  Speaking or writing of political assemblies tends to evoke the action of
people gathering to deliberate, or the spaces in which this deliberation might
take place. One thing that is often overlooked, however, is the fact that these
spaces can be digital. Online assemblies have become more widespread in recent
years; from the first Web forums to civic technologies specifically designed to
host collective political debates. As digital services affect our possibilities
for political mobilization and participation, I will here attempt to define the
qualities specific to online assemblies, and to identify several patterns and
continuities in the design features of civic technologies offering online
spaces for debate.
