Communities & Local Government engaging with bloggers

The Department for Communities & Local Government did some great work in engaging people with the Empowerment White Paper entitled Communities in Control. Some of the activity included a blog, forum, Twitter feed, online video and photos hosted on Flickr. What was originally going to be a very short term programme has been extended, which is also great news.

One of the aspects of the white paper that I, and others, found particularly interesting was that around Digital Mentors, people working in deprived communities to help give them a voice by providing them with the skills and tools to tell their stories using online means. Quite a few posts and comments were written, showing the appetite amongst the social web community for this kind of role.

Well, it seems like things are moving on and developing within the department, and what is really exciting is that those working on the Digital Mentor idea are starting to engage with the bloggers. I’m particularly chuffed that Georgia Klein chose my blog to leave this comment on:

Thanks for the blogging about Digital Mentors. I’m at CLG tasked with consulting informally with stakeholders to help me shape the document to go out to tender so that pilots can start April 09. I’d be really keen to recieve your wish list / views on what you think a mentor should look like based on your experiences and how one builds sustainability into these models. I’ll be watching out for your comments here but you can also contact me at [email removed to reduce spamming a little bit, you can find it on the original comment]. Be warned, the timetable for this initial consultation round is tight - mid-Oct (there may be more opportunities through the formal procurement process).

Quite a few readers of this blog have already commented, so do please add your views on the subject - as the department is listening!

This is a great example, though, of government finding where the conversations are happening and getting involved with them, making the most of the enthusiastic amateurs who are generating ideas and solutions online for no reason other than that they are interested. Let’s hope we see more of it in the future!

Digital dialogues third report

Am very late in writing about this, but am only just getting round to reading the third report produced by the Digital Dialogues project. This bit, from the Guidance and Recommendations section, is very nicely put:

From our research we have identified four conditions that lead to a higher probability of success with online engagement:

1. Engagement is embedded within the processes and culture of the organisation, it does not just happen as an afterthought or on the periphery.
2. The choice of engagement tool is driven by the need, not by the technology.
3. Engagement works when organisations are prepared to listen – risk aversion and a fear of exposing the organisation to the outside are the biggest inhibitors of good listening and, therefore, of successful online engagement.
4. Reflexivity is vital to success and organisations that are adaptable – able to listen, reflect, learn, respond and change – prove better at engagement.

UK Youth Online

Tim Davies has blogged again about UK Youth Online, the barcamp he is arranging for somewhere in London on 17 May. It reminded me that I have totally failed to post about it yet.

What’s it all about? Well, according to the rather lovely invite Tim has designed:

We are a collection of youth workers, participation workers, youth website managers,  innovators, technology developers, optimists, open minded sceptics, young people,  consultants, practitioners, managers, and many more things.

• Between us we are interested in topics that include:
• Online information services for young people
• Supporting young people’s online interaction and activity
• Researching young people and the internet/blogging/social networking etc.
• Developing online tools and platforms for young people
• Exploring online technologies in education and participation
• Young people’s civic engagement online
• School councils, youth councils and local e-democracy
• On-line video and web radio

And we’re coming together on 17th May 2008 in London for a BarCamp – and informal conference where we set the agenda on the day and have creative, constructive and dynamic demonstrations, discussions and knowledge sharing.

Sounds good to me. I will certainly be popping along, and I would encourage everyone that reads this blog to do so as well. you can sign up using Tim’s nifty Google Docs / Pageflakes mashup wotsit at http://ukyouthonline.org.

Oh, and if anyone knows of a venue, do let Tim know. Thanks.