As the Community Engagement Consultant at the City of Austin (TX), I’ve helped design and launch speakupaustin.org, one of the few public participation portals in the U.S.  The portal is designed to make it clearer and easier for Austinites to engage in robust public policy dialogues across multiple subjects and departments.  Many city residents want to have a say in the future of their city, but it’s too difficult or intimidating (or both) to attend and/or participate in a community meeting.  Speakupaustin.org is designed to give everyone an opportunity to participate quickly, meaningfully, and effectively, and to interact with our residents with other points of view.