🚀 go-pugleaf

For Immediate Release   -- please repost as appropriate

Contact:  Claire MacElroy    macelroy@hooked.net       (415) 321-3802
          Marilyn Davis      marilyn@deliberate.com    (415) 493-3631

SAND HILL ROAD ONLINE MEETING AND PETITIONS

A group of Palo Alto citizens presents an online discuss-and-vote
forum for the Sand Hill Road Projects.  Located at
http://www.nanospace.com/SpeakUp/, the web site invites visitors to
join an email-list discussion where they can raise issues and set up
votes, as in a real Town Hall Meeting.  SpeakUp also allows visitors
to sign petitions for and against the proposed projects.

The site includes links to Stanford University's Sand Hill Road web
pages, which present the four projects favorably, and to the Palo Alto
Civic League's site which presents arguments against.

The first interactive site of its kind, SpeakUp empowers users to
conduct polls as well as to vote.  The polling process is embedded
into the continuing discussion and any participant can take a vote on
any issue.  The polls are all "public" meaning that there are no
secret ballots.  The list of voters and their votes is always
available, as in a show of hands in a Town Hall Meeting.

As the facts and opinions surrounding the Sand Hill Road Projects come
forward, it is expected that people will change their mind one way or
the other.  The site encourages this by facilitating the unsigning of
petitions and the changing of votes.  Only one signature or vote is
allowed per email address.  There is no formal registration process.

The meeting will be held in order by a "Rules Committee" that meets on
another email list with the same vote/poll facilities.  Visitors to
the SpeakUp site are invited to participate in the administration of
the site.

Participation is possible through the URL
http://www.nanospace.com/SpeakUp/, or by sending an e-mail message to:
SpeakUp@deliberate.com.

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:jps