[Ag Meinungsfindungstool] Classifying the tools

[Michael Allan <mike AT zelea.com>]

Hi Marc,

> Decision-Making (Willensbildung) as the overall social and political
> process could be devided into to following areas:
>
> 1) Information Gathering
> 
> 2) Opinion-Forming
> 2.1) brainstorming
> 2.2) discussion
> 
> 3) Decision Forming
> 3.1) voting

I agree with Thomas that voting can be useful in opinion formation.
Also drafting.  I added those, and made some minor clarifications:
http://meinungsfindungstool.piratenpad.de/Decision-Making-Standard

Please correct me where I'm wrong.

> My intention is to classify the tools - not data, information,
> people or discussions. So it's more about the question "What's that
> tool for?" that's to be answered. And to be able to classify tools,
> we need some kind of schema, I think.

Technically I think Votorola fits here (for reasons i to iv):

  2) Opinion-Forming

     * Discussion / position forming

          (i) Structural backbone to enable large-scale discussion
         (ii) Difference bridging to rationalize discussion

     * Expression of opinion content, as by drafting

        (iii) Recombinant text for freedom of expression

     * Discovery and expression of opinion form/shape, as by polling
       or voting

         (iv) Votespace to show macro/micro-structure of consensus and
              dissensus, as they form.

But definitely not here:

  3) Decision Forming

Votorola expresses no formal decisions and was not really designed for
that purpose.  Formal decisions tend to be closely connected with
power (force and threat of force), and I think opinion formation ought
to be free of that.  I agree with Daniel on this point.

But these are just my own views.  Hopefully we can still interconnect
tools and projects to *some* degree, despite differences.

Michael