How to transform local government engagement

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I spent a hugely inspiring and energising time in Stockholm last week. I was there at the invitation of the Swedish Association of Local Government and Regions to take part in their e-Participation Summit. For me it was a real demonstration of collaborative thinking and the ideas and energy in the group made it one [...]

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Policymaking in the Cloud: Doing Things Differently

On February 24, 2012, in eParticipation, Open data, Policy, Social media, UK, by Andy Williamson
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Cloud computing is a popular buzzword. It means that the data and applications we use can be hosted anywhere then distributed to us on any device, wherever we are, whenever we want them. It extends one of the most powerful practical applications of the internet, namely letting us do things on our own terms (in [...]

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Social Media and Protest Movements

On February 17, 2012, in Audio, Campaigning, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, Politics, Social media, UK, Video, by Andy Williamson
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Voice of Russia’s Scott Craig interviews Jonathan Lea, Mark Pack, Peter Lekarev and myself about the impact of social media on protest movements in Russia and the Middle East. Part 1 Part 2

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You only count if you show up

On February 15, 2012, in Campaigning, Digital inclusion, eParticipation, Open data, Parliament, Politics, by Andy Williamson
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If there was one sound bite that stood out for me at the last Translation Layer event, it was Stef Gray’s ‘policy is written by those who show up’. If that’s the case (and it’s hard to argue against it) then the job for all of us concerned with democracy and engagement is simple… get [...]

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The problem isn’t lobbyists, it’s the system

On December 6, 2011, in Campaigning, Mainstream media, Parliament, Politics, UK, by Andy Williamson
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There’s an interesting discourse around the exposure of Bell Pottinger’s shameful behaviour, which shows excellent work from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. On the one side stand the majority of us, ordinary people and those who believe in the power of democracy. On the other there’s a small elite group of people who will be [...]

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Like: The revolution is social

On November 30, 2011, in Community informatics, Digital democracy, Digital inclusion, Open data, Politics, Social media, by Andy Williamson
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This paper was given as a keynote address to the Community Informatics Research Network Conference, Prato, Italy November 2011. Download a formatted copy of the paper here (54K PDF). We live in the ‘like’ society. A society that has changed dramatically over the last 30 years. The advent of neo-liberalism from the late 1970s has [...]

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How not to do a digital campaign

On November 24, 2011, in Campaigning, Civil society, eParticipation, Parliament, Politics, UK, by Andy Williamson
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I’ve been impressed with the way 38 Degrees has given grass-roots campaigning a bit of a nudge lately. But their latest campaign is a case study in how not to do it. It’s patronising, doomed to failure and guaranteed to get people off side. Why? First of all, it’s a petulant knee-jerk reaction. Never a [...]

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e-Petitions aren’t being taken seriously by MPs

On November 16, 2011, in ePetitions, Parliament, UK, by Andy Williamson
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MPs are treating the new e-Petitions system (and therefore the people that sign them) with little more than lip-service, verging on contempt. I’ve argued that successful petitioning systems have absolutely nothing to do with technology – although the internet does lower barriers and make the public process easier – they are about having an effective [...]

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From instinct to theory

On November 16, 2011, in Community informatics, Research, Theory, by Andy Williamson
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‘Community informatics doesn’t have much theory’… well, actually it does, it’s just that practitioners don’t call it that. Practice is (or feels) more instinctive, more intuitive. But if theory does exist (and we know it does) how does practice inform the organic development of it and the creation of new theoretical models? What roles does [...]

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Networked neighbourhoods are connected on the ground as well as online

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Everyone benefits from a better connected, networked neighbourhood. That’s not a digital concept. It’s a social one. But you can benefit more, more directly, if you’re online. Increasingly, you can only take part directly if you’re online. And, as the Race Online’s Natasha Innocent made clear, too many of us still aren’t. I chaired a [...]

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