…Shall Make No Law…

The major element lacking in the online First Amendment community is a well-maintained central hub for discussing current events. If Shall Make No Law were to reinvent itself down the line, its guiding mission would be to establish itself as this hub. By implementing each of the four major goals outlined in the Overview, SMNL would make some positive steps in the quest to promote a stronger First Amendment network online.

• Consult a wide variety of mainstream and independent news sources—including not only print/web newspapers but also talk radio and club newsletters—to get a sense of what people are talking about EVERY day
• Build strong ties with the rest of the blogging community (see Goal II) in order to spread the word when each new development comes out
• Install a rotating RSS feed from related blogs/AP newswire, etc. within the sidebar to keep readers up-to-date between updates

• Establish a “First Amendment Web Ring,” a coalition of like-minded blogs both large and small, in an effort to keep a constant flow of communication. Sharing readers means spreading awareness and encouraging active participation in events related to the blog’s mission

• Guest Blogger column: each week a different blogger will write a brief column on a current event—this could either be an opinion piece or a simple summary with questions for readers to consider. Hopefully this feature could extend to all blogs in the Web Ring and the authors could contribute on a rotating basis

• Once we have established a more regular readership that spans across multiple blogs, Shall Make No Law could build a system of user-friendly Forums that would host the biggest community debate on the freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition. The forums would be divided into sections by each of the five main freedoms outlined in the Amendment. While the mainpage of Shall Make No Law would cover the latest news and still allow readers to comment, the site’s visitors could then venture into the forums for deeper discussions. Also within the forum system would be buttons to publicize or link interesting threads to the readers’ own blogs. Here is an example of what the Forums might look like (click to enlarge):

• Based on community interest (and with the help of active organizations like the First Amendment Center), SMNL would encourage the planning of new Conferences and Live Events at which readers and other interested people could gather and discuss issues relating to the role of the First Amendment as it applies to daily life. Two ideas include:
  • Blogging the First – a panel of bloggers, journalists and legal experts discuss the extent of the rights of website owners and commenters to remain anonymous or keep confidential sources
  • Campus Expression Forum – a series of panels and discussion groups on college campuses across the nation, featuring notable speakers from the education field as well as heads of student rights organizations such as F.I.R.E., in which participants learn about the rights of student protesters, newspapers and political organizations

• Weekly Podcast – SMNL’s web staff will host a discussion of the week’s posts, taking questions from readers and responding to comments left on the blog.
• Video Mini-Documentaries – once a month, SMNL will post a 10-15 minute video focused on one specific issue or group of issues, complete with investigative interviews and engaging visuals. This would not only be an original way to present content; it would also let our readers know that we’re getting out into the world and doing original research.