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Time to celebrate failure at FailCamp

When you are starting something new the most useful stories are often honest accounts from those who have failed - as Clay Shirky said in an interview last year. Now the social media folk in Birmingham - source of many successes - are promoting the idea of FailCamp. As Pete Ashton says (read more...)

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Making empty spaces work again

Yesterday I went along to a meeting of the Space Makers network, which (read more...)

June 24, 2009
Localgovcamp enlightens cultivating the digital garden

Last Saturday’s Localgovcamp in Birmingham provided me with a blindingly-obvious insight. If we want to use social media to improve public services and local democracy, build social capital, and tackle every other known social ill, innovatively (of course) in the face of spending cuts (inevitably) then there isn’t one big idea and intervention that will work. It’s about cultivating the whole of the digital British garden.
We need community websites and blogs, lots of work inside councils, mashing up of data, research, better connections, and all the other things that were talked about on the day.
Totally obvious … and in the world of physical renewal we’ve got used to say environmental AND economic AND social AND working with a mix of interests. (read more...)

June 22, 2009
How to set up a community website: are these the right conversations starters?

I’m currently working for an enlightened public sector client in London who wants to help local people use social technology to help maintain and extend improvements to their neighbourhood made in recent years. That could involve building on existing networks, promoting local activities and organisations, supporting collaborations … even pushing for more localised services.

Not surprisingly one of the ideas is for a community web site, supported by social/community reporters. It’s just the sort of thing that Will Perrin is promoting through Talk About Local - to be based in Birmingham - and Gary Copitch through People Voice’s Media, currently in the North West.

As a first step I said I would provide a list of key points for officers to discuss with potential community website developers and reporters. I wanted something that would cover the ground, but not be too off-putting. We could add in more detail once we saw where the main issues would be. This isn’t a “how to” guide for community activists … or (I hope) an over-cautious approach for a local council. It’s a set of conversation-starters. (read more...)

June 16, 2009

Briefly [Read more...]

  • The Politico blog offers us an update on the Obama Administration's open government initative to be transparent, participatory, collaborative. On the one hand the call for federal employees fell a bit flat - possibly because they didn't get official instructions. On the other hand the public brainstorming produced, among other things, further campaigning for marijuana legalisation. "End the Imperial Presidency" got most votes. Will Downing Street be tempted to emulate? #
  • Kevin Harris offers some discussion of the relationship between active citizenship, volunteering and community action ... suggesting we need to explore the nuances of different roles. I agree - especially as funding cuts will reduce state provision and social media may stengthen local voices. Message: don't take us for granted. #
  • Uamair Haque has Twitter's Ten Rules for Radical Innovators that go to the heart of how social technologies underpin or encourage doing things differently. Or maybe doing things in ways we've lost but are now refinding (see Rohan on Ungeeking). I'm going to work them in to the propositions developed for Social by Social. #
  • The e-government/Digital Engagement Minister Tom Watson is to stand down from Government when the Prime Minister's reshuffle takes place shortly, confirming earlier speculation. #
  • More social media theses, inspired by The Cluetrain Manifesto.  Over at Social Media Strategy Steve Radick has written Twenty Theses for Government 2.0. Apparently Pesident Obama's transparency and open government initiative is producing much excitement among those offering services to government, and reality checks are appropriate. Some resonance with the 45 propositions developed for the Social by Social handbook. Tweeted by UK Minister Tom Watson, so noted in Whitehall no doubt. #

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… where I’m telling stories about web-enabled social innovation, blending online and offline facilitation, promoting collaboration across boundaries. How it started >.