Designing for Civil Society

Local problem solving online

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.

New research network

David Brake reports a new academic initiative in London to bring together graduate students and other researchers interested in the Internet and Development.
Recently a group drawn from seven countries announced creation of a formal Community Informatics Research Network... so interest in the field appears to be growing.... among academics anyway.

Goodbye Wired Up Communities, hello civic KM

How do we move from a "give-em the boxes and wires" approach to social uses of technology to something driven by understanding the information and communication tools and content people need? What's the "something" if it isn't access and computers?
Three years ago the UK Government invested £10 million in giving 12,000 homes in seven communities computers and support "to test how making ICT accessible by putting it straight into people's homes can help overcome the digital divide". The Wired up Communities project was unashamedly tech-driven, and is providing useful lessons through the evaluation process. But we won't see the model rolled-out more widely. Yesterday I revisited SCIP, a project in Brighton and Hove, that is pioneering a different approach. Our conversation led to ideas of "civic knowledge management" as the "something".

Voting, e-participation and usability list

UPA-evoting is a new list dedicated to discussion of the use of technology in voting, primarily with a focus on usability, accessibility, security and privacy issues, but with a holistic approach to the subject. Subject matter may include e-participation, but the list specifically excludes issues related to e-government.

List address: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/upa-evoting
For further information about this list, please contact Louise Ferguson: louisiana@acm.org

Steven Clift promotes 'Public net-work' concept

Globe trotting e-democracy guru Steven Clift is promoting "Public net-work" as a concept .... "the strategic use of information and communications technology to better implement established public policy goals and programs through direct and diverse online stakeholder involvement.  From direct citizen volunteer involvement at the local level to enhanced inter-governmental and NGO participation at the national level, "public net-work" is a new concept that redefines the role of government in the information age." News here of an e-conference October 15-29, plus a paper developing the concept.

Who's who in community technology

This set of links was first developed a couple of years ago and now looks a little dated. Any more to add?

Circuit Riders meet in Bristol

UK Circuit Riders meeting: Sept 29th, Bristol. Ian Runeckles of Lasa will report on progress in the first year of the UK movement and Sean Kenny of Bristol IT Co-op will give a presentation on wireless networking: experiences of using this technology in the community, in the voluntary sector and in rural areas. For further information or to confirm your attendance, email cwilson@lasa.org.uk
More about circuit riders

About David Wilcox

My main interests at the moment are how to help people communicate and engage better in organisations and communities through the use of social software and creative events.That also spills over into bigger issues about how we all relate to each other in the bits of life that aren't work, family, leisure ... civil society.
Some of this goes back to my time as planning correspondent for the London Evening Standard in the 1970s. I wrote about housing, transport, property and the social and economic forces changing the capital's communities.
Since then I have worked as a consultant, writer and trainer, specialising in community engagement and cross sector partnerships. I have also learned a lot through working on community technology projects with Terry Grunwald, and developing workshops games and simulations with my colleague Drew Mackie
I started this blog in 2003 following a workshop called Designing for Civic Society. I also blog at Partnerships Online - which is the name I sometimes work under.
I live in the City of London with my wife Ann Holmes.
Contact me here david@partnerships.org.uk or call +44 (0) 20 7600 0104