crowdsourcing – Dave Briggs

Link roundup

August 1, 2012

I find this stuff so you don’t have to:

Enyo JavaScript Application Framework – "Use the same framework to develop apps for the web and for all major platforms, desktop and mobile."
Features | Re-usable Drupal recipes for government websites – Nice New Zealand government site sharing open source compontents for Drupal for gov webbies
Consultation Principles – guidance | Cabinet Office – "…the Government is improving the way it consults by adopting a more proportionate and targeted approach, so that the type and scale of engagement is proportional to the potential impacts of the proposal."
Inviting comments on a draft bill | Stephen Hale – "With a public commitment to feed the comments that we receive directly into the process of parliamentary scrutiny via the team working on the bill, we’re effectively enabling people to publicly contribute to the drafting of law."
The SEO war – fighting the good fight in search – A rare thing indeed – an interesting and genuinely useful post about search engine optimisation! Who would have thought that such a thing was even possible!?!?!

Digital democracy: some quick and easy ideas

July 3, 2012

Following up on my earlier post on tweeting meetings, here are a bunch of quick, easy – and probably free – ideas for getting started with digital engagement.

I put them together for a conference talk today on how local councils – parishes and towns – can use digital communications, along with more traditional approaches, to reach and engage with more people. The conference was a joint effort by the Norfolk Association of Local Councils and the Society for Local Council Clerks.

The point I was trying to get across is that there are some small actions you can try with minimal risk, need for knowledge, cost and so on – but which could have a really positive impact on participation levels.

The list includes:

Tweet a meeting
Start an email newsletter
Map your parish
Ask for ideas
Verify a decision
Run a web chat
Hold a Skype surgery
Become your local area’s online hub

The slides are embedded below, or you can download a PDF if you’d rather.

[slideshare id=13529693&doc=norfolk-alc-july2012-120703120837-phpapp01]

Crowdsourcing Big Society in South Holland

October 31, 2011

I’ve written a couple of times about the WordPress based ideas crowdsourcing tool we’ve been working on at Kind of Digital, which is called CiviCrowd. We’re delighted that it’s now being used out in the open by South Holland District Council, to find the ideas people have to improve their local community.

Ideas are entered by users using a simple online form, moderated, and then when published others can comment on them, rate them and share them on their own networks.

Part of the driver for this project is that all councillors in South Holland now have a designated ward budget to spend on local projects. This site is seen as being a key way of getting people to share those ideas in a simple and straightforward way.

There are already a bunch of ideas on the site, and that’s before it has been promoted in the Council newsletter and the local paper – that should be happening in the next couple of weeks.

If there’s anyone else out there that could use a site like this – you know where I am!

What I’ve been reading

August 25, 2011

I find this stuff so that you don’t have to.

openkent :: home – "Open Kent is where public sector bodies in Kent can publish information about the services they provide."
How to do a Crowd | Innovator Inside – For crowds, read communities, groups, whatever. Good stuff.
Shabby PR from SOCITM « Simon Wakeman – "As a PR man I’m well versed in the technique in play here – create a stir around headline grabbing stat or two then ride to the rescue with a carefully pitched product or service to solve the various woes created by aforementioned stat. "
Government corporate websites in eye-popping 3D – Fascinating to watch this develop.
Local Government please don’t sack the connectors. « Podnosh – "So as funding dries up for the jobs best done by connectors – please local government management, make sure you find ways of keeping them in fruitful work and onside – because you will be needing them."

You can find all my bookmarks on Pinboard.

What I’ve been reading

July 1, 2011

I find this stuff so that you don’t have to.

Can digital save our libraries? « corrinnedouglas – Some useful thoughts on an important topic
Google Sites – Mobile Templates – Interesting tool for making mobile friendly site templates.
Patch, the hyperlocal website from AOL, is totally off-putting – "Is it too late in the game to call hyperlocal efforts a complete waste of time and resources?" – No, just confirmation of my feeling that centrally imposed platforms don't work locally.
Ten ways to create a knowledge ecology – Nice list from Euan Semple on how to make your organisation one that values knowledge and learning.
Epic Idea Management #Fails – Things to avoid when sourcing ideas from James Gardner.

You can find all my bookmarks on Pinboard.

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