Goldilocks and the Three Bears: a story about social computing in government Matthew Hodgson Web and Information Management Service Offering Lead, ACT SMS Management & Technology

Goldilocks and Porridge

Three Bears and Porridge

Information Disconnect

Govt. Department and Information Disconnect

The Problem “ How can you determine what’s in these reports so that one world view can inform the other?” “ How do you create business processes and tools that connects these two world views of information?” - Mark Allenby, SMS Consultant

“ How can you determine what’s in these reports so that one world view can inform the other?”

“ How do you create business processes and tools that connects these two world views of information?”

A typical approach Might meet the businesses needs Would it meet users’ needs?

Using a taxonomy? Issues Need to have a finite set of ‘things’ to build a good taxonomy Content of reports are not finite and change over time Doesn’t fit people’s personal view of information No one will use it (except for the experts) Extensibility Taxonomy needs to be redesigned to adapt to new information

Issues

Need to have a finite set of ‘things’ to build a good taxonomy

Content of reports are not finite and change over time

Doesn’t fit people’s personal view of information

No one will use it (except for the experts)

Extensibility

Taxonomy needs to be redesigned to adapt to new information

Issues Good as a ‘filing cabinet’ for documents Good for records managers Not designed to match the way users’ think about their own information (corporate way only) Not designed for other things like ‘sharing information’ Tower Software uses a wiki to share knowledge and information Using TRIM?

Issues

Good as a ‘filing cabinet’ for documents

Good for records managers

Not designed to match the way users’ think about their own information (corporate way only)

Not designed for other things like ‘sharing information’

Tower Software uses a wiki to share knowledge and information

A tagging approach “… instead [of using a system], you may want to capture and communicate… the essence of what is talked about by using free text tagging (like they do with blogs and wikis)…” - Matt’s response

“… instead [of using a system], you may want to capture and communicate… the essence of what is talked about by using free text tagging (like they do with blogs and wikis)…”

Selling tagging Currently tracking over 8 million tags 5 years and millions of tags and users 8 years worth of tagged, public, online diary and information websites All user/self-classified information

Tagging = users’ view of information Benefits for users: Chosen by the user Not part of a formal taxonomy (my way, not the corporate way of thinking) Adapts easily to new information Flexible and easy to use Benefits for the business: People want to use it - high level of participation Information still gets classified Tag clouds show frequency of terms for reporting

Benefits for users:

Chosen by the user

Not part of a formal taxonomy (my way, not the corporate way of thinking)

Adapts easily to new information

Flexible and easy to use

Benefits for the business:

People want to use it - high level of participation

Information still gets classified

Tag clouds show frequency of terms for reporting

Applying Garrett’s User-Centred Design Methodology See also: http://www.jjg.net/ia/

Scope phase Big gaps in information and little communications between stakeholders and the Department due to different world-views Some documented process , but without documented workflow or governance No tools or supporting systems

Big gaps in information and little communications between stakeholders and the Department due to different world-views

Some documented process , but without documented workflow or governance

No tools or supporting systems

Solution Facilitate information storage & communication Create a place to share information and knowledge Invite and encourage stakeholders to participate Establish governance Document roles and responsibilities Document process Provide tools and systems Support business process Support the way people think about their own information If tools are usable they will be used Focus on connecting people, information and knowledge

Facilitate information storage & communication

Create a place to share information and knowledge

Invite and encourage stakeholders to participate

Establish governance

Document roles and responsibilities

Document process

Provide tools and systems

Support business process

Support the way people think about their own information

If tools are usable they will be used

Focus on connecting people, information and knowledge

Tagging and Topic Maps Topic maps = connected information

Wikis to store knowledge

Department’s term in their Corporate taxonomy Related tags users have Created and related to the term ‘policy’

Social computing tools in this case study Tagging Good for user classification of information Good for representing information based on the user’s own world-view Wikis Good for communication - sharing information and knowledge Easy to create and maintain content Easy and cheap to setup Topic Maps The glue that connects disconnected information

Tagging

Good for user classification of information

Good for representing information based on the user’s own world-view

Wikis

Good for communication - sharing information and knowledge

Easy to create and maintain content

Easy and cheap to setup

Topic Maps

The glue that connects disconnected information

Key messages The more our computers are connected, the more we realise how disconnected our information is Social computing tools can connect people, information and knowledge Use social computing tools in “smart ways” to serve growing user demand to interact directly with government Remember to concentrate on the “social”-part, not the “computing” part

The more our computers are connected, the more we realise how disconnected our information is

Social computing tools can connect people, information and knowledge

Use social computing tools in “smart ways” to serve growing user demand to interact directly with government

Remember to concentrate on the “social”-part, not the “computing” part

… happily ever after Blog: magia3e.wordpress.com Email: mhodgson@smsmt.com Web: www.smsmt.com

Blog: magia3e.wordpress.com Email: mhodgson@smsmt.com Web: www.smsmt.com