At the BlogHer conference this weekend, there's been a lot of of conversation about conversations. Addressed at the panels I've attended have been such great topics as op-ed writing, appearing in the media, and fundraising online--and I've met many fascinating women. That said, I feel something is missing.

It's civic discourse.

Many of the discussions here revolved around blogging, its power and potential power, as well as women and their influence and potential influence. At the conservative blogging session (half of whose attendees, I'm guessing, were actually Progressive bloggers), I asked where people gather online to have conversations about politics where people's minds might actually be changed. The answer I received was that there aren't any sites where people at the ends of the political spectrum are blogging on the same site because it's not a good business model.

Clearly, the speaker had not listened to my question. And listening is key to civic discourse.

So. . . Where is there civic discourse online? I'm talking about the kinds of conversation where people are open to changing their own minds about a topic--to learn more about it--rather than merely trying to change other people's minds.

I've posed this question to many people at this conference, and no one was able to give me an adequate answer until I chatted with BlogHer Political Director Erin Kotecki Vest, who gave me what should have been an obvious answer: BlogHer.com. Mind you--it doesn't happen all the time, but there are interesting conversations happening on this site. Click around to find them.

But I'm having a hard time believing there isn't real civic discourse elsewhere online, and particularly in the blogosphere. There are certainly niches where it happens--I like to think the academic blogosphere is one of them--but are there places online where citizens can have wide-ranging political conversations on a broad, ever-changing spectrum of issues?

Plug "civic discourse" into Google and you'll find the first page dominated by people writing about how museums have real potential as sites of civic discourse. Which raises the question: Does real civic discourse have to be local and take place face-to-face? And if so, does that mean the kind of dialogic learning that comes from civic discourse can't happen online?

We all know there's a good deal of nastiness online, especially in comment threads on blog posts, and especially on blogs by women. Is it possible to turn this tide, and reclaim civic discourse (and civil discourse) on our personal and professional blogs?

I went in search of women's blogs where this kind of civic discourse takes place in small pockets, but after a couple of hours of searching, I still hadn't turned up much. So I offer instead women writing about civic discourse:

Heidi Li Feldman's blog features many blog posts about the importance of civic discourse and thoughtful debate. She also provides some excellent historical context on the place of civic discourse in American life.

The Archivist asks whether blogs are the best place to have conversations and debates about the state of her profession.

Vera of A Lust for Episteme writes that blogs and other social media have allowed atheists in particular to "test their stand and beliefs relative to one group or another."

What about you? Where do you turn for intelligent conversations with people who are flexible in their thinking on important, interesting subjects? This inquiring mind wants to know where this kind of conversation and learning takes place.

Leslie Madsen-Brooks develops learning experiences for K-12, university, museum, and corporate clients. She blogs at The Clutter Museum, Museum Blogging, and The Multicultural Toy Box.