At my last job at the Kettering Foundation, Unchat gave a presentation. This was several years ago, and I'm not sure about the status of this software. Regardless, I thought I would post a link to it as it is related to our Friday discussion on Civic Applications. I found a few organizations using it including MIT. Ben Barber and Beth Noveck were the brains behind this project.

Unchat hopes to provide a chat software program that encourages deliberation. From their web site: "Put to use in civic and political debates, learning and educational development, community building and non-profit communications, corporate meetings and knowledge management, our software will enhance discussion, nurture deliberation and facilitate the arbitration of differences and the quest for common ground."

What I remember best about the software was that users could change their position during a chat; one person could be the moderator, then another person could take over, and so on. Each chat could be configured according to the users present that day and modified as the chat progressed. We talked about using unchat for our international network to help reduce travel costs; we didn't buy it because the cost was prohibitive--from what I remember the cost being, very few non-profits could afford it. The idea was to simulate people sitting around a table deliberating on issues; however, it could also be used for distance education, training, and online meetings.

http://www.unchat.com/