Category Archives: innovation

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What (globally) keeps you awake at night?

March 11, 2009 – 5:21 pm

I’m really looking forward to social reporting at the World Entrepreneur Summit on March 20, not least because the organisers are doing some honest agenda setting by asking “what is it about the current global situation that keeps you awake at night”?
As you can see from the programme there are some pretty well-informed speakers on managing through challenging times, focussing on sustainability, and accessing finance.
That’s before we get to the Open Space session on “What will the future of Capitalism look like”?
Summit organiser Rebecca Harding has an impressive record as a researcher and writer in the field, and is encouraging anyone interesting to take the survey here. In true entrepreneurial spirit the  “keep you awake” checklist of possibilities:

  • The future of capitalism
  • The macroeconomic climate
  • Climate change and environmental destruction
  • Widening inequality between the richest and poorest communities in the world
  • Under-development in Africa

… is presented in the next question as  list of possible opportunities. read more »

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Government needs advice? Just open up and ask.

February 18, 2009 – 11:28 pm

The blog of the IDeA Strategy and Development Unit may sound dry, but it provides an open window into the workings (and not workings) of local government. It is about Policy and Performance.
The other day there was a great post on the 10 local government social media myths including “it’s all about the tools”, “it’s only the young who use social media”, “It’s too hard” and “It’s easy” … all neatly disposed of.
Ingrid Koehler has an insightful piece on Does digital inclusion mean social inclusion? and I have now just seen Read on if you dare! from Ingrid’s colleague Adrian.

Are you brave enough to read on? You are about to read reports of a meeting at CLG (Department of Communities and Local Government), so if I accidentally transcend the bounds of confidentiality, you may have to crunch on a cyanide tablet. Or I might have to self-destruct. However, since it was about providing information to the public, any over-concern with secrecy would be less likely to attract the attention of the secret than the irony police.

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All posts asides innovation

Social Innovation Lab site launched

February 5, 2009 – 5:34 pm

Tessy Britton points to … The Social Innovation Lab for Kent has
had its stealth site made live. It really is pretty marvellous! There
are lots of ideas and working methods as well as case studies and
videos.

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Power of Information open for commenting

February 2, 2009 – 8:17 pm

The Power of Information Taskforce report recommendations to UK Government include “public servants should be active in online peer support forums concerned with their areas of work,” and “public servants will require adequate internet access to take part in social media as part of their job,” plus proposals for a “backstage” open online innovation space for co-creation of services by public and staff. In that spirit the report site is open for comment before finalising proposals.

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All posts innovation

Social Innovation Camp – now you can vote

November 21, 2008 – 1:22 pm

Social Innovation Camp have extended their competitive-collaborative model for bringing together those people who have ideas for social change with web developers and others who could help put them into practice.

Earlier this week at the monthly SI Camp meetup we heard how 115 proposals had been (competitively) submitted and whittled down to six for the SI Camp weekend December 5-7, where the collaboration takes place. It was foody as well as techie. Details here. read more »

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All posts asides innovation

Lucy in the sky becomes a Director of Digital Innovation

November 1, 2008 – 7:51 pm

Congratulations to Lucy Hooberman on her appointment at Warwick Digital lab as the new Director of Digital Innovation from December. Lucy wrote an interesting blog about innovations in her work at BBC’s Future Media & Technology Division.

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asides innovation

Tips for winning at SI Camp

October 16, 2008 – 10:23 pm

The Social Innovation Camp team has analysed what excited them about projects that won last time: proof of potential; people-power; technology, but not just for geeks. You have until November 7 to enter for the next Camp in December, (bearing these tips in mind).

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Another open bid to government shapes up

October 14, 2008 – 9:09 am

After promoting some very helpful discussion about the idea of local digital mentors – included in the recent Communities in Control White Paper – Dave Briggs is now doing something to help develop a network of people who might play that role:

To pick up on the thread of Digital Mentors – the role outlined by CLG to help disadvantaged communities find a voice online – I have started a new site along with a growing bunch of collaborators to develop the role online, gather stories and resources together and maybe to unorganise a tender bid when the funding for the pilot projects becomes available.

I’d encourage anyone interested to get involved: check out the blog, sign up to the mailing list and throw some stuff up on the wiki.

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All posts collaboration events innovation open

Collaboration needs real pay-offs. Where does tech best fit?

October 8, 2008 – 5:16 pm

In recent posts I’ve looked at two models for collaborative social innovation: Social Innovation Camp and RSA Networks. In the SI Camp model people pitch project ideas openly, collaborate within newly-formed project teams, then compete against each other. In RSA Networks people pitch ideas, look for collaborators, and may also get some help from RSA staff. Both are, in part, about the use of social technology, but my analysis of them both – compared here – brings home, I hope, that technology is not the key element for success. What’s important is the underlying model for moving from idea to implementation, and reward.

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All posts innovation

Can RSA help bridge the social innovation divide?

October 6, 2008 – 9:55 pm

There’s something of a digital divide emerging in the UK between those who believe that web-enabled social innovation is almost impossible within established nonprofit organisations, because of their management structures, culture and generally low-level of tech skills, and those who believe charities can make the change if they really try. See my item on Social Innovation Camp for illustrations of the “outsider” view.

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