Enabling Constructive Dialogue
Introducing a video platform designed to help your community talk, listen, understand, and solve–together.
About Frankly
Frankly™ is an online video-based discourse platform designed to facilitate constructive dialogue and collaborative decision-making across and within diverse groups.
Our vision is to build a world where the practice of constructive dialogue is the norm—where diverse perspectives catalyze innovative solutions, rather than deepen societal divides. To realize this vision, we’re not only developing the platform ourselves but also open-sourcing its code, to enable a global community to expand and adapt this framework.
The project is operated by Harvard’s Applied Social Media Lab at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. It is co-developed with Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, founder of Creative Commons, Deliberations.us and Equal Citizens.
Current Status: Closed Beta
We’re excited to announce that our platform is currently in closed beta. This phase represents an important milestone in our journey:
Foundation from Lightning Rod Labs. The current iteration is built upon the promising framework developed by Ben Turtel & Danny Franklin of Lightning Rod Labs. Harvard acquired their existing deliberation platform, which has already been used successfully for numerous small and large-scale events, including for Deliberations.us, University of Arizona’s National Institute for Civil Discourse, AllSides, Living Room Conversations, Listen First Project, and Unify America. We are grateful for their innovative work, and are excited to build on that foundation.
Migration Complete. We’ve successfully migrated the existing platform, ensuring that all core functionality is preserved and operational.
Limited Access. To manage our growth and collect valuable feedback, access to the platform is currently by invitation only. Interested organizations are invited to request access.
Work-in-progress. While fully functional, the beta platform does not yet reflect our ultimate vision for Frankly. We see tremendous potential for enhancement and are committed to realizing it.
What’s Next
As we evolve our platform, we’re focused on four key priorities to create a world where constructive dialogue thrives:
Embracing Open Collaboration
We’re transitioning to an open-source model, inviting global contributors to help shape the future of communication and decision-making.
Empowering Civic Engagement
We’re enhancing support for deliberations and other forms of collective decision-making, strengthening democratic processes.
Creating an Inclusive Experience
We’re redesigning our platform to be intuitive and adaptable, with easy-to-use templates for various events and organizations.
Partnering with Dialogue Experts
We’re collaborating with leading practitioners to ensure our platform embodies best practices in facilitating constructive conversations.
Key Features
Through video-based discussions, Frankly fosters inclusive participation designed to drive collective problem-solving, ensuring that every voice is heard and equitably represented.
Our key features include:
Integrated Discussion Guides
Facilitate discussions with structured, unified agendas embedded directly within the platform environment.
Flexible Facilitation Options
Offer hosted or hostless events for various meeting styles and participant preferences.
Deliberative Tools
Gather feedback and crowdsource solutions collaboratively.
Intelligent Group Matching
Automatically create balanced breakout rooms to ensure a variety of perspectives and foster meaningful discussions.
Who Can Benefit
Frankly is designed to serve a wide range of communities by providing a versatile platform to facilitate various forms of constructive discourse.
- Civic Organizations and Community Groups: Facilitate inclusive and productive dialogue among diverse stakeholders to collaboratively address local challenges.
- Government Agencies and Policy-makers: Gather representative input from citizens on pressing issues to make well-informed decisions.
- Educational Institutions and Student Organizations: Nurture critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and respectful discourse to cultivate informed and engaged citizens.
- Non-profit Organizations and Advocacy Groups: Amplify diverse voices and facilitate constructive dialogue on important causes to build consensus and drive positive change.
- Corporations: Foster open communication and collaborative problem-solving among teams and stakeholders to drive innovation and align on strategic priorities.
Inside Frankly: A Conversation on Online Discourse and Participatory Democracy
Watch Harvard Law School’s Lawrence Lessig and ASML Product Manager Samantha Shireman discuss the Frankly platform, its aspirations, and what is next for its rollout. Recorded during the Applied Social Media Lab‘s “Beyond Discourse Dumpster Fires” event in September 2024.
Join Us in Shaping the Future of Discourse
Stay Connected
For updates about Frankly and other deliberative tools, sign up for updates from the Berkman Klein Center and select the box next to Deliberations.
Help Shape Frankly
If you organize or host any sort of dialogue, debate, or deliberative event and are interested in helping to shape the future of this platform, please start by telling us about your events.
Together, we can create a tool that not only facilitates better conversations but also contributes to a more collaborative and understanding world.