Forum from Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forum

3.
a. used to mean a public meeting, a lecture involving audience discussion
b. a program (as on radio or television) involving discussion of a problem usually by several authorities

The Southern California Transit Forum was held Friday, February 5, 2010 an all day affair live streamed from Chapman University in Orange. The topic "Seeking Solutions To Address The State Transit Crisis."

For Transit Forum Update Click Here

We were invited to participate in the forum, to Tweet out to our followers information on the event and invite them to join in the conversation.

I was invited to a forum.
I was invited to be part of an audience and was asked use a #hashtag.
I was asked to have my followers join the conversation by using the same #hashtag.
But I wasn't represented.
My Tweets didn't show up in the Forum.
To me this was not a Transparent Forum

What is Transparent?

If you are going to use a #Hashtag ... then don't filter it at the forum, especially don't filter invited representatives from Social Media.

#Hashtags are an online convention that everyone might not be familiar with. At conferences and events when Twitter Streams are projected onto the screen by hashtags it is the audience being allowed to participate and share in the event without interrupting the event.

Hashtags can be abused and it is not unusual for Tweets to be monitored. Threats, foul language and inappropriate items are often siphoned off. But when it goes any farther in this it starts to look like censorship at worse and manipulation at best. Neither would be described as "Transparent."

From my observations the Twitter stream shown in the Forum and the one online differed tremendously and profoundly. New posts were streaming into Twitter while the stream within the Forum repeated and looped the same Tweets.

Audience Participation

If you are going to take questions from YouTube.com I want to see where they are posted? Where are these questions you are drawing from? I want the urls. I want to see it FROM YOUTUBE.COM.

Twitter, same thing, if you are taking questions from the Twitter stream I want to see where they are coming from. What are the questions from your constituents? I want the urls. I want to see it FROM TWITTER.COM.

SHOW ME YOUR TRANSPARENCY
Show me your Transparency. Show me it's not a plant. Show me I am being represented in this media and not just getting "Transparency-Washed" like "Green-Washing" when public places set out recycling receptacles just to dump it all in the same bin behind closed doors.

All that is required:
1. url of the YouTube Video
2. url of the Twitter question

Why?
Because its important. This is OUR Forum. Our chance to be heard. This is my chance to tell Sacramento I don't like how they spend my money.

In the afternoon I heard the moderator shut down the questions from participants.

Think I am whining now?