InstaGov - Revision history

Woozle: /* Notes */ Links: "why I hate LiquidThreads"

2013-03-24T13:09:09Z

Notes: Links: "why I hate LiquidThreads"

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:09, 24 March 2013
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	* no record of which petitions you've signed		* no record of which petitions you've signed
	* no follow-up regarding whether petitions were successful, much less any analysis of why they failed (or succeeded)		* no follow-up regarding whether petitions were successful, much less any analysis of why they failed (or succeeded)

			==Links==
			* [http://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Extension_talk:LiquidThreads&offset=20130109095522#Why_I_hate_LiquidThreads_18606 Why I hate LiquidThreads] describes a number of problems with threaded dialogue which InstaGov should probably try to address

Woozle: /* Components */ changing name from "neural voting" to "liquid agenda"; added "liquid proxying" as a separate module

2013-01-06T16:44:47Z

Components: changing name from "neural voting" to "liquid agenda"; added "liquid proxying" as a separate module

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:44, 6 January 2013
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	** organizing issues into a hierarchical topic system to allow users to filter in or out areas in which they have no interest		** organizing issues into a hierarchical topic system to allow users to filter in or out areas in which they have no interest
	** enabling rational discussion of complex issues within a large group of people		** enabling rational discussion of complex issues within a large group of people
	===~~Components~~===		===Modules===
	* '''[[/~~Neural Voting~~]]''' manages ~~questions and possible answers~~, and records and aggregates ~~individual ratings of each answer~~		* '''[[/Liquid Agenda]]''' manages issues, solutions, and votes; records individual votes and aggregates them into final decisions
			* '''[[/Liquid Proxying]]''' allows users to select other trusted voters to help make decisions without surrendering any significant control
	* '''[[/Debate Mapper]]''' organizes and documents debate on complex issues		* '''[[/Debate Mapper]]''' organizes and documents debate on complex issues

	===Documentation===		===Documentation===
	* [[/schema]]: database design		* [[/schema]]: database design

Woozle: notes about related sites

2012-12-30T20:20:45Z

notes about related sites

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:20, 30 December 2012
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	* don't allow posting of answer identical to existing one for a given question		* don't allow posting of answer identical to existing one for a given question
	** detect similarity, though, and confirm that new answer is desired		** detect similarity, though, and confirm that new answer is desired
			==Notes==
			This page needs an index to sites that provide similar tools, and how well each one meets the design goals set by InstaGov. (Issuepedia has a partial list.)

			In general, petition sites have the following shortcomings:
			* no way to browse petitions by category (though some are beginning to add this)
			* no way to discuss petitions on-site prior to signing them (e.g. to investigate possible objections)
			* no way to discuss petitions on-site prior to making them public (e.g. to refine the language, get a sense of what people would be likely to agree with)
			* no reliable way to check if you've already signed a given petition
			* no record of which petitions you've signed
			* no follow-up regarding whether petitions were successful, much less any analysis of why they failed (or succeeded)

Woozle: reorg; smw

2012-12-30T16:03:02Z

reorg; smw

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:03, 30 December 2012
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	~~==Overview==~~		<hide>
	[[category:software/incomplete]][[InstaGov]] is software to enable groups of people, of any size, to handle relatively large numbers of collaboratively-entered decisions in a rational and accurate way.		[[page type::project]]
			[[thing type::software]]
			[[category:software/incomplete]]
			</hide>
			==About==
			[[InstaGov]] is software to enable groups of people, of any size, to handle relatively large numbers of collaboratively-entered decisions in a rational and accurate way.

