Registering

To participate you need to register first. It is simple. Basically you just click on the sign-in link, fill out the form for first time users, and submit. The information will then be sent to our server which will, within seconds, automatically send a confirming email to the email address you supplied on the form. You will need to reply (just hit reply and then send, you don't need to write anything) to the confirming email to complete the registration process. Note that if you have already registered for other ActionForums you do not need to register again--just sign on. Your replying to the email confirms to us that you are a legitimate user. If you do not want to receive any email at the email address you supplied us, be sure to uncheck the box granting permission to send ActionForum.com or sponsoring organization email to that email address. For more information on email use see the section on email below. You will need to remember the email address and password to sign in. Please note that the password and email address is case sensitive and must be entered exactly as you did when you registered. If you want your computer to remember your email address and password you must check the box while registering or signing-in. Our server will then put a permanent cookie on your machine for verification purposes. If you do not select automatic sign-in, a temporary cookie is put on your machine each time you sign in for verification purposes. The temporary cookie remains in use until you log-out. When filling out the form for registering you will be asked for your name and occupation. This will be used in your signature, which is attached to the end of your comments and replies. While ActionForum.com strongly recommends that you use your real name and not an alias, the sponsoring organization has the final word. The Public Sector Web Professionals , sponsor of the Berkeley Public Community Forum, strongly recommends that you use your real name, but realizes that in some instances an alias may be warranted to facilitate open and candid discussion. Note that each individual may register only once and may participate under only one name.

Who may participate

All are welcome to participate.

On Writing Comments and Replies...

To post a comment click on the "Submit Your Own Comment" button, just under the ActionForum arrow. To write a reply to a comment, just click on the Write Reply link under the comment you want to reply to. In order to focus the forum on issues, replies to replies are not supported. Comments and replies that you submit will not be posted until you are registered and signed in. The server will store the comment or reply for a short time and then post the comment or reply after you have completed registering or signing in. Comments submitted by people already signed in are posted immediately. Many people write their comments using a word processing program and then paste their comment into the ActionForum comment form. This way, if they decide to change their comment, they will not have to retype the whole comment (see "On Changing Your Mind" below). However, some automatic formatting subprograms and some older word processing programs will not be recognized.

On Rating a Comment or reply, Why it is Important

ActionForums rely on participants to establish the order of comments and to give feedback on comments. You do this by indicating how important you feel a comment is and whether or not you agree with it. If only a few people rate comments, then the forum will not adequately represent the community and the forum will not achieve its potential of bringing a community together exploring the different possibilities open to the community

Change your mind?

It is a fact of life: people change their mind. It happens for many reasons: Time passes and things become less important, people decide to support a compromise position, or upon more reflection they just change their mind. ActionForum acknowledges this by allowing you to change your ratings and to withdraw you comments. When you sign-in, ActionForum will display your previous ratings of comments and replies. To change them, simply click on your new rating and hit the submit button. ActionForum's server will recalculate the rankings and display the adjusted results automatically. If you want to change a comment you have written, sign-in, find the comment, and look at the bottom of the comment. You will find a link that says "Withdraw Comment?". If you clink on that link with will be taken to a page that asks if you want to withdraw your comment. If you click yes the comment will be withdrawn. If nobody has replied to the comment, the comment completely disappears. If there are replies, your comment is still withdrawn, and in its place is put that the comment is withdrawn along with your signature. The replies are left there. Only a person writing a comment or reply may withdraw it. Of course you may write a new comment if you wish.

Privacy and Intellectual Property Agreements

The ActionForum "Public Records Policy Forum" is a joint effort of ActionForum.com and the Association of Public Sector Web Professionals (PSWP).

Privacy Policy

Your ActionForum.com signature -- your name, occupation, and city of residence -- will appear on every ActionForum comment you make. It is therefore public information. ActionForum.com will not share your individual comment ratings with anyone. ActionForum.com and PSWP will not share your other personal information, such as your email address with third parties except with your permission. ActionForum.com will report aggregate information, as the average rating of each comment. ActionForum.com may solicit your participation in an email list on the main page of a forum or on the registration page for the forum. If you agree to participate, ActionForum.com may provide PSWP with your email address only, and ActionForum.com or PSWP may periodically send e-mails to Public Records Policy Forum users to update them on activities. Any user may remove themselves from such e-mail lists at any time. Instructions for removal will appear in every email. We expect e-mail to be a crucial organizing tool, but will do our best to respect your time and attention.

Intellectual Property Agreement

A user posting material represents that such material is owned by the user, or used with permission of the copyright holder. ActionForum.com and PSWP acknowledge that each user owns the material he or she creates and posts on the Public Records Policy Forum. Each user grants to ActionForum.com and PSWP a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive license to reproduce, transmit, modify, authorize the downloading of, and otherwise publish such material (in whole or part) in any form, medium, or technology now known or as may be later developed, only as part of and in the context of the ActionForum format, and as part of compilations provided to PSWP. The user also grants PSWP the right to use the material for educational and policy formation purposes, and as part of compilations provided to public officials to inform public process.