I guess I would need more information on what you are looking for. Are you talking about taken an existing forum and you just need setup? Or are you talking about developing one from the ground up? I do have experience in software development as this is what I do for a living.
I'm guessing that in order to create the fuctionality I seek, it would have to be coded from the ground up.
I have sketched out the process of using a modified form of Roberts Rules to take a 'traditional' discussion format and use it to update a 'wiki' style platform; which updates in a kind cyclical/heirarchical fashion.
the original idea came to me back in March-April 2008 to create a cybernetic model of the real-world convention process in the hopes of creating a process to achieve a consensus around the largest number of grassroots possible. I had originally had hopes of coming up with th system before the State convention and use it to create the Ron Paul delegations platform, but quickly abndoned THAT idea when I saw how complicated it would be to create.
As time went on, the idea expanded (but not the code requirement) to become a means of achieving consensus around any matter.
The rough sketch of the process looks like this:
--> (executive committee board) -> [Modified Robert's Rules] -> {Exec Wiki} -->
<published exec instructions> -> (committee board) -> [Modified Robert's Rules] -> {Committee Wiki} -->
<publshed committee findings> -> (general convention board) -> [Modified Robert's Rules] -> {Convention Wiki} -->
<published convention results> --> (executive committee board) ->
in English:
An smallish (5-10 person) executive committee decides to establish a platform for their group. They discuss amongst themselves what the requirements for a platform might be. During the course of discussion, they come up with ideas and amendments, subject them to a vote, and those which pass the vote get published to the "floor" which is a wiki. This wiki is then published to the next lower level as "instructions" for the platform committee.
This larger platform (50-ish people) committee reads the instructions from the executive committee (published to their board from the executive wiki) and they discuss these instructions and during the course of discussion they develop the platform. Again, going through a modified form of Robert's Rules they come up with ideas and amendments, subject them to votes, and the results of these passing votes are pubished to the "floor" of the committee which is a kind of wiki. The committee wiki then publishes to the next lower level as "findings of the committee" for the general convention to discuss.
This even larger convention (1000-ish people) body reads from the findings and discusses the final form of the platform. They discuss ideas and raise amendments, and the results of these discussions are voted on, subjected to the modified Robert's Rules and published to the "floor" of the convention. The results of the convention floor are then published back to the executive committee; and if any further action on them is required, the cycle continues.
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After much thought, I felt that this would become the perfect system to implement in a GOP Congressional district in order to achieve general consensus amongst the grassroots around all manner of issues, and not merely a platform. This way, the grassroots Republicans would have a real say in the goings on of their party in their district, and the district would have a real consensus around most issues going into their annual convention.
I also intend to run for District 2 GOP chair, and this would be the perfect system to bring with me to that position, and it would be an awesome tool to have available while actually running for the chair.
The long range goal (think years here) would be to set up a 'constellation' of forums all of which inter-communicate -- 3 for a political congressional district (1 convention cycle as described above, 1 traditional blog published by the district office-holders and potential candidates, and one traditional grassroots forums published by the grassroots at large) which share information with one another...another 3 of the same setup for the District C4L org...and another 3 of the same for the District Militia org. Then these three sets of three also interoperate to a limited degree with each other; creating in the end a constellation of 9 total forums that create a flow of information and consensus amongst the GOP, the C4L, and the grassroots Militia.
In the end, this will result in a constellation of 9 forums in a given Congressional District to which ALL members of the district will be invited; that I believe will result in unprecedented public consensus, transparency, and the will of the people being translated to government at large.