	InstaGov will probably first be written as a plug-in for [[MediaWiki]]; it may later be available in other formats. It is entirely [[open source]], so others are free to adapt it to their own uses or add their own features.		InstaGov will probably first be written as a plug-in for [[MediaWiki]]; it may later be available in other formats. It is entirely [[open source]], so others are free to adapt it to their own uses or add their own features.
	~~===Pages===~~
	* [[/schema]]: database design
	* [[/concepts]]
	* [[/syntax]]: how to use it within a document
	===Purpose===		===Purpose===
	The philosophy behind its primary purpose (collaborative governance) is discussed in great detail on {{issuepedia}}, but there will probably be other uses for it as well.		The philosophy behind its primary purpose (collaborative governance) is discussed in great detail on {{issuepedia}}, but there will probably be other uses for it as well.
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	** enabling rational discussion of complex issues within a large group of people		** enabling rational discussion of complex issues within a large group of people
	===Components===		===Components===
	* '''Neural Voting''' manages questions and possible answers, and records and aggregates individual ratings of each answer		* '''[[/Neural Voting]]''' manages questions and possible answers, and records and aggregates individual ratings of each answer
	* '''Debate Mapper''' organizes and documents debate on complex issues		* '''[[/Debate Mapper]]''' organizes and documents debate on complex issues
			===Documentation===
			* [[/schema]]: database design
			* [[/concepts]]
			* [[/syntax]]: how to use it within a document
			* '''archival''':
			** [[/SMW]]: alternative implementation using [[Semantic MediaWiki]], possibly for future use
			** [[/obsolete]] stuff
	==Development Phases==		==Development Phases==
	Phases in which functionality can be added:		Phases in which functionality can be added:
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	* don't allow posting of answer identical to existing one for a given question		* don't allow posting of answer identical to existing one for a given question
	** detect similarity, though, and confirm that new answer is desired		** detect similarity, though, and confirm that new answer is desired

	~~==Notes==~~
	* [[/obsolete]] stuff

Woozle: syntax page

2011-05-12T13:55:25Z

syntax page

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:55, 12 May 2011
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	* [[/schema]]: database design		* [[/schema]]: database design
	* [[/concepts]]		* [[/concepts]]
			* [[/syntax]]: how to use it within a document
	===Purpose===		===Purpose===
	The philosophy behind its primary purpose (collaborative governance) is discussed in great detail on {{issuepedia}}, but there will probably be other uses for it as well.		The philosophy behind its primary purpose (collaborative governance) is discussed in great detail on {{issuepedia}}, but there will probably be other uses for it as well.

Woozle: /* Development Phases */ links to concepts; moved some features to "frills"

2010-09-19T23:34:36Z

Development Phases: links to concepts; moved some features to "frills"

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:34, 19 September 2010
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	Phases in which functionality can be added:		Phases in which functionality can be added:
	===Phase I===		===Phase I===
	* create question		* create {{instagov\|concepts\|question}}
	** don't allow posting of question identical to existing one		* create {{instagov\|concepts\|answer}}(s)
	*** detect similarity, though, and confirm that new question is desired
	**** ask if redirect answer should be created, perhaps?
	* create answer(s)
	** support for redirect to rephrased question		** support for redirect to rephrased question
	*** somehow prevent redirection loops?		*** somehow prevent redirection loops?
	* ~~vote on~~ answer(s)		* {{instagov\|concepts\|rating\|rate}} answer(s)
	* view results for specific question		* view results for specific question
	===Phase II===		===Phase II===
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	* show issues needing your vote		* show issues needing your vote
	===Phase III: Proxies===		===Phase III: Proxies===
	* create proxy ~~(weighted sum of other voters)~~		* create {{instagov\|concepts\|proxy}}
	* assign proxy to specific question		* assign proxy to specific question
	* view your own proxy status (who is using you, and by what weights?)		* view your own proxy status (who is using you, and by what weights?)
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	* rate question within personal category		* rate question within personal category
	* assign proxy results to category		* assign proxy results to category
			===Frills===
			These can be added whenever needed:
			* don't allow posting of question identical to existing one
			** detect similarity, though, and confirm that new question is desired
			*** ask if redirect answer should be created, perhaps?
			* don't allow posting of answer identical to existing one for a given question
			** detect similarity, though, and confirm that new answer is desired

