E-Democracy Meets E-Journalism How the Net can support local and state governance and citizen engagement. Steven Clift, Founder and Board Chair E-Democracy.Org

Outline Introduction 30+ Examples, 30 Seconds Each Questions: What’s so essential that … Will it really make …

Introduction

30+ Examples, 30 Seconds Each

Questions:

What’s so essential that …

Will it really make …

Hello It all started in 1994 … Government by day, citizen by night …

It all started in 1994 …

Government by day, citizen by night …

A new Athens for Democracy?

“ News” Timely access to information so you can: Know “what’s new” or what someone else thinks is important Be informed Be entertained Take action and influence what happens next

Timely access to information so you can:

Know “what’s new” or what someone else thinks is important

Be informed

Be entertained

Take action and influence what happens next

The Intelligence is on the Network Shared my assignment with 4,000+ people Are you aware of sites that do X or Y? 30+ Examples

Shared my assignment with 4,000+ people

Are you aware of sites that do X or Y?

30+ Examples

E-Alerts

E-mail notices in St. Paul

Digital Recording and Webcasting Oregon and San Francisco require recording of all public meetings by law. Search “Kimo Crossman”. Rule of law – See “Sidewalks for Democracy Online.” Need to require what is most important. What is?

Miami Input on Strategic Plan

Taskforce and Committee Tools Need for tools for commissions and task forces – WordPress Blog example used by a sanitation district in Oregon

Government Spending Information State list maintained by Center for Fiscal Accountability

Stimulus/Recovery Transparency

Accountability Deep Transparency – Yalova, Turkey They provided access to: Council decisions Immediate flow of incomes Daily flow of expenditures Municipal Tenders Citizen applications and document follow-up Wealth Declaration - Increase/decrease of income and wealth of top officials (on left) US – FederalSpending.Gov Poland – FOI Laws Require Budget Information Online

Deep Transparency – Yalova, Turkey

They provided access to:

Council decisions

Immediate flow of incomes

Daily flow of expenditures

Municipal Tenders

Citizen applications and document follow-up

Wealth Declaration - Increase/decrease of income and wealth of top officials (on left)

US – FederalSpending.Gov

Poland – FOI Laws Require Budget Information Online

Alberta Gov’s Web Feeds Those little orange icons

Those little orange icons

DC Direct Data Sharing, Mashup

Oakland Crime Data from Police

“ Scrape and Bake” Crime Data City responds with its own e-alert tool.

Reusing Local Gov/Other Data Everyblock.com http://everyblock.com

Everyblock.com

http://everyblock.com

Gov Data Reuse – UtahsRight.com

MN DNR Lake Finder Multi Sources

Democracy/Consultation Portal Queensland’s democracy portal, policy - AU http://www.moundsviewschools.org Ask Bristol Consultation and Webcasting - UK http://www.askbristol.com

Queensland’s democracy portal, policy - AU

http://www.moundsviewschools.org

Ask Bristol Consultation and Webcasting - UK

http://www.askbristol.com

Legislative Online Public Hearings in Brazil

E-Rulemaking Democratized navigation DOT Provides Public Access to Comments Regulations.Gov should Live Video

Democratized navigation

DOT Provides Public Access to Comments

Regulations.Gov should

Schools and Online Engagement Moundsview Public Schools http://www.moundsviewschools.org

Moundsview Public Schools

http://www.moundsviewschools.org

Schools and Online Engagement

Live Rural Villages Town Meeting, India –

Right to Petition Government What is the Magna Carta’s expression in 2007? U.S. petitioning mostly about e-mail acquisition for advocacy not listening or redress of grievences

What is the Magna Carta’s expression in 2007?

