government 2.0
architecting for collaboration
by
tara ‘missrogue’ hunt
citizen agency

Tēnā koutou katoa

who am I?

the framework:
web 2.0

“... far from having “crashed”, the web was more
important than ever, with exciting new applications
and sites popping up with surprising regularity ...
Could it be that the dot-com collapse marked some
kind of turning point for the web, such that a call to
action such as “Web 2.0” might make sense?”
Tim O’Reilly on the birth of Web 2.0

web 1.0 web 2.0
read only read/write
top down bottom up

core tenets of web 2.0
1. the web as a platform 6. some rights reserved
2. the long tail 7. the perpetual beta
3. data is the next intel 8. cooperate, don’t control
inside
9. software above the level
4. users add value of a single device
5. network effects by
default

the road to government 2.0

core tenets of government 2.0
1. the government is my springboard
2. the long, diverse tail of citizens
3. data is...tricky
4. going to the edges for feedback
5. the citizen community: it’s about relationships
6. some rights reserved
7. evolution is an ongoing process
8. trust is the truest way to empowerment
9. government on-the-go

#1. the government is my springboard
“government services as a platform”

platforms are enablers
between:
• two parties
• the user and her experience

the government is an enabler
between:
• individual citizens
• a citizen and a service provider
• a researcher and information
• a citizen and a public servant
• a citizen and her information
• a citizen and her experience with the gov’t
• etc.

the best platforms are:
1. modular & extensible (i.e. Firefox, Wordpress]
2. add a secure layer [i.e. Paypal, Verisign]
3. leverage the network to create promotional
opportunities for users [i.e. eBay, Craigslist,
Trademe]
4. create interoperability & accessibility [i.e. HTML,
Microformats]
5. enable symbiotic relationships [i.e. P2P networks]
more...

the best platforms are:
6. have multiple data on/offramps [i.e. Flickr,
Twitter]
7. use the data to enhance user experience [i.e.
Amazon, last.fm]
8. spawn or boost new industries [i.e. Blogger &
YouTube]
9. do one thing extremely well and invisibly [i.e.
Google]

homework
• how can your organization be a platform?
• how can you enable/ignite industries to be
built?
• are you enabling or controlling?

#2. the long, diverse tail of citizens
“the long tail of government services”

the audience is...
Peter Hirshberg - “The Day of the Longtail”

the forces of the long tail
1. democratize the tools of production
2. democratize the means of distribution
3. connect supply and demand
Chris Anderson [the Long Tail]

the forces of the long tail
force business example
Digital videocameras,
democratize long tail toolmakers, desktop music and video
no
editing software, blogging
production producers tools
democratize
long tail aggregators
ok Amazon, eBay, iTunes, etc
distribution
Google, Technorati,
connect supply &
long tail filters
best Rhapsody, recommendations,
demand etc.

case study: the citizen archivist

#3. data is...tricky
“government holds the ultimate ‘intel inside’...whatcha
gonna do with it?”

all your base are belong to us

knowledge is power
data in the hands of a few makes for order;
but data in the hands of many makes for
endless possibilities

case study: health records

#4. going to the edges for feedback
“people’s voices add value and they are talking”

feedback 1.0
asking people to fill out surveys and questionnaires
& collecting census data (still important, but not everything)

feedback 2.0
Listening & Learning

how to go to the edges 101
1. bring anecdotes and feedback from customer
service to everyone’s attention
2. fill your RSS readers with blogs you find by a NZ
citizen & listen to what they are thinking about
3. start collecting attention data
4. involve the public (not focus groups) in planning:
be open, transparent and ask for feedback
5. learn how to respond to feedback productively

#5. the citizen community
“there is already a network, build relationships”

He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata! He tangata! He
tangata!

Ryanne Hodsen - “What the heck is Barcamp?”

where gov’t services fits in
We need to change the way we approach
service, viewing the public not as a recipient,
but as more of a partner. And government
services are the platform that enables more
of these projects to grow and be born in a
country as forward thinking as New Zealand.

case study:
Toronto Transit Camp

toronto transitcamp in
the news
http://transitcamp.org/

#6. some rights reserved
“what Larry said...”

nine inch nails

#7. evolution is an ongoing process
“government as a perpetual beta”

ha-ha study: the paperwork reduction project

Burden Estimate Statement
“The estimated average burden associated with this collection
of information is 15 minutes per respondent or recordkeeper,
depending on individual circumstances. Comments concerning
the accuracy of this burden estimate and suggestions for
reducing this burden should be directed to the Financial
Management Service, Facilities Management Division, Property
and Supply Branch, Room B-101, 3700 East West Highway,
Hyattsville, MD 20782 and the Office of Management and
Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (1510-0056),
Washington, DC 20503.”

#8. trust is the truest way to empowerment
“cooperate with, don’t control your citizens”

on trust
“Virtually every commercial transaction has
within itself an element of trust, certainly any
transaction conducted over a period of time. It
can be plausibly argued that much of the
economic backwardness in the world can be
explained by the lack of mutual confidence.”
- K. Arrow (1972) -

#9. government on-the-go
“the multiple ways to access government services”

imagining the possibilities...

licensing:
http://www.slideshare.net/missrogue

about those rockin’ images:
• Most are from iStockphoto.com (totally cool site)
• except for:
• me [on Flickr.com/photos/missrogue) p.3
• video of “The Day of the Longtail” by Peter Hirshberg p.17
• screenshot of NZ History online by Skitch (Plasq) p. 21
• image of “All Your Data Are Belong to Us” from ? p.23
• video of “What is BarCamp?” by Ryanne Hodsen p.32
• toronto transit camp buttons by Tom Purves on Flickr p.34
• toronto transit camp video from CityTV.ca p. 35
• images icanhascheezburger.com p.41-45

Tara Hunt
tara@citizenagency.com
415.694.1951
skype: tarahunt747
www.citizenagency.com
www.horsepigcow.com