hyperlocal – Dave Briggs

Link roundup

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

The learning organization: an often-described, but seldom-observed phenomenon | Harold Jarche – "What should a true learning organisation look like?"
Connecting and engaging inside your organisation – "Social networks are inherently bottom up and user powered. In IBM, BlueIQ worked because it had buy-in from the very top. You need both otherwise time is wasted overcoming resistance."
Local 2.0: How digital technology empowers local communities | The Young Foundation – Useful report covering how digital innovation can impact on communities.
The order I check things | Stephen Hale – I love reading how people do this stuff!
Cutting down on cookies: practical tips | Puffbox.com – Useful tips from SImon Dickson.

I had an enjoyable time on Saturday at the Talk About Local unconference, where lots of people involved in hyperlocal websites get together to share stories and experiences and to figure out answers to tricky questions.

There tends to be two angles with hyperlocal – the future of local journalism stuff which I tend to find rather dull; and then the community activist side, which is a bit more interesting.

I enjoyed the session organised by Vicky Sargent on neighbourhood planning and hyperlocals. We’re supporting a local neighbourhood plan initiative with web stuff – see A Plan for Holbeach – and of course there is our site for NALC too.

Vicky has a web tool coming out soon to support local groups in putting together neighbourhood plans – which ought to be pretty useful and I’m looking forward to seeing more on that.

Philip John – a Kind of Digital team member – ran a session proposing the Hyperlocal Alliance, which sounds like a great initiative and you can find out more about that here.

I didn’t run any sessions – I’m not really a hyperlocalist myself and was mainly in listening mode – but I have kicked off a project to openly collaborate on a hyperlocal handbook. Do join in!

What I’ve been reading

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

SOCIAL PLAN: 11 Golden Rules for Social Media in an Organisation – Some nice tips from Dan.
OGP Take Aways : Tim’s Blog – "In an attempt to use reflective blogging to capture thoughts from the Open Government Partnership meeting in Brasilia I’ve jotted down ten key learning points, take-aways, or areas I’ve been musing on. "
Will Apps Kill Websites? – Pros and cons of apps v websites
Neighborland – Interesting hyperlocal effort in the States.
Is the deluge of data good for government? | LGiU’s local democracy blog – "Over the past couple of weeks, however, a series of news reports have underlined the growing importance of open data to the mainstream contemporary political conversation but have also revealed some ambiguities in our attitude towards it. "

You can find all my bookmarks on Pinboard.

Avoiding hyperlocal tragedy

From Rich Millington, in his post “The Tragic Story Of Hyperlocal Communities“:

If we want to build hyperlocal communities, we have to change the way we think about them. This isn’t a technology problem to solve (Facebook-style). Enabling everyone to start a hyperlocal community wont make it happen. This isn’t a content problem to solve (local news style). Pulling in RSS feeds and encouraging user generated content wont solve the problem.

What we need is a genuine community building approach. You identify your first members, initiate discussions, invite members to participate in those discussions, write content about what’s happening in the community, and repeat as you grow.

What I’ve been reading

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

Nelson Mandela Digital Archives – "Our aim is to locate, document, digitise, and provide access to all archival materials related to Nelson Mandela. This is a work in progress. Here is a selection of materials arranged in exhibits for your enjoyment."
Talk About Local » Developments in UK hyperlocal scene – "It’s a great few days for the UK hyperlocal scene as several blue chip organisations reveal new projects."
Control issues around social media in local government – "I would argue that in terms of capability maturity, most local governments are just starting up the ladder and it would be more effective to focus on a few key controls and use a bit of common sense, and allow for a lot of process improvement and lessons to be learned"
The Digital Engagement Guide | Ideas and practical help to use digital and social media in the public sector – "Ideas and practical help to use digital and social media in the public sector"
WE LIKE: Ideas for a good Facebook page timeline « The Dan Slee Blog – "It’s the easiest thing in the world to create a Facebook page. It’s a lot harder to do it effectively."

You can find all my bookmarks on Pinboard.

Tag: hyperlocal

Link roundup

Link roundup

Link roundup

Going hyperlocal

What I’ve been reading

Avoiding hyperlocal tragedy

What I’ve been reading