	==Notes==		==Notes==
	* [[/obsolete]] stuff		* [[/obsolete]] stuff

Woozle: moved tables to their own subpages

2010-07-20T13:46:42Z

moved tables to their own subpages

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 InstaGov will probably first be written as a plug-in for [[MediaWiki]]; it may later be available in other formats. It is entirely [[open source]], so others are free to adapt it to their own uses or add their own features.
 ===Purpose===
 The philosophy behind its primary purpose (collaborative governance) is discussed in great detail on {{issuepedia}}, but there will probably be other uses for it as well.
@@ Line 44: / Line 47: @@
 * rate question within personal category
 * assign proxy results to category
-==Preliminary Table Design==
+==Notes==
-===question===
+* [[/obsolete]] stuff

Woozle: finished changing names (got interrupted last time, I guess)

2010-07-20T11:53:16Z

finished changing names (got interrupted last time, I guess)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:53, 20 July 2010
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	Not sure if we'll actually need Pos/Neg_Text; it may be just a frill.		Not sure if we'll actually need Pos/Neg_Text; it may be just a frill.
	===answer===		===answer===
			====Rules====
	Any question may have zero or more answers. New answers can be added at any time.		Any question may have zero or more answers. New answers can be added at any time.
	<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `~~solution~~` (		====Notes====
			"WhenExpires" field: same applies as in "question" table.
			====SQL====
			<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `answer` (
	`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,		`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
	`ID_Question` INT NO NULL COMMENT "~~problem~~.ID ~~of problem~~ for which this is ~~a solution~~",		`ID_Question` INT NO NULL COMMENT "question.ID for which this is an answer",
	`Page` varchar(127) COMMENT "wiki page describing ~~solution~~",		`Page` varchar(127) COMMENT "wiki page describing answer",
	`WhenCreated` DATETIME NOT NULL COMMENT "when this ~~solution~~ was entered",		`WhenCreated` DATETIME NOT NULL COMMENT "when this answer was entered",
	~~`WhenExpires` DATETIME DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "when this solution expires (NULL = never)~~",
	`Pos_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: text to show at the 'yes' end of the scale (overrides question default)",		`Pos_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: text to show at the 'yes' end of the scale (overrides question default)",
	`Neg_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: text to show at the 'no' end of the scale (overrides question default)",		`Neg_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: text to show at the 'no' end of the scale (overrides question default)",
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	===rating===		===rating===
	Records each user's current rating of each proposed solution.		Records each user's current rating of each proposed solution.
	<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `~~approval~~` (		<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `rating` (
	`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,		`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
	`ID_User` INT COMMENT "user.ID who gave this rating",		`ID_User` INT COMMENT "user.ID who gave this rating",

Woozle: more explanation; components

2010-07-17T00:51:32Z

more explanation; components

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:51, 17 July 2010
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	==Overview==		==Overview==
	[[category:software/incomplete]][[InstaGov]] is software to ~~aid very~~ large ~~groups~~ in ~~the process of decisionmaking~~ and ~~evaluating~~ a ~~large number of items which~~ are ~~entered into the system collaboratively~~. The philosophy behind its primary purpose (collaborative governance) is discussed in great detail on {{issuepedia}}, but there will probably be other uses for it as well.		[[category:software/incomplete]][[InstaGov]] is software to enable groups of people, of any size, to handle relatively large numbers of collaboratively-entered decisions in a rational and accurate way.

			InstaGov will probably first be written as a plug-in for [[MediaWiki]]; it may later be available in other formats. It is entirely [[open source]], so others are free to adapt it to their own uses or add their own features.
			===Purpose===
			The philosophy behind its primary purpose (collaborative governance) is discussed in great detail on {{issuepedia}}, but there will probably be other uses for it as well.

