PSFBuzz Videos: Feedback from attendees of PSFBuzz Web 2.0 Event
May 6, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
David from CheltenhamBC
Michele Walker from Wrexham County BC
PSFBuzz Videos: Q&A with Paul Canning and Alan Holding at the PSFBuzz Web 2.0 event
May 6, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
PSFBuzz Videos: Dave Briggs Concluding Remarks at PSFBuzz Web 2.0 event
May 6, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
So… PSFBuzz was a success! What was it all about again?
May 6, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
*To get spreadsheet of #psfbuzz, click here.
So, its been a few days now since I attended the PSFBuzz Web 2.0 event in Manchester. The presenters covered a lot of topics relating to social media and web 2.0 strategies for local authorities. And it seems that from the feedback gathered from the floor and feedback forms, the event was indeed a success. This was probably due to a number of reasons from the professional and efficient organization by the Public Sector Forums (PSF), to the presentations and down to the people who attended the event.
The event started off with Dave Briggs opening remarks commenting on the nice venue we had at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester. It was nice indeed, however it was quite an adventurous ride getting from our hotel to the venue. With 3 sat nav/geo type devices, we still got a bit lost! But that definitely teaches us one valuable to begin the day with, which is… don’t put your eggs all in one basket. Technology is there to support you when you need it, but don’t rely on it 100% folks! Online and offline complement each other. One does not exist without the other!
Local council on twitter…
The first half of the morning session, Mike Saunt from Astun Technology. He talked about whether or not we want to follow local council news feeds on twitter… he didn’t seemed quite convinced. His probably hasn’t come across the research I have been doing in this area. Since December 2008, I have been compiling lists of local councils using twitter to either provide RSS feeds or have actual conversations with followers / citizens here. As Simon Wakeman pointed out in his post here, 272 people in Medway are now following their RSS feeds. And did you know, that Newcastle City Council now has 1273 followers?
You might be asking WHY twitter? Well, I think the question that’s more important here is… WHY NOT? Twitter is fairly easy to setup, it’s free and followers can choose to follow and unfollow as they please. Obviously you will have different reaction to local council twitters, as you can see here, but from the many interviews I have conducted with local councils who are using twitter, my recommendation here is, have an objective when you are setting up your local council twitter account. And once you have an objective or goal, monitor and work with the flow/followers to determine the best way forward to increase engagement.
Controlling technology…
Though Mike also mentioned the leak of SOCITM Better Connected password on twitter. So there’s a question of control, which is a fair point. However I wonder how different this is compared to emailing the password, texting it or even calling someone and giving that same piece of information over the phone. The problem here is not the technology; it’s the behaviour or attitude of the people using it. I think over the duration of my research, the one important lesson I’ve learnt is, technology is a challenge that can be overcome by educating and practice, however behaviour and attitude is a social element that is embedded in social media. Therefore even though technology can sometimes fail us, its people who can fix it. Mike did make a good point though, “Cool technologies shouldn’t be the only means to access! There are a lot of accessibility issues and also Disability Discrimination Act.” So take note…
Cool mashups and other mashups in the making in local councils…
I was pleased to see Mike had also talked about Twitterplan, which my blog had written about a few weeks about here. There are a lot of great talent in local councils who are developing many useful mashups. Two groups that are actively doing so that I know of are here (by WarwickshireCC) and here - Local Authority Mapping Collective.
NI 14 anybody?
One of the other thing that keeps coming up whenever I talk about websites in local councils is the NI14 (National Indicator 14 – avoidable contact) is becoming the key driver as pointed out by @carlhaggerty in the #psfbuzz tweets. So how can web 2.0 and social media help? Well the answer is in the numbers. Mike showed some pretty cool data on impact of location-specific content on the web reducing inbound phone calls (via @simonwakeman). He also showed how to measure web 2.0 cash savings. I will try to get the slides and post them here soon. Mike also pointed out that Web 2.0 requires fundamental changes in councils, remove policy barriers, provide open access to your data and use standard formats.
Re-use and re-purpose
One of the interesting points that came out of Simon Smith’s (GOSS Interactive) presentation on “Web 2.0 Glory” is to “re-purpose and re-use” data, which is a key aspect of some website strategies (via @TimCooperUK). As described in the New Zealand’s government “Promoting Government Information and data Re-use” background paper…
“The Internet and web technologies have changed the way information is used and discovered. The Internet is the first place New Zealanders now search to find information2. Web 2.0 technologies and applications bring people and content together and allow the re-purposing of data and information in ways that were not previously possible. People do not make distinctions between government and nongovernment information and data. They expect both to be instantly available.
