The City of Eau Claire hopes to soon unite its citizens on the web with a new online Eau Claire Community Forum.

According to a blog post by Eau Claire City Manager Mike Huggins (yep, he's got a blog), the forum will serve as an ongoing discussion about life in the Eau Claire area and the condition of local democracy. Among the goals of the forum are the desire for more input into solutions to local problems and the wish to spread awareness about issues in the city. The forum is open to any citizen wishing to discuss any topic, posts ranging from commentary on serious community issues to lost dog notices are welcomed and encouraged.

The Eau Claire Community Forum is being hosted through E-Democracy.org, non-profit and non-partisan site designed to help community members connect with one another. To join the Eau Claire Community Forum simply create a profile at E-Democracy.org and then join the Eau Claire group. The forum is looking to register 100 members by Fall 2011 when they'll enable posting, and discussions may begin.

With more and more of Eau Claire's community action taking place through facebook and other social media sites, this forum could serve as a great way for the citizens of Eau Claire to get – and stay – involved. There's a ton of potential here, and it's great to see the the city wuilling to reach out through these modes of communication.

Go sign up!