Comments on: Town Hall or Community? http://www.davidhenderson.com/2009/04/26/town-hall-or-community/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=town-hall-or-community Writer, communications strategist, Emmy Award winning former CBS News correspondent Fri, 18 May 2012 13:09:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Fay Robinson http://www.davidhenderson.com/2009/04/26/town-hall-or-community/#comment-2739 Fay Robinson Fri, 01 May 2009 20:08:13 +0000 http://www.davidhenderson.com/?p=3252#comment-2739 You are getting to be my number one David (watch out!! cuz Obama will be second to you)!! Yes, town hall meetings are antiquated but in today's twittering, facebooking and who knows what is true in the media, a face-to-face town hall meeting is refreshing, down home and absolutely gut reaction. I am all for it and no doubt if I met him I would faint (like the youtube video ... mind you I could do the same if I met you xxx) You are getting to be my number one David (watch out!! cuz Obama will be second to you)!! Yes, town hall meetings are antiquated but in today’s twittering, facebooking and who knows what is true in the media, a face-to-face town hall meeting is refreshing, down home and absolutely gut reaction. I am all for it and no doubt if I met him I would faint (like the youtube video … mind you I could do the same if I met you xxx)

]]> By: Keith Trivitt http://www.davidhenderson.com/2009/04/26/town-hall-or-community/#comment-2733 Keith Trivitt Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:00:23 +0000 http://www.davidhenderson.com/?p=3252#comment-2733 David - I really enjoyed reading this post on town hall meetings and how the original intent of these community forums has greatly changed over the years. I, too, believe that calling it a town hall meeting is a bit old-fashioned and doesn't really accurately connotate what is actually taking place in these settings. However, I disagree with calling these meetings "community meetings," particularly the way they are currently set up and given your idea for these meetings to have a more embracing feel in today's Internet era. As it is now, most of these meetings, particularly the national ones we see on TV during political debates, are little more than open lecture sessions in which politicians tell their agenda and their ideas, and then field softball questions from an audience that rarely truly represents the town or the nation. If these meetings are going to stay in their current form, then I don't think an embracing term such as "community meetings" is accurate. However, if we get to the point where these meetings truly become forums for real, frank questioning and discussions, then I think your term of "community meetings" is very fitting with the embracing nature that technology could bring to enhance these meetings. As always, you have some great ideas here, and have definitely got me thinking about this some more. Thanks. David – I really enjoyed reading this post on town hall meetings and how the original intent of these community forums has greatly changed over the years. I, too, believe that calling it a town hall meeting is a bit old-fashioned and doesn’t really accurately connotate what is actually taking place in these settings.

However, I disagree with calling these meetings “community meetings,” particularly the way they are currently set up and given your idea for these meetings to have a more embracing feel in today’s Internet era. As it is now, most of these meetings, particularly the national ones we see on TV during political debates, are little more than open lecture sessions in which politicians tell their agenda and their ideas, and then field softball questions from an audience that rarely truly represents the town or the nation. If these meetings are going to stay in their current form, then I don’t think an embracing term such as “community meetings” is accurate.

However, if we get to the point where these meetings truly become forums for real, frank questioning and discussions, then I think your term of “community meetings” is very fitting with the embracing nature that technology could bring to enhance these meetings.

As always, you have some great ideas here, and have definitely got me thinking about this some more. Thanks.

]]>