There is also increasing international demand for governments to provide data in readily usable or re-usable formats. A US Open Government Working Group, comprising 30 invited attendees from influential US organisations, has released a set of principles for open government data7. In Canada, the Citizens for Open Access to Civic Information and Data group is advocating that all levels of government make ‘civic’ information and data accessible at no cost in open formats to their citizens. They believe “this is necessary to allow citizens to fully participate in the democratic process of an “information society”.
To learn more about New Zealand’s Open Government Information and Data Re-use Project, please visit this website.
In an excellent blog post by Vikram Kumar titled “Showing us a better way” . He has some interesting thoughts on what has come out of UK Government’s competition “Show us a better way” and the “Power of Information Taskforce” . I recommend having a quick read-through it. Really interesting thoughts on data reuse.
However according to “Mash the State” (which I wrote about a few weeks ago here), only 21% of councils here in the UK are using RSS on their council websites. So I agree with @mashthestate that open data is a long, long way off the rate. Unless we quickly move to action and make the data available, it could all just end up going up in smoke.
YouTube and Flickr accessibility issues…
Some might argue that using a YouTube and Flickr for local councils are a waste of time due to the accessibility issues. However @timdavies makes a good point when he said “But Flickr / YouTube very useful for people with limited literacy. Accessible in different ways…”
But then @theimp67 also makes a good point when he said “Flickr / YouTube are accessible in different ways but also expensive in terms of production.” Though, what are the actual figures on producing some pictures and videos?
- Does anyone have the figures on the cost of producing a picture or video?
- Is it possible that the problem lies in the approach that we use when we create videos?
- Should they or shouldn’t they look as professional as what we see on TV?
- Or are people content with the “rough and ready” formats just as long as they receive the information needed?
- Are local councils so concerned about the content being political but not useful?
- Do the public have any say on the process of producing those pictures or videos?
- Would it be better for the public to produce the content on a local council channel through campaigns and competitions?
- Should a social reporter be spearheading these channels of engagement to ensure ROI?
Total Policy Rethink…
@stevenadams tweeted a very interesting point during Paul McElvaney presentation which was “web 2.0 will require total policy rethink from many council comms… and COUNCILLORS too…” And I certainly agree with this. Though it obviously will not happen overnight because “when changing technology, you have to provide training. This can be used to support culture change” – Paul McElvaney. And according to @PaulJennings, “leadership courses (such as ILM) can be engaging for employees and a chance to understand new technologies such as forums”. The key is to think like your learners (via @davebriggs) and don’t let technology be the barrier. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. Do it yourself where you can. Use flip video and be bold. And the most important point that Paul made during his presentation is “If you got it wrong, you can fix it!”
More interestingly @TimCooperUK also agrees and adds that technology is rarely the issue. As @theimp67 said, its about comms/marketing/politicians/marketing and policy.
Having said that, here is an interesting presentation on “Measuing the impact of social media in Government” which goes through all the web 1.0 measurements then compares them to the web 2.0 measurement. This is an essential read. I highly recommend it.
On one of the slides, Federal Web Managers Council list the top 10 Best Practices for Government Websites which are as follows: -
- Meet all laws, requirements, policies, and other directives for public websites
- Document your governance structure, including roles, relationships, responsibilities, rules, and review processes
- Develop, document, and implement a strategic plan that both incorporates visionary changes and corrects problems with web content
- Focus on top tasks
- Create and manage content effectively and efficiently
- Collaborate within your agency and across government to manage content and eliminate duplication
- Follow usability best practices
- Evaluate the effectiveness of your website
- Make sure the public can find your content
- Create opportunities for the public to interact with their government
Youth participation in social networks….
Tim Davies gave a though provoking presentation on youth participation in social networks at this event. He started off by saying that technology is woven into the fabric of young peoples lives and information flows through friend connections which exists on social networks. The way to engage is to explore these social networks to understand how they work and understand what’s really going on. Its important to remember the skills that are needed here are hardly the technology skills but community engagement skills. Engagement is about the ability to give feedback and engaging with content, so comment is key! Its also important to remember that people – especially young people – will find ways to use technology for which it was not originally intended.
