Mississauga Musings

In the bizarre world that is Mississauga muncipal governance, allow me to share the latest in Cripes-there's-not-even-a-word-for-this.

Ready?

Anyone else had it with the "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" half-million dollar HypeFest? Quel Shovelling It.

So I surfed to their "Our Future Mississauga --Be Part of the Conversation" website and planned on dumping one heck of a "conversation" on their doorstep.

That's when I discovered --get this., that the "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" website doesn't allow people to be part of the conversation! I looked everywhere at their "Let's Hear Your Voice Join the Discussion Forum". Get this --it wouldn't let me join the discussion because there wasn't a feedback button!

No opportunity for public input --only this.

"Let's continue the conversation! Watch this space soon for upcoming online discussions about our Strategic Plan. Each week, beginning in July, a new question will be posted for discussion. Join in with fellow residents and community members as we keep the conversation about our future going!"

Yes, although the Community Engagement Visioning Charrette held waaaaaay back in February invited us to be part of the conversation, they're only getting around to allowing us "beginning in July". Yep, July.

(HEY BIG YELLOW! You mean the July before the August between the June and September when most people are away, like, on vacation?! You want us to Join the Discussion THEN?! Isn't the only deader public input time the week before Christmas?)

And get this.

What kind of "conversation" do the "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" encourage? Issues that Mississaugans really --like, spontaneously, want to talk about? Nope. The online "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" "conversation" is restricted a "new question [that] will be posted for discussion".

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... like, so totally Mississauga, ya know?

And you can bet one of the questions won't be, "How can Mississauga address its current Pan-Ontario Accountablity-Crisis?"

Imagine. No feedback button.

Get this. I even emailed the Our Future Mississauga people asking them where they put their online public-input-clickie-Join-the-Conversation-button because I couldn't find it!

Check this out. First me.

Subject: Our Future Mississauga website --Where can people leave comments?
To: public.info@mississauga.ca
Cc: mississauga_watch@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, June 27, 2008, 2:06 AM

Hi there,

I just went to the Our Future Mississauga website at:

http://www.conversation21.ca/index.html

to leave a comment. I clicked on every single link and simply couldn't
find a place for a citizen to "Join the Conversation".

Can you tell me where on the www.conversation21.ca website, there's a place
for people to communicate to the City strategic plan people?

Thanks,
MISSISSAUGAWATCH

Now they'd never admit that their "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" website didn't have an online public-input-clickie-Join-the-Conversation-button sooooooooooooooooo....

Here's what I got back.

From: Public Info
Subject: Re: Our Future Mississauga website --Where can people leave comments?
To: mississauga_watch@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, June 27, 2008, 3:18 AM

Hello,

Thank you for your e-mail to the City of Mississauga.

Please view the link below: Stay Connected to the Conversation

http://www.conversation21.ca/stayconnected.html

Sincerely,

Customer Service
Corporate Services Department
City of Mississauga
905-896-5000

Yep, as expected, I got mississauga'd by the Mississauga Corporate Services Department. To help me find online public-input-clickie-Join-the-Conversation-button they sent me right back to the place that I told them didn't have an online public-input-clickie-Join-the-Conversation-button.

Soooooooooooooo *SIGH*, I wrote back and asked my same question again knowing that even on a repeat-the-question, they'd never admit that their "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" website didn't have an online public-input-clickie-Join-the-Conversation-button.

I dangled the wriggly fat dewy worm....

From: MISSISSAUGA WATCH
Subject: Re: Our Future Mississauga website --Where can people leave comments?
To: "Public Info"
Date: Friday, June 27, 2008, 2:54 PM

Hi there. I already viewed the link "Stay Connected to the Conversation". That isn't for me to leave comments.

Allow me to ask my question (below) again.

Can you tell me where on the www.conversation21.ca website, there's a place for people to communicate to the City strategic plan people?

"communicate TO" not "from".

Thanks.

And there STILL wasn't an admission that the "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" website didn't have an online public-input-clickie-Join-the-Conversation-button.

Just a Corporate Services Department cut-and-paste from, well guess where.

From: Public Info
Subject: Re: Our Future Mississauga website --Where can people leave comments?
To: mississauga_watch@yahoo.com
Date: Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 4:41 AM

Hello MISSISSAUGA WATCH

Thank you for your e-mail to the City of Mississauga.

The www.conversation21.ca website has a section "Lets Hear Your Voice". Each month, beginning in July there will be the opportunity to share your opinion on listed topics. This resident input will be collected and discussed for potential inclusion in general planning.

Sincerely,

Customer Service
Corporate Services Department
City of Mississauga
905-896-5000

Yep, they didn't answer my question the second time either. The truth is, there is no place for people to leave comments and be part of the "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" conversation!

