Scheduling

Unlike a chat room, where a discussion takes place in real time, the dialogue is asynchronous: your participation can take place at any time of day. This makes it easier to accommodate busy schedules. Participants create a more substantive discussion when they have time to refer to reference materials, think about the contributions made by others, and take time to compose their own thoughtful messages.

Equipment

Participants need to have access to the Internet and to use a Web browser such as Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, or the text-based browser Lynx.

Time

The time required to participate in the Dialogue can vary greatly and is flexible. It will depend on how frequently you write comments for the discussion and how much you read of the issues and background papers in the Briefing Book. Active participants should plan to spend a minimum of two hours each day on these activities. Your time commitment will be less if you follow the dialogue by reading the daily summaries and contribute using the comment forms.