About Let’s Talk Blacksburg
Welcome to Let’s Talk Blacksburg! Your community and government make better decisions when you have a voice in the process. Let’s Talk Blacksburg is part of a broader Town effort to make it easier for the public to engage with their local government. Let's Talk Blacksburg is not a Town of Blacksburg website, but an online engagement platform, provided by Bang the Table for the Town of Blacksburg.
This online platform offers a variety of interactive tools, including discussion forums, polls, surveys and crowdsource mapping. Use Let’s Talk Blacksburg to contribute your ideas and ask questions about featured projects, at times that work best for you.
How do I submit my feedback?
Submit your feedback via the online discussion forums, quick polls, forms, and surveys relevant to each of the projects currently open for consultation.
To participate for the first time, simply:
- Sign up for Let’s Talk Blacksburg by clicking on the "Sign In" button in the top right of any page
- Choose a username and password
- Complete a few quick questions about you
- You will receive an email to validate your email address
- Return to the website and click the "Sign In" button
Your comments will appear under your username, and you can comment anonymously through a username of your choice.
Why is the Town of Blacksburg using this service?
Traditional public consultation usually involves attending a public meeting or providing written submissions to the Town Council, and this can often be time-consuming and inconvenient, and sometimes intimidating. However, Let’s Talk Blacksburg, provides another opportunity to have your say on issues that are important to you, but at a time and place of your choice.
- It is a quick, safe and convenient way to have your say on a range of issues and topics.
- It is a great way to keep up to date and contribute your views on issues affecting your community.
- You can see what other community members think about an issue or topic, respond with your own views and engage in a discussion.
- You don't have to attend community meetings at a set place and time, you can contribute at a time and place that suits you.
- It allows for a range of different people, with different views to discuss matters that impact their community.
Do I need to register on this site to make a comment?
While registration is not required to access Let’s Talk Blacksburg, although we encourage you to register for a few reasons.
- It helps ensure that a broader set of perspectives have an opportunity to be represented by attributing feedback and frequency of feedback to individuals.
- It promotes accountability and encourages people to provide more thoughtful responses because feedback can be attributed to them.
- It also means that we can let you know any news if something major changes about the consultation.
Can I use this site anonymously?
Yes, you can use this website anonymously. Even when you register and post comments, your anonymity is protected because you are identified by your chosen screen name.
What happens to my feedback/comments?
All comments, ideas and suggestions are collated and used by the relevant project teams to inform the development of strategies, programs and activities, or to gain an insight into community views and opinions.
Often, feedback provided online is used in conjunction with other face-to-face consultation activities such as meetings, open houses or surveys.
When each consultation closes, all contributions are compiled into a report by Town staff, which will be shared with Town Council when considering the particular matter.
All feedback provided during consultation will be considered; however, this does not mean that every suggestion will affect the project or be adopted as proposed.
Note: All comments you make through this website will become public records for anyone to read.
Is my privacy protected?
Yes! Your privacy is absolutely protected and your email will only be used to contact you with updates on your chosen topics of interest and to invite you to participate in consultations.
Your email address will not be distributed to any third party or used for any other purpose. We do not ask for your personal details or require them at any time as part of your participation. For more information, see the platform Privacy Policy.
Who can I contact about Let’s Talk Blacksburg?
Let’s Talk Blacksburg is coordinated by the Town’s Community Relations Office.
If you have a question regarding a specific project currently, open for consultation; please contact the relevant project manager. Their contact details can be found in the "Who's listening" section for each project.
How are discussion forums moderated?
All public comments within discussion forums, guest books, and questions and answers are moderated 24 hours a day seven days a week, for inappropriate language comments that disrespect other participants, and for comments that are off-topic. Spanish moderation is currently provided 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
All moderation is carried out by Bang the Table and all moderation is independent of the Town of Blacksburg. The moderators do not edit or alter any comments and will only remove comments deemed to be significantly off-topic, offensive, or malicious, in which case they are removed from the site immediately and the person who posted the comment is advised by email. See the moderation policy for more details.