	InstaGov has two primary functions:		InstaGov has two primary functions:
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	** aggregating individual rankings to determine which issues should be propagated to more people and which should be allowed to die out		** aggregating individual rankings to determine which issues should be propagated to more people and which should be allowed to die out
	** organizing issues into a hierarchical topic system to allow users to filter in or out areas in which they have no interest		** organizing issues into a hierarchical topic system to allow users to filter in or out areas in which they have no interest
			** enabling rational discussion of complex issues within a large group of people
	~~InstaGov will probably first be written as a plug-in for [[MediaWiki]]; it may later be available in other formats. It is entirely [[open source]]~~, ~~so others are free to adapt it to their own uses or add their own features.~~		===Components===
			* '''Neural Voting''' manages questions and possible answers, and records and aggregates individual ratings of each answer
			* '''Debate Mapper''' organizes and documents debate on complex issues
	==Development Phases==		==Development Phases==
	Phases in which functionality can be added:		Phases in which functionality can be added:

Woozle: notes from notebook

2010-07-17T00:04:10Z

notes from notebook

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:04, 17 July 2010
Line 9:		Line 9:

	InstaGov will probably first be written as a plug-in for [[MediaWiki]]; it may later be available in other formats. It is entirely [[open source]], so others are free to adapt it to their own uses or add their own features.		InstaGov will probably first be written as a plug-in for [[MediaWiki]]; it may later be available in other formats. It is entirely [[open source]], so others are free to adapt it to their own uses or add their own features.
			==Development Phases==
			Phases in which functionality can be added:
			===Phase I===
			* create question
			** don't allow posting of question identical to existing one
			*** detect similarity, though, and confirm that new question is desired
			**** ask if redirect answer should be created, perhaps?
			* create answer(s)
			** support for redirect to rephrased question
			*** somehow prevent redirection loops?
			* vote on answer(s)
			* view results for specific question
			===Phase II===
			* list all questions (may arise naturally in Phase I)
			* show your status for each (created, voted)
			* show general stats for each (current favored answer, summed rating)
			* show issues needing your vote
			===Phase III: Proxies===
			* create proxy (weighted sum of other voters)
			* assign proxy to specific question
			* view your own proxy status (who is using you, and by what weights?)
			* ongoing question - should there be options for:
			** private (anonymous) proxy - nobody can see who they are using
			** secret proxy - existence of your proxy weighting is totally concealed
			===Phase IV: Categories===
			* create category (general or personal)
			* vote question into general category
			* rate question within personal category
			* assign proxy results to category
	==Preliminary Table Design==		==Preliminary Table Design==
	===~~problem~~===		===question===
	<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `~~problem~~` (		I originally had a "WhenExpires" field as a way of making a decision at a specific time, but I decided that this belongs in a separate table (something like "decision point"). Timetable functionality feels "tacked-on", and putting it in a separate table allows keeping that feature from becoming entangled with basic voting. We might want to be able to implement, say, more than one decision-point per question.
			<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `question` (
	`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,		`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
	`Page` varchar(127) COMMENT "wiki page describing ~~problem~~",		`Page` varchar(127) COMMENT "wiki page describing question",
	`WhenCreated` DATETIME NOT NULL COMMENT "when this ~~problem~~ was entered",		`WhenCreated` DATETIME NOT NULL COMMENT "when this question was entered",
	~~`WhenExpires` DATETIME DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "when this problem expires (NULL = never)~~",		`Pos_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: default text to show at the 'yes' end of the scale",
	`Pos_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: text to show at the 'yes' end of the scale",		`Neg_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: default text to show at the 'no' end of the scale",
	`Neg_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: text to show at the 'no' end of the scale",
	PRIMARY KEY(`ID`)		PRIMARY KEY(`ID`)
	)		)
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	<section end=sql />		<section end=sql />
	Not sure if we'll actually need Pos/Neg_Text; it may be just a frill.		Not sure if we'll actually need Pos/Neg_Text; it may be just a frill.
	===~~solution~~===		===answer===
	Any ~~problem~~ may have zero or more ~~solutions~~. ~~Solutions~~ can be ~~proposed as long as the problem is active (not expired)~~.		Any question may have zero or more answers. New answers can be added at any time.
