation, this could include certain deliverables informing the decision making process and, ultimately, the decision itself.
For the time being, however, we will include examples of ongoing participation efforts as well (often called programs). We'll worry about proper categorizations later.
A reference to us is any kind of related information on the web that can provide more context and detail to any of the tools and projects covered on ParticipateDB. For example, this may include but is not limited to: product brochures, white papers, video tutorials, any kind of research, case studies, or interviews.
We like how James L. Creighton defines public participation:
Public participation is the process by which an organization consults with interested or affected individuals, organizations, and government entities before making a decision. Public participation is two-way communication and collaborative problem solving with the goal of achieving better and more acceptable decisions. Public participation prevents or minimizes disputes by creating a process for resolving issues before they become polarized. Other terms sometimes used are "public involvement," "community involvement," or "stakeholder involvement."
We realize there are many overlapping definitions, and public participation is only one of the terms that are frequently used to describe similar things.
Great question! We find helpful what the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) has defined as their Spectrum of Public Participation (PDF, 624KB), which defines five interrelated levels of public participation:
This is not to say that other ways of looking at the world aren't relevant (far from it), but if your tool or project involves any of the above it's likely that it deserves its place on ParticipateDB. And if in doubt, we'll probably still want to add it anyway (for now, at least).
Not really. Lucky for us, there is a healthy ecosystem of people and organizations who care about public participation. A number of online resources already exist that capture knowledge about public participation work in the U.S., in Europe and elsewhere -- each from slightly different angles, each with a slightly different focus. Increasingly, their materials include information about online tools. ParticipateDB is not in the business of replicating any of the work that has gone into creating these in-depth resources. Instead, ParticipateDB will simply link to these references whenever possible. ParticipateDB's main focus is to document:
For the most part, we expect any detailed analysis beyond these basics to occur elsewhere on the web.
The idea for ParticipateDB grew out of many conversations with people in this field at various conferences and events over the past couple of years. As the interest in online tools continues to grow, the need for an online resource like this one was commonly expressed.
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Can't see your question? Not happy with the answers? Just contact us and we'll get back to you. Thanks!
© 2009 Intellitics, Inc. All rights reserved.