Tele-Town Hall Conference Empowering Citizens to Participate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 21, 2010 -- Tele-Town Hall conference services are getting two thumbs up from voters and citizens who are embracing the new technology for both its convenience and opportunity to participate in public discussions, particularly at the federal and state levels. Average citizens are beginning to respond by posting their opinions on blogs and comment sections of local newspapers.

One citizen, Marian Chmieleski of Vacaville, California, wrote to the local newspaper, The Reporter, on March 15, 2010 and stated:

"On March 4, at about 7:45pm, I received a call inviting me to participate in Rep. George Miller's Tele-Town hall meeting. With a house full of out-of-town family, I found it inadvisable to do so. But I have participated in two prior sessions and have enjoyed them immensely.

I find the meetings a very economical and efficient means of two-way communication with our representative because: I can hear every word he says; I have the opportunity to ask questions; I can clearly hear all the questions asked by the other participants; Mr. Miller can stay in Washington and get right back to our work afterward without spending 12 hours in flight to and from California; I can participate from my kitchen table in comfy clothes while I eat dinner; and, lastly, but very importantly, no individual or group can hijack a civilized meeting (as was so rudely done last year at town hall meetings across the country) and prevent my congressman from speaking to me or hearing my concerns. As for tele-town hall meetings, I say thanks, Congressman Miller. Keep 'em comin'."

Political and campaign organizers are responding to public demand, by engaging more citizens into the decision making process by using Tele-Town Hall teleconferencing services , which are transforming the way leaders interact with core constituencies and key voters.

"It is clear that the general public is tired of just watching politicians on TV. They want to interact and get involved in the debate. Telephone Town Hall technology is amazing because it connects people in real time on current issues such as the healthcare reform, and allows them to ask questions or present their opinions," says Laurie Patterson, director of Town Hall Teleconferencing at OrangePoint Communications. OrangePoint's technology is paragon in the industry and helps clients redefine voter relationships, address issues and find common ground.

"Clients who have started to interact with their audience using our system are wondering why it's taken them so long to embrace this technology. Citizens and the general public are the ones driving this trend, not the other way around!" says Patterson. Specifically designed to improve voter registration and campaign performance, OrangePoint's web based system runs on a regular PC and allows campaign staff to monitor the calls and allows the candidate to stay on a specified topic without getting side tracked. "If 95% of the audience is interested in hearing the latest news from Washington or the state capitol, you don't need to have the other 5% hijack the forum for their own purposes," said Patterson. "You can also take instant surveys and see real time results. For example, a leader can ask, 'Do you like your mother's apple pie?' Within seconds, leaders can see the results on their computer screen and get instant answers along with other metrics. There is virtually no limit to the size of a Telephone Town Hall Meeting . Whether you have 10 or 100,000 citizens opting in, it's ultimately the size of your phone list that determines your reach."

When President Obama announced the first presidential Virtual Town Hall Meeting from the White House, he was flooded with over 100,000 questions from American citizens who embraced this new technology. The flood of questions shows that citizens are comfortable and educated about modern technology and are increasingly seeking the ability to interact with politicians and elected officials. And citizens want their voices to be heard.

To find out more about OrangePoint and town hall teleconferencing, please visit http://www.orangepoint.net. OrangePoint is a leading telecom solutions provider offering notifications and alerts via phone broadcasting, mass opt-in teleconferencing, automated online dialing for live outbound calls and computer faxing.

More information can be found online at http://www.orangepoint.net/town_hall_teleconference.html