What is Communities 2.0? •  Digital technology – such as mobile phones, computers and the

internet - is becoming an important part of our everyday lives. However, there are many people who live and work in Wales who are missing out on the benefits of new technology.

•  Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Assembly Government project which helps community groups, voluntary organisations and social enterprises in Wales to benefit from technology. We want to break down the barriers to using technology, inspire people, build confidence and create opportunities.

h"p://www.communi.es2point0.org.uk/  

Making a Case for e-participation  Aim  To  start  considering  the  organisa.onal  implica.ons  of  exploring  and  developing  online  spaces  as  a  means  of  par.cipatory  and  collabora.ve  working      Objec)ves  By  the  end  of  the  workshop  par.cipants  will  have:  -­‐  explored  how  social  media  can  be  of  direct  benefit  in  a  par.cipatory  context  -­‐  considered  which  social  media  may  be  useful  to  their  area  of  work  -­‐  seen  some  quick,  easy  and  fun  ways  to  engage  with  the  technology  and  publish  content  online!

June 15th 2012

What is e-participation? How does it differ from “traditional”-participation?

The Social Web The social web and new media platforms have enabled us to participate, collaborate and share content in new ways. These tools when if used effectively can form a dynamic part of an engagement strategy that is complementary to an off-line approach. The social web offers an opportunity to work smarteer by embedding principles of dynamic collaboration, sharing and publishing in our approach to engagement and participation.

Characteristics of the Social Web

•  Collaboration & Sharing •  Conversations through Social Media - creates a dialogue •  Driving word of mouth •  Builds relationships •  Helps deliver trust •  Importance of honesty and integrity

Participatory Media “...is media of, by, and for the people where for the first time the producers,

editors and consumers of information are the same.” http://paramedia.org

The Usual Suspects The challenges are the same online as offline:

90-9-1

Just because people can, it does not necessarily follow that they will…

Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where–” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

γνῶθι σεαυτόν

WHO are your audience, where are they? WHAT do you want your audience to do specifically? WHY should they be interested, what’s in it for them? HOW are you going to engage? (Tools)

People First, Technology Last

Examples School Dinners http://neverseconds.blogspot.co.uk/ Cutting Carbon http://www.1010global.org/uk Talk to Frank http://www.talktofrank.com/ Shell Arctic Ready (Greenpeace) http://arcticready.com/social/gallery Tenovus http://www.tenovus.org.uk/ Friends of Cardiff Dog’s Home http://twitter.com/CardiffDogs GEECS http://geecs.tumblr.com/

Some Thoughts The tools are flexible and can be used as you require. Content is king! This is about working smarter and not about creating more work for you and your organisation. You don’t need to produce ALL of the content – collaborate, participate and have conversations. Content creation can become a driver of participation as well as a facilitator both online and offline– arts and crafts, public events, screenings etc.

Getting Started Start a small blog and link your social accounts to publish smarter. Use the blog to aggregate content. Play and experiment with the tools. Be inquisitive, ask questions, have conversations, be a tinkerer, engage, participate! Be genuine. Aim <BIG>