Microsoft has released TownHall, a cloud-based application that, it says, "combines the grassroots appeal of the town hall meeting with the reach of the web". It's part of "a broader set of resources called Campaign Ready which allow you to use familiar and emerging Microsoft technologies to engage citizens," says the company.
TownHall was launched at the Politics Online Conference, which concludes today in Washington, DC.
TownHall runs on Microsoft's Azure platform, which is basically Windows Server in the cloud. The code can be downloaded free from http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/TownHall and modified as required. However, Azure does involve usage charges.
The code has already been used by Nasa, for its Be a Martian project, which invited people to become (virtual) Martian citizens and explore the planet. Potential users can also try the idea at microsofttownhall.com - log in with the username "demouser" and password "demopassword" (without the quotes).
TownHall uses a points-based system to encourage users to set up a profile and contribute constructively. Users can earn badges for asking and answering questions, and for voting, and so on. This is an area where Microsoft has a lot of experience thanks to the success of Xbox Live.
Although Microsoft is presenting TownHall as a contribution to citizenship, it's also a way of promoting Azure, and it won't be a surprise if large corporations find it more attractive than communities. Big companies already use Azure technologies such as Windows Server and SQL Server, whereas community groups are probably more likely to use free and open source software.
