Tag: Birmingham UK

Podnosh is based in Birmingham in the UK, so often we write about exciting things that are going on near us.

Online Petitions for Birmingham City Council.

Kris Kowalewski at Birmingham City Council press office has sent me this:

Online petitions are set to be introduced by Birmingham City Council as a 21st Century way for citizens to express their views on matters of concern.  Under the plans, the new easy-to-use system, accessible via www.birmingham.gov.uk, will go live later this month.

E-petitoners will be able to upload external documents and images as supporting information and follow the progress of their petition through its life cycle thanks to a timeline function.  Additionally the system would give users access to support materials to market their petition to the public and be given the ability to create paper-based versions of petitions to run at the same time.

Those working on the scheme in partnership with the city council include Digital Birmingham and Service Birmingham.  Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The introduction of an e-petition facility promises to be major step forward for the city of Birmingham.  “It will provide an additional mechanism for people to have their say on issues – strengthening and broadening citizens’ access and participation in democratic decision-making.  “As a council we are committed to embracing modern technologies and enabling citizens to make the most of the digital age. This project is clear evidence of this.”

Funding for the system would be supplied by the EU, which would also foot the bill for any amendments and upgrades that are needed over the next two years.

The most prominent online petition system was created by MySociety for the 10 Downing Street site and has created all sorts of political ructions since it went live in in November 2006. It was an early triumph in the process of using the internet to nurture a conversation between governed and government.  The Downing Street site also gets used for local petitions, such as this one started by the Bradley Stoke Examiner in Gloucestershire.

The Scottish Parliament has also be at it since January 2007 and Kingston upon Thames was one of the first local authorities to get started back in February 2007.

Birmingham City Council will use the Public-i E-Petitions system used by the ones mentioned above and by Bristol City Council.  There is a set up cost this financial year of £7,500 followed by an expected annula running cost of £1,332, currently funded for two years from EuroPetition project.  Source from the Democratic services minutes here (pdf) and here (pdf).

Also see Jon and Stef.

Links for April 29th, 30th and May 1st

  • Cabinet Office API programme: All Civil Service Jobs – An API for all Civil service jobs. To play with.
  • Anecdote: Vital behaviours for knowledge sharing – “Hmmm, I think people spend more time moving about the floor and having conversations,”
  • Your Right To Know » Article: Beef or chicken? Same gravy, different flavour – You can’t hope for a better result as a campaigner than to have the prime minister announce a major policy change within 48 hours of your documentary. Is this the power of television? Was Brown watching and choking on his dinner?
  • Charlie Beckett: Faster than the speed of mind: is media change out of control? – Some institutions should not fear the digital reaper. Anders Sandberg thinks that the value of the British Museum, for example, lies in its amazing collection of unique objects. They won’t change in a digital age. You could create a virtual British Museum but that would be additional to rather than replace the core essential value of its physical collection.Conventional libraries on the other hand may have to face up to the extinction of their previous book-based business model. The physical library could become irrelevant.
  • Basic Premises For Every Community Manager | Connie Bensen – Here’s a summary of the basic premises every community manager should keep in mind. And companies that are creating communities should also realize their importance.
  • Business Strategy: Ordnance Survey – it has determined that Ordnance Survey should implement a new business strategy to meet the changing needs of customers and the wider market.
  • WordPress in UK Government: an informal audit. Puffbox – “I thought it was about time I compiled a list of all the UK (central) government web projects I know of, which use WordPress.”
  • Headliners | 2009 | Drug Pressures in Alum Rock – Headliners in Brum: “This film was produced by Headliners reporters; Moneeb Khan, 14, Idrees Suleman, 13, Zayyan Ahmed, 12, Mohammed Ehsan, 13, Ahsan Arshad, 11, Wasim Arif, 18, Adnan Hussain, 16 and Mohammed Abass, 17”
  • BCN (Birmingham Canal Navigations) « CanalScene – Like this site and it’s use of Google Maps to trace canals.
  • DFID – UK Department for International Development – What I like about this site is the way it puts the story first – makes space at the top for frsh content. It’s designed to encourage a conversation between dfid and the rest of us.
  • Your content at risk: A credit crisis for the co-created web – If Flickr were to fail, how would that change your online generosity? Of course, Flickr would not be the first to disappear, taking our treasured content with it. But it would be the first co-created giant of the social media age to tank.  Imagine the holes it’s sudden desctruction would leave across millions of websites and blogs… there would be one on this blogpost, for a start.
  • Report: Social Media And Video Site Engagement Reshapes The Web | Nielsen Wire – “The meteoric growth in social media is the single most significant story in the online media space today. The numbers speak for themselves: the continuing growth in audience and engagement are like the bullet train that could.
    On the other hand, the implications of the social media phenomenon for marketers and publishers far outweigh the impressive metrics: the world’s leading marketers are realizingthat at the heart of the social media movement lies a method to transform the manner in which brands communicate with
    their consumers. We may be on the cusp of a disintermediationthat the advertising world hasn’t yet experienced.”
  • Government API Directory – ProgrammableWeb – Says what it is

