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How far can we plan communities, organisations, our lives... and how far should we expect to go with the flow of what happens? Old question, but do we have any new answers?
"No plan survives first engagement with the enemy" said von Clausewitz.
As a consultant it is tempting to run workshop groups through exercises that promise a business plan, action plan, routemap. Tasks are identified, timescales laid out, responsibilities assigned....then reality hits as soon as everyone gets out of the door.
Continue reading "Life is messy - so let's be honest about it" »
John Moore neatly encapsulates How to start a relationship on the basis of manipulation by describing the way advertising agencies get their work. The creatives have to compete in pitching a 'big idea' to clients, spending a great deal and anxious about their hit rate. Clients think they are getting a lot of free ideas, but end up paying a premium to cover wasted effort elsewhere. John reflects that "starting agency relationships this way virtually guarantees dysfunction."
His item prompted me to think about the way that public bodies choose consultants for community engagement and civil renewal projects, and the resulting dysfunction that can occur and affect a wider range of interests.
Continue reading "How to start an unsatisfactory engagement" »
Technology could impact on the next UK general election several ways, suggests Mike Butcher writing at mbites- and e-voting isn't one of them. Part of it may be the increase in organising through the Net, as show by US presidential Democratic candidate Howard Dean. More important, says Mike, could be the aim of politicians to cut administrative cost by moving services online.
Continue reading "How tech might tip UK election - and not through e-voting" »
Blogs and wikis are now an established part of technology conferences like ETCon, with participants posting commentary to their own sites or a common space. But is that realistic for other events? Recently the British Council gave me a chance to find out - and it worked really well thanks to the enthusiasm of a group of international participants. Particularly since for most English was not their first language, and blogging was a new experience. You can see the results here.
Continue reading "Blogging can add buzz to your conference" »
Research sponsored by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds limited interest in the Internet among older people living in sheltered housing. Perhaps not surprisingly, those interested generally saw it as entertainment rather than 'must have', and many needed help in using the Net. The JRF research, by Maria Sourbati in 2002, revealed ambivalence among residents about the Government's push to move services online, because of possible loss of traditional forms of provision. "Many saw it as a substitute for physical activity and human contact, and a threat of further isolation. Some felt that services enabling the continuation of everyday routines (such as shopping for food) or providing support (for example, transferring prescriptions) could be useful to homebound people."
In theory the Net should be a good way for like-minded people to connect and develop ideas, or solve problems, to benefit their local community. But who is doing that - or facilitating it - effectively? Jonathan Briggs, who runs the Reengage blog commented on my speed networking post, saying "I'm really up for some further discussions about how we use technology to link people to other people to solve small problems. Dating sites for problem solving? ;-)"
Jonathan's query promoted me to look again at the 'Who's who in community technology' pages I started a few years ago.
Lee Bryant of Headshift has provided a useful roundup of the San Diego ETCon and social networking developments. The guys from iSociety were there too presenting ideas for using social software in Skyhouse, and referenced the collectively blogged (or wikied?) notes of conference participants. The conference wiki is here. Wonderful stuff from Tom Coates too.
Update
Skyhouse presentation now here
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