Welcome again! We have now finished the invitation process and are ready to start the Policy Argumentation Network.

The network currently has about 50 participants with diverse backgrounds in policy analysis, ranging from public administration and international organisations to business organisations, scientific institutions and e-participation facilitators. Together, we want to discuss how online software systems can be used to support the use of arguments in policy-making. We, the IMPACT partners as hosts of the network, will present work done in the IMPACT project, as well as by similar initiatives. We would like to hear from you about your experiences from day-to-day policy-making and policy-analysis and discuss what requirements emerge for software to support you in this practice. The aims of the network are thus twofold: to share information about computer-supported policy argumentation, and to link research and practice for mutual benefit.

You might view this network as a kind of online workshop: Some initial information is provided by the organisers, but the floor is open for everybody to contribute additional information, critical perspectives or issues that are relevant for the discussion. You can engage actively or sit back and listen, but sometimes we will explicitly call for contributions from all participants (see below!).

Our initial agenda for the rest of this year is as follows:

• We will start next week with an example of European policy making as a common reference: the consultation on the Green Paper on "Copyright in the Knowledge Economy" held by the EC in 2008.
• We will then present the work done in the IMPACT project in the areas of argument visualisation, policy modelling, structured consultation and argument reconstruction.
• We will ask for feedback on the requirements and design of software to support policy argumentation.
• We will show examples of tools and discuss their strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of policy practitioners.
• At the beginning of the next year, we are planning for a face-to-face meeting of network members.

But first of all, I would like to invite you to briefly introduce yourself and tell us something about your background and your expectations for this network. This would give all of us a better sense of this virtual community and the diversity of the participants. To do this, you can simply reply to this post, write a new post or you can use the profile provided by posterous. As my role is that of a facilitator, I tried to give an example here.

Furthermore, I would like to discuss the question of openness of the network. At the moment, all communication here is publicly visible, so that people interested in the topic can follow us. However, we might want to keep the interactions here more private. What is your opinion? Please tell me your view on this question - either as reply to this post or, if you prefer a more anonymous way, via e-mail.

Looking forward to your responses and comments!