Birmingham Social Media Surgery No: 6 – May 13th 2009

So we’ve made it to a full half a dozen  surgeries, cracking. Scroll down for a report on Surgery no 5.

If you belong to a Birmingham based community or neighbourhood group or charity please Come and join us for the May 13th 2009 Surgery.

When & Where

Next Surgery: Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 drop in anytime between 5.30pm to 7.00pm at Fazeley Studios, 191 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6DR,  link to map. (not BVSC) It’s opposite the bond and a go kart track. Push the large pale blue door with the silver door knob.

To sign up please go here.

Social Media Surgery in Birmingham, from HNM_1977 on Flickr
Social Media Surgery in Birmingham, from HNM_1977 on Flickr

So what happened last time?  Well, Paul Henderson took the photo above whilst Chris Ivens summed up the point of the surgeries rather neatly:

Q: What is a Social Media Surgery?  A: With an abundance of buzz-words at every tick and turn and an almost daily mention of twitter in the news we try to look at what technologies could really help your organisation and we’re here to explain in plain English what they are. It’s not a sales pitch nor are you obliged to do anything after the meet, I guess it’s the old cliché; ‘Giving Something Back’. If you come and find the session useful, please pass on the word so more people can benefit.

As with most of our surgeries, people went away having set up new blogs or picked up tips about how else they can use the social web to help their project, programme, campaign or neighbourhood.

Cannon Hill People’s Park came along for the second time. Tony Fox said of his first surgery:

Thanks to the brilliant advice and support we got last time it inspired us to put our Net.website up (just), and we’ll be along to discuss building on our Social support!

Tony and his team have now begun making good use of google maps.  Karen and Geoff Caine are the first people who’ve made the move from patient to surgeon, having now made good use of their newish blog for the City Centre Neighbourhood Forum, explored with google maps and begun to encourage people to use services such as the excellent fixmystreet.

It was a good evening for neighbourhood groups.  Ged Hughes of the Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum came along, her first time at a surgery. She left saying she would love to come again and the following day created a blog for the forum. (Hurrah!).  The first post tells us that their AGM is on May 14th, the day after the next social media surgery. It also pointed me to another local group already using social media, the Acocks Green Focus Group.

Other neighbourhood interest came from the East Yardley Neighbourhood Forum who went away with a head crammed full of ideas and established this starting point for conquering the social web world. Also John Heaven was with us looking for help on how to build on what is already being achieved at Lozells.info.

Laura Creaven  of LUCIA Charity set up this personal blog and has got off to a roaring start. Her take on the surgery:

I have to say it was a fascinating meeting and I’m really glad I went. I’m all a bit keen about what we could achieve with it. So I’m a little excited about going to work tomorrow – sad isn’t it?!

Also with us was Mary from Birmingham Friends of the Earth and Attiya from the Health Exchange who left having set up an experimental personal blog.

The ever brilliant all-volunteer surgeons were Ben Waddington,  Nicky Getgood, Chris Ivens, Pete Ashton, Paul Henderson, Gavin Wray, Daniel Davis, Simon Whitehouse.  Neil Houston – who blogs about food – joined us for his first session and Rob Annable gave some great help on open source mapping. I love the way the people who help at the surgeries vary from month to month, so endless thanks for their help and a particular thank you to Diane from Fazeley Studios who also volunteers her time to keep the place open.   I always forget at least one person when I list these, so apologies in advance and please just tell me and I’ll put it right.