	<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `solution` (		<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `solution` (
	`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,		`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
	`~~ID_Problem~~` INT NO NULL COMMENT "problem.ID of problem for which this is a solution",		`ID_Question` INT NO NULL COMMENT "problem.ID of problem for which this is a solution",
	`Page` varchar(127) COMMENT "wiki page describing solution",		`Page` varchar(127) COMMENT "wiki page describing solution",
	`WhenCreated` DATETIME NOT NULL COMMENT "when this solution was entered",		`WhenCreated` DATETIME NOT NULL COMMENT "when this solution was entered",
	`WhenExpires` DATETIME DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "when this solution expires (NULL = never)",		`WhenExpires` DATETIME DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "when this solution expires (NULL = never)",
			`Pos_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: text to show at the 'yes' end of the scale (overrides question default)",
			`Neg_Text` VARCHAR(63) DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "optional: text to show at the 'no' end of the scale (overrides question default)",
	PRIMARY KEY(`ID`)		PRIMARY KEY(`ID`)
	)		)
	ENGINE = MYISAM;</mysql>		ENGINE = MYISAM;</mysql>
	<section end=sql />		<section end=sql />
	===~~approval~~===		===rating===
	Records each user's current ~~level of approval~~ of each proposed solution.		Records each user's current rating of each proposed solution.
	<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `approval` (		<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `approval` (
	`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,		`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
	`ID_User` INT COMMENT "user.ID ~~of user~~ who gave this rating",		`ID_User` INT COMMENT "user.ID who gave this rating",
	`~~ID_Solution~~` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "~~solution~~.ID ~~of solution~~ for which this is a rating",		`ID_Answer` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "answer.ID for which this is a rating",
	`ID_Proxy` INT DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "if this approval was proxied, records ~~who the~~ proxy was",		`ID_Log` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "ID of log event which posted this value",
			`ID_Proxy` INT DEFAULT NULL COMMENT "if this approval was proxied, records which proxy was used",
	`Value` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "rating value",		`Value` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "rating value",
	`WhenDone` DATETIME NOT NULL COMMENT "when this rating was posted",		`WhenDone` DATETIME NOT NULL COMMENT "when this rating was posted",
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	<section end=sql />		<section end=sql />
	* '''Proxy approval''' is a concept I keep coming back to. Rather than trying to prevent vote-buying by secret ballots, which cause their own problems (make recounting more difficult, inhibits discussion of personal voting record), it goes exactly the opposite direction and encourages them while ''documenting'' every occurrence for further analysis.		* '''Proxy approval''' is a concept I keep coming back to. Rather than trying to prevent vote-buying by secret ballots, which cause their own problems (make recounting more difficult, inhibits discussion of personal voting record), it goes exactly the opposite direction and encourages them while ''documenting'' every occurrence for further analysis.
	===~~approval~~ log===		===rating log===
	Records every time a user submits ~~an approval~~ rating, including revisions.		Records every time a user submits a rating, including revisions.
	<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `~~approval_log~~` (		<section begin=sql /><mysql>CREATE TABLE `rating_log` (
	`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,		`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
	`~~ID_Approval~~` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "~~approval~~.ID ~~of approval~~ to which this rating was applied",		`ID_Answer` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "answer.ID for which this is a rating",
			`ID_Rating` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "rating.ID to which this rating was applied",
	`ID_User` INT COMMENT "user.ID of user who gave this rating",		`ID_User` INT COMMENT "user.ID of user who gave this rating",
	`ID_Solution` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "solution.ID of solution for which this is a rating",		`ID_Solution` INT NOT NULL COMMENT "solution.ID of solution for which this is a rating",
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	ENGINE = MYISAM;</mysql>		ENGINE = MYISAM;</mysql>
	<section end=sql />		<section end=sql />
			==Abandoned==
			This looks like it has been superseded by the category system.
	===escalation===		===escalation===
	This is for escalating '''problems'''; '''solutions''' are escalated solely by their approval ratings rather than via a separate mechanism.		This is for escalating '''problems'''; '''solutions''' are escalated solely by their approval ratings rather than via a separate mechanism.