And that, Mississauga Boys and Girls, tells you everything you need to know about your "Our Future Mississauga Conversation for the 21st Century" City Hall.

So what's the answer?...

FOR CITIZENS THIRSTING FOR REAL CONVERSATION... YOUR TORONTO STAR

Democracy is finally showing up --just not in our city halls or at Queen's Park.

Like our own MissyNews, the Toronto Star is now giving us-citizens a Voice. And a pretty big one at that. Imagine --citizen access to a national newspaper. We can comment on their articles and news stories!

Oh, there'll be lots of venting and rhetoric by commenters (I've already been active). But the Toronto Star is also giving us-citizens the opportunity to INFORM in a way that the traditional media can't.

So see you over at the Toronto Star.

And here's the cut-and-paste details --courtesy, TorStar.

Want to talk about the news?

Jul 05, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (2)
Kathy English

For as long as newspapers have existed, people have talked about the news.

We discuss world events at our dinner tables, chat about the nation's business in coffee shops, share our outrage with neighbours over the goings-on of local government. And now, you can also talk about the news with a community of Star readers at this newspaper's website, thestar.com.

This week, the Star launched online commenting, allowing readers to respond almost instantly to the news reports, columns, editorials and reviews published in the paper and online. This came just in time for lively discussion on one of the most controversial news events this week – the appointment of abortion activist Dr. Henry Morgentaler to the Order of Canada.

In one afternoon alone, almost 90 readers weighed in online with their varied, sometimes vitriolic, views on Morgentaler, abortion, the Order of Canada and the Catholic church, a far greater representation of reader participation than the dozen or so letters to the editor on this subject published this week.

This is journalism in the Internet age, a new era of interactivity in which news can now be a multi-way, community conversation enabled by the most revolutionary communications medium of our lifetime thus far.

"News has always wanted to be a conversation but we've always worked in a one-way medium," says Jeff Jarvis, director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York "This is the first time we've truly had a two-way medium and we're still trying to figure it all out."

Indeed we are. As traditional news organizations such as the Star migrate online to serve the needs of online readers who've overwhelmingly embraced multi-way web communication, our challenge is to move forward in a manner consistent with this paper's long-standing commitment to quality journalism, public service and civil public discourse.

Online commenting is a means of further engaging Star readers in the news and of fostering communities of interest. "It all helps the Star better reflect the diversity of experience, attitudes and opinions that exist in our communities," says Neil Sanderson, assistant managing editor, digital.

This revolution isn't entirely comfortable for some who've long worked within the traditions of mainstream media. When Sanderson announced the launch in an email to Star editorial staff, one columnist fired back with this comment: "Why are we soliciting more reader comment? We're the reporters; they're the READERS."

That was certainly once so. But, those days are seemingly gone. To survive and thrive, it's clear news organizations must redefine journalism and understand Jarvis's view that, "in this new medium that the audience owns, it's about ... the people finally having a voice."

That internal memo touched off a rapid-fire online email discussion, in which more than a dozen Star journalists weighed in with their views, with the entire exchange sounding much like the sort of smart, spirited conversation online commenting encourages.

"I have no trouble with comments. That's the age we're in and many of our readers have useful comments and ideas," responded another columnist, adding that he hopes comments will be on topic and not become "a forum for easy name-calling and insults."

Indeed, just as democracy demands public discourse about the news, it also depends on a strong measure of public civility in that conversation. To that end, the Star has moved quite cautiously compared to other North American newspapers in launching online commenting. We don't want online conversation to turn into a rude, nasty free-for-all.

All comments must be approved by a moderator before publication and all commenters must register with a valid email address and user name. Though we are hardly alone in permitting pseudonyms, I would prefer the Star demand real names, but that's a difficult undertaking online.

Moderators have been trained to recognize more than a dozen legal and ethical issues, outlined in a 47-page manual. They will reject comments that are libellous, racist, sexist or any form of "hate speech." Comments containing profane or abusive language will not be published, nor will vicious personal attacks against individuals. Consistent with other news websites, the Star does not edit comments for spelling or grammar.

Is this the right approach to engage you in the news? This column is open for comments so log on to thestar.com/kathyenglish and let's talk.

publiced@thestar.ca

And Kathy English means talk-talk and not MississaugaSpeak.

Signed,
The (Edward R. Murrow would be pleased with the Toronto Star) Mississauga Muse
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"Big Brother has his hand firmly planted in our back pocket – government revenues his lifeline; unaccountability his refuge." (Andre Marin, Ontario Ombudsman --June 27, 2007)

"We must employ every possible tactic to dissuade those who try to silence us with fear" ---The Mississauga News Editorial (2007-03-24)

[UPDATE: June 30, 2008. Today we launched a Mississauga Musings mirror-site at mississaugawatch.ca.]