I captured a video with Tim later that day to get a run down on his presentation, and here it is
To Facebook or not to facebook….
Well the obvious thing that pops into mind is “Who the hell in their right mind would want to be a fan of their local council on facebook?” Well, if you check out the local council facebook list I’ve compiled in January 2009, you will possibly be shocked. The message @davebriggs was trying to get through during his presentation is “be where people are”. Through my own experience interviewing citizens, you’d be amazed to know that facebook doesn’t only comprise of people of the younger generation. Quite a few people in their 60s and 70s are also on Facebook for various reasons. And @davebriggs demonstrated this nicely when he informed us that his Dad was also on Facebook (much to his surprise and amusement!). For facebook is about connecting with the people you know on a social networking platform that has the ability to do all sorts of fun things together. However I strongly believe facebooks strength and benefit lies in the communities/groups created. Of course its easy enough to create a group on any forum across the web i.e. yahoo groups/google groups. However having the ability to tell your friends that you just joined a group or campaign and invite others to participate is truly what allows the community to grow and collaborate with each other by swapping information/knowledge on a specific area/issue. Facebook applications are the first step towards widgetisation, with much more flexibility and no emotional commitment.
Please also check out Simon Wakeman’s and Simon Smith’s presentation summary video.
Hope this was useful!!! Sorry for those who couldn’t attend. It was an absolute blast. Hope you can make it next year! 
So… was it useful? Let’s ask Susan!
May 1, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
Videos from attendees of the event. Some YouTube debuts here!
May 1, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
Sarah Reid (NHS)
Fiona Legge (Cheltenham Borough Council)
Susan Richardson (Burnley Borough Council)
Stephen Cross (Hillingdon Council)
Diane Sims (Kirklees Council)
The three cool guys from Solihull Council
Q&A Video: Simon Wakeman and Dave Briggs answer some tough questions!
May 1, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
Turn up your volume to listen to questions please!
Videos: Summary presentations from some of the speakers…
May 1, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
Simon Wakeman’s summary presentation
Simon Smith’s summary presentation
Tim Davies summary presentation.
PSFBuzz is starting to buzz. Who’s talkin’?
April 29, 2009 by Liz Azyan · Leave a Comment
To introduce this post, have a look at this video about Web 2.0 - Transforming government.
So today I’m here in Manchester to attend the PSFBuzz Web 2.0 event. This event features many topics and speakers that I’m looking forward to hear from. The list of speakers and topics are as follows:
- Chairperson - Dave Briggs (Coolio! - one of the first few people that responded to me on twitter! Thanks Dave!) from Davepress.net, an overall digital enabler, will deliver the opening remarks and also deliver a session on Facebook. He’s got some great ideas on this and I for one, can’t wait to hear them!
- Next we have Mike Saunt, founder of Astun Technology. I’ve never met Mike before but I’m really looking forward to hear talk on those three areas that we’re all interested in; social, technology and data mashups. This one sounds a little techy and tho I’m not quite there with my coding skills, I’m sure the implementation that Astun Technology has develop will woo us all! Have a look at what they’ve done on iShareMaps. Quite clever and interesting stuff you got there Mike! Please tell us a bit about that too
- Next up is Simon Smith, UK Sales Manager from GOSS interactive. GOSS is a leading supplier of websites, hosting and Web Content Management solutions - GOSS iCM - and supporting services. You might see one of GOSS iCM babies in action at My Nottingham - Notthingham City Council website. He will be talking about the do’s and the don’t in marketing and internal communications in relation to web 2.0. I know from separate conversations with several local govvies, this particular area is quite tricky and still quite vague. I’m really looking forward to hearing the answers to all those unanswered questions on how to engage citizen and staff from Simon tomorrow. How about you?
- A bit later in the morning we will hear Paul McElvaney, Director, Learning Pool & Becka Johnson, Learning and Development Advisor, Cardiff County Council give a talk about Cardiff County Councils’ strategy when adopting web 2.0 technologies. I haven’t come across anyone from Cardiff County Council, so I’ll be very intrigued to hear what their up to! How did they manage to fly under my radar??? Paul will be talking about motivating the workforce using social media technologies to deliver learning and development strategies. Through my own observation, I find this topic to be critical for all local govs who are or wish to be in tune with the potential of the “new social web”. And I truly believe that in order to harness that potential, the ideas and inspiration must come from 360 degrees of the workforce. Its almost like when we were first introduced to the telephone… in order for the system to work, everyone must have one and knows how to use one. So Paul, we’ll be looking forward to hear more about this from you tomorrow.
