Internet Portal Gives Students, Others Real-Time Forum To Post Views, Questions For Debates 2, 3

Proprietary Software Helps Participants Reach Consensus Online

DALLAS, TX--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Oct. 2, 2000--Maybe you are a Young Republican. Maybe you`re a Democrat. Maybe you classify yourself as an ``Independent``, or just don`t know. But, chances are, you do have an opinion...not only about the Presidency, but also about the various candidates vying for the office this year! For many, though, sharing that opinion is often limited to classrooms, coffee shops, over lunch, or around an office water cooler.

But now, thanks to a partnership between Wake Forest University (site of the second presidential debate) and Dallas-based Opinioneering Corp, students, faculty, or anyone with on-line access can easily share their views with others from across the United States and around the globe, vote on the opinions they like, and even pose questions to a presidential candidate that might just get asked...and answered. For more information see www.opinioneering.com/wfu.

New proprietary software from Opinioneering Corp. introduced in this election cycle allows participants to pose questions or express opinions about a variety of topics pertaining to the presidency and the 2000 presidential elections, and - unlike typical bulletin boards or chat sessions - organizes and aggregates the opinions dynamically, moving the most popular comments to the top of the list, thereby presenting a real-time view of an emerging consensus. With the monitoring help of student leaders at Wake Forest, Opinioneering Corporation`s ``Consensus Builder`` software also tracks and displays a broad variety of topics at the same time, allowing participants a wide choice of ideas or issues on which to comment.

Jeff Zucker, CEO of Opinioneering Corp., says the student leaders plan to take the most popular or provocative comments directly to the individual campaigns and interested parties and, for the first time ever, take the candidates responses directly back to the people via Consensus Builder`s email system.

``By connecting the questions and opinions of the voting public directly to the candidates and sending their answers back to citizens, we hope to begin to reverse the process of voter apathy and the feeling of disconnect that have discouraged people from voting in record numbers,`` Zucker said. ``The opinions of real people help educate all of us, especially candidates, media and pollsters, and remind us that nothing is ever decided until Election Day. Consensus Builder reinforces the truism that voters, ultimately, control the outcome of elections...but only if they vote.”

``While we normally focus on helping business executives listen to employee opinions and customer feedback, we are thrilled to see Consensus Builder used to help people reconnect with their government. When IBM offered to introduce us to Wake Forest a few months ago to undertake this project, we had no idea how excited the University students and administration would be. Assuming the energy level continues to increase, we expect to keep these opinion sessions open through Election Day,`` said Tom Heatherington, Opinioneering’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

The Presidential Debate opinion sessions can be accessed on the Web at
www.opinioneering.com/wfu