Using the online tool pol.is to help XR deliberations
Pol.is is an AI-powered conversation platform used by groups, organisations and authorities around the world to inform decision-making.
Polis works by creating a “conversation” that participants engage with by adding their opinions and voting on the opinions of others.
Vote: Vote on other people's statements (select agree, disagree or pass/unsure).
Join in: If you want to add to the conversation, submit your opinion for others to vote on it.
Share: Share the link to this virtual conversation with other XR friends and supporters.
Click below to participate in the demo survey set up for the Future Democracy site
https://tiny.cc/XRpolis
You can also visualise clusters of different opinion groups - see this page for more information on the visualisation https://docs.pol.is/visualization/
The instance of Polis being used here is courtesy of vTaiwan. If XR wishes to create a new conversation contact the Polis team. Alternatively the open source code is available here: https://github.com/pol-is
Andy Paice Fri 6 Sep 2019 5:16PM
Hi Indra. I just copied and pasted that definition from participedia as a place holder. it's much more than that.
It's a co-created mass survey that can give birth to new ideas. It can surface new ways forward.
Have you really engaged with it and read up on what it does?
The Alternative UK Fri 6 Sep 2019 6:27PM
No.. I’m just reacting to my first entry points. I found it hard to push on.
But I will - precisely because your advocating - but many won’t.
Later ++
Sam Weller Sat 7 Sep 2019 10:46AM
I am really interested in it’s value as a tool explicitly used for feedback integration because of its ability to make that process an evolving one. By its ability to capture new statements and feed those in to the integration process it can liberate it from centrally determined framing, capturing drift away from a proposed focus to newly emerging territory, for instance.
lizbarry Tue 10 Sep 2019 1:50PM
Pol.is is a wiki-survey, or a deliberative poll. It's particularly useful for opinion clustering -- attitudes, emotions, feelings, preferences, values -- as the 2nd part of a "facts, feelings, ideas, decisions" (ORID) process. This is where Pol.is shines. It can also be used "Town Hall style" where anyone can write in with any concern, and everyone else can express if they agree/disagree/or pass. This method of using it, however, results in an "everything and the kitchen sink" set of issues. Developing a "coherent, blended, rational volition" (ref Audrey Tang) of a group of people to address any one of those issues would require, as one approach, returning to the ORID method I described above.
Pol.is is not an answer in-and-of itself -- it requires the crafting of an appropriate prompt question, the phrasing of seed statements, outreach for participation, facilitation, and moderation. in the case of vTaiwan, it is embedded in a binding* process of citizen input into national policy.
My background is that I've worked with the g0v, vTaiwan, and Polis crews since 2014, wrote in 2016, ran a training with the Digital Minister of Taiwan in NYC in 2018 that was attended by NYC's government agency "participation officers" and has already resulted in a successful case study in New York City.
Andy Paice Tue 10 Sep 2019 4:11PM
Hi Liz. Thanks so much for the detailed info. Great to have you here with all the experience you've had using Polis. Yes your comment that "Pol.is is not an answer in-and-of itself" is really important. I've used Polis at a local govt level in London and it brings up very rich data and insights. Would be great to have a chat with you!
The Alternative UK Tue 10 Sep 2019 10:38PM
Liz, would you join our XR FDH advisory group? I think we'd all benefit from hearing your experience and insights on this. Our plan is to meet once a month on Zoom - or more if we decide
lizbarry Wed 11 Sep 2019 2:10PM
yes i would join, thanks! Interested in learning more about the structure of the group as well <3
Bob Bollen Fri 13 Sep 2019 1:42PM
@andypaice Hi Andy, I wonder if there's 5-9 min video you could share that introduces pol.is to a wider audience? All the best. Bob
Andy Paice Thu 19 Sep 2019 12:11PM
@bobbollen Hi Bob! Unfortunately there aren't loads but here's one that gives a taster of what Pol.is does https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-dNndfEM98
The Alternative UK · Fri 6 Sep 2019 5:02PM
Hi Andy.
I think you may have hit in the problem I’m seeing: it’s a tool for feedback.
It’s not a tool for generating our collective democratic imagination. We remain reactive, not pro-active.
Does that make sense?
++