- Next is Tim Davies, Director of Practical Participation. Now I’ve seen and heard of Tim Davies from the start, but I don’t think we were ever formally introduced. His done some great work on Youth Participation that you can check out on his blog here. Now Tim will be discussing a very hot topic which involves youth engagement. Now, I remember reading Don Tapscott’s book on “Grown up Digital” that talks about the Gen Y effect, which proved to be a fascinating read. I also follow Danah Boyd’s research on youth behaviour with social networks and its also all very fascinating. So to say the least, I think Tim’s presentation will be nothing less than…. FASCINATING!
- After lunch, Simon Wakeman, Head of Marketing from Medway Council will be talking about social media and councils. I have met Simon personally when I interviewed him for my research at Medway Council. Simon runs a successful blog on marketing and communications that often talk about all the issues we face with social media when engaging with citizens. If you haven’t read his blog or subscribe to it… I suggest YOU DO IT NOW! You can do so by visiting his newly revamped website here (I like the new design Simon!). For Simon’s presentation, I can’t wait to see the “four step model to getting started with social media in local government communications” - brilliant!
- Later in the afternoon we have Paul Canning (eGov consultant) and David White (SEO expert) talking about the stuff I find most exciting if you want to know about how to get your website noticed! I used to dabble in a bit of internet marketing myself and trust me, there is more to the web than just building a website. A lot of hardwork and development strategies must not go unnoticed. But if you listen to the right people and follow their strategies and implementations, it can can have a positive impact on your web presence. Though some of these strategies have changed since the emergence of web 2.0 and this is what Paul and David will be talking about. Looks like we will be listening to a lot of examples here, so keep a close eye on this presentation. I guarantee you will walk away learning something totally new and perhaps some unknown internet marketing terms as well.. (I wonder how I can increase my google pagerank???)
- Last but not least, there’s Alan Holding, Principal Digital Development Officer, MDDA - Manchester Digital Development Agency. Alan will be talking about MDDA’s use of social media tools to support and promote their activities. I’m intrigued to know whether or not other councils have a “Digital Development Agency” and whether or not each council should have one? Well we’ll certainly be getting the answer when Alan demonstrates what MDDA is up to. I’ve never met Alan before, so I will be listening in to his presentation very closely.
So that’s it folks, the round up for tomorrow’s event. Be sure to look here for futher details on the event. And please don’t forget the official PSFBuzz blog developed by Dave Briggs at http://www.psfbuzz.com/ .
See you tomorrow!
Liz
Looking to create some PSFBuzz!
April 25, 2009 by Liz Azyan · 1 Comment
Hey there wonderful people!
Looks like I’ll also be attending the PSFBuzz. Yipee! Thanks to Nick Hill and Ian Cuddy for extending their kind invite to me. I’m really looking forward to hearing what all the speakers will talk about. Also looking forward to meet alot of familiar and unfamiliar faces. If you haven’t followed me yet, I’m at @liz_azyan on twitter… so start following!
Thanks also to Dave Briggs for creating this *wicked cool* blog especially for PSFBuzz. I’ll be blogging about the event as it happens here as well as on my blog at http://www.lgeoresearch.com . So be sure to tune in “When it happens, As it happens” We’re in Real-time baby!
Liz Azyan - LGEO Research
PSFbuzz Twitter- RT @DavidGaleUK: @SocitmPresident "Technology increases councils' productivity by £230m pa. http://bit.ly/c0ygu2 " not even half what could be achieved
- RT @PSFbuzz: Town halls 'saving millions by embracing new technology'? http://bit.ly/coFRKs learn more here http://bit.ly/agSQfw
- Town halls 'saving millions by embracing new technology'? http://bit.ly/coFRKs so learn more here http://bit.ly/agSQfw V ltd free places.
- RT @PSFbuzz: Town halls 'saving millions by embracing new technology'? http://bit.ly/coFRKs #in
- @tomcalver thanks Tom much appreciated.
- PSFbuzz bookmarks