Month: June 2008

Government Consultation on Web Standards and use of social media

Emma Mulqueeny spotted that the Central Office of Information is currently consulting on government use of metadata and social media.

The evidence of the consultation existing is here, although, as Emma says, there’s no clear route to join the conversation. Our own Andy Mabbett (by that I mean fellow brummie) commented on the blog post to say that some of the earlier consultation conversation happened at the Public Sector Web Management Group and also some discussion of accessibility standards at The Pickards.

Thanks for the pointers Andy but neither is showing any identifiable conversation yet on either social media or metadata. It’s odd to have a government web site telling us a subject is out to consultation without it being clear how we can join that conversation.

Next week I’m in London at the invitation of Simon Berry (of Rural Net but also currently seconded to the Department for Communities and Local Government) to further explore how social media is and can be used to help improve community empowerment. The story telling that we have done through the Grassroots Channel podcasts was exactly about that. Simon has already established a shared space where ideas an be circulated and developed.

Other lines of conversation were also opened up by Jeremy Gould at intensely enjoyable UKGovBarcamp early this year. Does anyone know if there is such a thing for the COI’s consutation on social media and metadata?

I’ve put a call into the COI press office and will let you know what they say.

Birmingham's Local Strategic Partnership on Youtube: Cutting CO2

[youtube:https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gvO4_oT5NQE]

Here’s a short film we made last week for Be Birmingham, the city’s recently revamped Local Strategic Partnership.
The film is a short piece which includes Dame Ellen MacArthur talking about the launch of the partnerships CO2 challenge for 2008 – that each of us should look for way to cut 100kg of CO2 in the next year. The yachtswoman is passionate about how we are wasting resources and used her own blog to say how impressed she is with the energy building up here in brum.

In the 100 seconds are also some tips from people on what you might want to do. If you start changing your behaviour to save CO2 you can also sign up here – so your tally is added to the cities huge target of cutting carbon by 60% come 2026. All part of last week’s enjoyable yet controversial Climate Change Festival.
You can comment on the film here and I’d love it if you did.

Hands up whose blog helps them learn? The Charity Commission thinks you're wrong.

I’m frowning at a consultation report published in March 2008 by the Charity Commission.

Public Benefit and the Advancement of Education March 2008 is the commissioners trying to clarify when an educational institution (private school) can or can’t claim charity status. However on page 18 they write:

There are two main aspects to educative merit or value:
• is the subject capable of being of educative value; and
• is the process such that it delivers educative value?

Fair enough, except by way of illustrating point 2 they add:

A modern example might be a ‘wiki’ site which might contain information about
historical events but, as the content is superficial and this information is not
verified in any way, it would not be accepted as having educational value without
positive evidence.
The Commission, having been satisfied on the evidence before it, accepted in a
particular case that an interactive website was a process capable of delivering
educative value as it was capable of delivering learning through improving the
student’s analytical and learning skills.
An individual’s blog, on the other hand, is not likely to be of educative value, as
neither the subject matter nor the process is of educational value.

As an explanation of why key social media tools are mechanisms with limited educational value I would say the report appears to be superficial and I can’t see that the information is verified in any way. I learn huge amounts through my blog and from wikis.

So which of you find your blogs to be of educational value? Which of you have been able to use wikis as a way of learning?

If you want to give the commission feedback on this consultation there doesn’t appear to be a way of commenting online on the document. It would of course be much better on the web not as a clunky pdf but as a wiki or maybe even a blog with a series of pages so we can comment on different aspect of the consultation – and then everyone can learn from it.

The only email address I could find was pressenquiries@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk – which is OK to use because the press office will show a close interest in how the commission communicates and its reputation online.

Bridging the digital divide is about strengthening human networks not internet access.

We can’t bridge the digital divide simply by providing internet access. Stepping across that divide comes when people use the internet to strengthen their social network and enrich their stock of social capital.

When web access is used as an alternative mechanism to passively consume media, adverts, opportunities to buy or even help from public services the power relationship stays essentially unchanged. Earlier today Jo Geary clearly made the point that the digital divide is not simply about acess to technology. Loads of people have access to the internet, but choose to use it rarely or not at all.

That’s what I’m thinking after a couple of hours at the Big Debate on Digital Utopia – Power and powerlessness here in brum. You can watch it here (bambuser provided by Mark Comerford) or read the live coverage here (liveblogged by Pete Ashton).

Chris Unitt blogged about this yesterday, saying that the web becomes attractive to people when we understand they need help reaching it which is pitched at their level.

To my mind the digital divide is much like the economic divide between work and worklessness. If someone has been out of work for a long time it may well be a question of getting them into the flow of new networks, connections that can give them the confidence and the information to find and keep a job.

To step higher up the work chain is again often connected to connections. Strengthening your network to gain greater access to ideas, intelligence, support and encouragement can make the critical difference between being led and becoming a leader. To do this people will often benefit from a mentor or a sponsor, someone in their existing network who’ll get them across the bossed and boss divide.

Also at the big debate was graduate apprentice who’s post neatly summarises some of the key points made during the discussion between: Joanna Geary – Digital Journalist, Birmingham Post; Chris Cooke from Unlimited Media; Anthony Rose – Head of Digital Media for the BBC and Dr Doug Williams – Project Director, BT. Alex Hughes knocked out some neat cartoons for us, whilst Jon Bounds illustrated how online social capital helps substitute for old power conventions rather neatly:

In the pre-internet age, the opinions of panellists, debaters,
those “selected” where the only ones heard and would be automatically
given credence, but now unless the reputation of the speaker precedes
them I can think of twenty people I regularly communicate online with
who would tear the discussion apart with wit and actual experience.It’s those voices that I want to hear and online is the only real way to get them all together.

I was pleased that the Birmingham Post, New Generation Arts Festival and the ICC had brought this group to Birmingham. What really worked for me though was the conversations afterwards, not least bumping into dave Harte in Brindley Place as I left the ICC. Dave blogged this morning about the real question not being today’s question of ‘Digital – More Power or Powerless’ but being Useful or Useless.

But if we are at the forefront then we need to listen to ourselves now
and again. At best we demonstrate the vibrancy of living in an exciting
city with lots to offer but at worst it descends into a curious
uncritical mush and represents our city as one with its head in the
sand – too excitable to see the wheat from the chaff or tell the good
times from the bad.

Time for proof then.