Wiki:Invitation to alpha trials/bootstrap

These trials are focused on bootstrapping the Open Voting Network (OVN) through consensus making on issues directed related to the OVN itself. We'll be using Votorola's toolset for this particular set of trials.

Sandbox poll

This is for learning and practicing with the toolset. If you have never used Votorola, this is a good place to start.

Create a position draft

1. Open someone else's draft in a separate window or browser tab. For this sandbox poll only, you should start with this draft: User:Mike-ZeleaCom/Sys/p/sandbox.

   Again, ensure it's opened in a separate window or browser tab, otherwise you'll have trouble following the rest of the instructions.

   What you're looking at is a "position draft", meaning someone's idea of how to compose a particular text, such as a plan, policy or law. The content is complete nonsense for this sandbox poll, so we can just concentrate on the mechanics of using the tools.

2. Scroll the page up and down.

   You should notice a set of controls floating to the left of the text. At the bottom is a link named my. If you don't see it, then you might have to switch browsers; the software is currently tested on Firefox and Chrome.

3. Click on the my link.

   You should see a login page (unless you are already logged in). Login either by OpenID or email address.

   After logging in, you should see a set of instructions entitled "Create a draft".

4. Follow those instructions in order to create your own position draft. Then continue with the next section.

Collaborate with others

Once you have a position draft, then you can start to work on it. Ordinarily you'll want to collaborate with other users. Here's how:

5. Click on the edit tab and make a small change or two to the body of the text.

   When you are done, press Save page.

6. Click on the floating control Mi., and then on the bridge link that appears near the top of the page.

   You are taken to the difference bridge where you see the latest difference between your text and Mike-ZeleaCom's.

7. Copy the URL of the bridge page directly from the address bar and post it to the sandbox thread. Ordinarily you'll say something like, "I made this change, what do you think of it?" And then you paste the difference URL right into your posted message so people can see what you are talking about. They might have questions or comments, or they might just thank you and patch the difference into their own drafts.

   And you'll get a chance to patch in differences from other users, of course. This is basically how consensus making proceeds with Votorola, through drafting, discussion and patching of differences back and forth.

8. Vote for someone. Once you find a group of people you like working with, then you should probably vote for one of them. To vote, use the button on one of the draft pages.

   Don't worry, you can always change your vote later. The main purpose of voting is to structure the discussion and to guide the flow of text changes as the overall text evolves. Whoever receives your vote will be more likely to listen to your concerns and to patch in your changes.

If you get stuck

If you get stuck at some point, then the software is probably at fault. Votorola is alpha software, which means it is not quite finished and can be difficult to use. If it isn't working for you, please don't hesitate to say so. The whole idea of alpha trials is to bump into problems and solve them along the way, one by one. Questions and comments may be posted to the forums, mailing lists and so forth, listed here:

• http://wiki.occupy.net/wiki/Open_Voting_Network
• http://reluk.ca/project/votorola/home.xht

Other polls

The OVN needs to reach consensus on a number of other issues, most of which will be formalized as local administrative polls (division NYC/GA/ovn). We'll be adding to these as we go along. Here's the current list:

Poll	Display title	Issue	Division
G/p/endov	Endorsement of primary voting media	Policy	G
G/p/govn	Promulgation of governing norms for the Open Voting Network	Law	NYC/GA/ovn
G/p/hovn	Home page for the Open Voting Network	Plan	NYC/GA/ovn
G/p/rovn	Remedial action plan for the Open Voting Network	Plan	NYC/GA/ovn
Sys/p/sandbox		Policy	G

The OVN also aims to help other groups with their own consensus making. If you are interested in contributing to that broader effort, please see the overall list of trials.

Subpages

Invitation to alpha trials/bootstrap/poll