The report was commissioned by Sciencewise-Expert Resource Centre, the UK government’s source of expertise on public dialogue used to help department’s engage publics around new or on-going policy domains. Published on the Sciencewise-ERC website (http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk/cms/our-thinking-2), The report addresses the following research questions:

• How does the rapid global expansion of social media usage affect our understanding of the available means for conducting public dialogues?
• What is the potential for public dialogue to be conducted effectively through social media?
• What is gained or lost from moving public dialogue into this online setting?

The report provides a basis for policymakers’ decision-making about the use of social media in public dialogue as well as highlighting important directions for future research and evaluation.