YourConstituencyMailingList

Tweaks Currently Up For Discussion

Include links to recent discussions on the homepage (and analyse with conversion tracking)

Things We Learned

MPs are worse than average net users are clicking confirmation emails. Worth building systems so they don't have to.

Significant changes log

18/05/2006 - Deployed feature which enables MPs' to write messages in a browser window, and so bypass the confirmation process that requires us to cut and paste messages.

Your Constituency Mailing List

Summary A site that encourages and enables MPs to run email lists for their constituents, and to allow those constituents to discuss ideas in a way which doesn't bombard them with email.

Mailing List Signup

http://www.mysociety.org/mailman/listinfo/mysociety-ycml

Project Wiki structure

The User's View
1) User enters postcode (zipcode) & email address.
2) Site IDs their MP.
3) If their MP is already using a mailing list, they are added. If not, they are added to a 'waiting list' database. The MP is email notified when 10, 50, 100, 500 users have signed up as interested.
4) MPs are allowed to post simply by emailing a secure address (i.e. ds78fd78gfd@mpmail.invalid). Their email goes to an announcement list.
5) Reply to all is disabled - BUT every email they send has a custom URL at the bottom. It links to an auto-created forum thread where the first post is a copy of the email. Then anyone can respond via the forum thread.

Definite Features

Gentle nagging system to keep MPs reminded that they have constituents waiting.
Threads to allow discussion in a form which doesn't suffer from the problems of traditional open mailing lists.

To Be Decided in Development

At what threshold does an MP get an email?
Is registration necessary to post?
How is moderation arranged?
Who can we get to launch this?
Could the technology be used more widely than just MPs - other analagous situations may want the same tech.
What other forms of access will be possible (i.e. RSS)

Champions TBD

Core Developer(s)

To Be Decided - Please approach us if interested - core@mySociety.org

Volunteers

Please submit yourself here if you want, or email volunteers@mySociety.org

Ben Fullerton (developer) - benf@livework.co.uk

Matt Pusey (HTML/CSS/PHP/donkeywork) - mysociety@mattrix.plus.net

Chris Brody (HTML/CSS/JS, design) - mysociety@cbrody.com

Budget

TBD

Timescales

TBD

Suggestions

Sounds like a great idea. I think there should be an easy way for MPs to link the system with their website, so that they can have a signup form and list of previous postings integrated with their website. After all, the MPs most likely to use this service will probably already have some kind of website. (I mean more than just an RSS feed, as I would have thought most MPs won't have a webdeveloper capable of using one) - Matt Pusey

Very good idea. How can I help? - Chris Brody

I like the spirit of this project, but it would be better for it to be not about enabling MPs to run anything (they already have enough power) but instead about enabling constituents to run email lists for themselves and _their_ MP. While the gentle nagging approach to MPs is necessary, I wouldn't like an uncooperative MP to be able to control or moderate the discussion of the constituents who, perhaps frustrated by their MP, want to discuss electing an alternative candidate at the next election. I would like the project to allow constituents to broach this subject freely and even without their MP's consent. At the end of the day, I would like this project needs to help the constituents manage the 'position' of MP (looking at it as a job), not only the current occupant of that position....

...It's a good idea that incumbent MPs can post to the list and initiate forum threads, but constituents need to have some similar power. For example, perhaps any constituent could start a thread or 'join' a thread, and the gentle nagging feature be used to notify MPs of new or existing threads that constituents are finding popular. The MP can then get involved with the constituents or ignore them at his/her peril! - Struan Bartlett