U.S. petitioning mostly about e-mail acquisition for advocacy not listening or redress of grievences

E-Petitions Hosted by Gov in UK UK Prime Minister’s E-Petitions http://petitions.number10.gov.uk Kingston upon Thames http://www.kingston.gov.uk/information/your_council/epetitions.htm 7+ percent of British population have signed an e-petition here

UK Prime Minister’s E-Petitions

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk

Kingston upon Thames

http://www.kingston.gov.uk/information/your_council/epetitions.htm

Community Wiki Kickapoo Valley, WI – Kickapedia http://kickapedia.wiki.zoho.com/Kickapedia-Home.html DC Gov We the People Wiki

Kickapoo Valley, WI – Kickapedia http://kickapedia.wiki.zoho.com/Kickapedia-Home.html

DC Gov We the People Wiki

Maps, Camera, Mobile, Action FixMyStreet.com (UK) – mySociety.Org http://fixmystreet.com

FixMyStreet.com (UK) – mySociety.Org

http://fixmystreet.com

SeeClickFix – MySociety.Org Inspired

Congressional Tweets, Sunlight Foundation

Deep Access and Accountability Estonia’s Today I Decide, Document Register, X-Road (below)

Estonia’s Today I Decide, Document Register, X-Road (below)

E-mail Transparency in Palo Alto

Gov Voter Guides in Korea

Mobile Photos to Enforce Anti-Corruption Election Laws

Local “Everywhere” AmericanTowns.com Scrape Millions of Local Events Topix .net Host online news comments Virtual Ghost Towns? Civil War? http://pages.e-democracy.org – search“social media”

AmericanTowns.com

Scrape Millions of Local Events

Topix .net

Host online news comments

Virtual Ghost Towns? Civil War?

http://pages.e-democracy.org – search“social media”

Changed.Gov? Need Democracy.Gov

Citizens Online With my E-Democracy.Org hat on… Citizen engagement – community building as outcome v. “news”

With my E-Democracy.Org hat on…

Citizen engagement – community building as outcome v. “news”

Private Spaces with “Public” Qualities – v. Online Public Spaces

Need Public Spaces – Online Versions of Town Halls, Capitols Online public spaces, not just “public” commercial spaces Need for decorum, civility, agenda-setting, relevance, accountability <- The Minnesota Capitol Rotunda

Online public spaces, not just “public” commercial spaces

Need for decorum, civility, agenda-setting, relevance, accountability

<- The Minnesota Capitol Rotunda

Blogofest Destiny? Blogs democratize media, provide accountability Compared to forums, most are highly individualistic often privately controlled spaces with some dialogue Need own blog to join the e-ristocracy

Blogs democratize media, provide accountability

Compared to forums, most are highly individualistic often privately controlled spaces with some dialogue

Need own blog to join the e-ristocracy

Divided We Blog? Source: The Political Blogosphere and the 2004 U.S. Election: Divided They Blog By Lada Adamic and Natalie Glance

Connect

Connect the Word Blog Forum Online News/Blog Comments Chat Social Network Online Consultation Online Working Group Web Feed

Blog

Forum

Online News/Blog Comments

Chat

Social Network

Online Consultation

Online Working Group

Web Feed

Creating Public Space - Issues Forums Librarian Reporter Arts Group City Councilor Candidate Local Biz Ctizen #1 Advocacy Group Neighborhood Leader Mayor Forum Manager Citizen 500 Police Citizens Issues Forum GroupServer e-mails posts web view Subscribe once Commitment secured Post via e-mail/web New Resident City Hall “ Secondary Networks ” e-mail forwards Civil Society Personal Networks Local Media Coverage

Conclusion

Discussion Questions What is so essential from local and state government that it needs to be accessible 24 x 7 online? With options for What’s new? What’s changed? What’s important (or what others think is important)? Who is trying to change/influence it?

What is so essential from local and state government that it needs to be accessible 24 x 7 online?

With options for

What’s new?

What’s changed?

What’s important (or what others think is important)?

Who is trying to change/influence it?

Discussion Questions (How) Will this make things “better?” What’s the outcome that justifies the investment in resources to make the best aspects of e-democracy universal? Best Practices v. Legal Mandates Representative v. Participatory Democracy Informed v. Activated (Protest, etc.) v. Citizen Problem-solving/volunteerism

(How) Will this make things “better?” What’s the outcome that justifies the investment in resources to make the best aspects of e-democracy universal?

Best Practices v. Legal Mandates

Representative v. Participatory Democracy

Informed v. Activated (Protest, etc.) v. Citizen Problem-solving/volunteerism

Links to Everything From: http://stevenclift.com

From:

http://stevenclift.com

Extra Slides

Digital Parade – Social Networks

FYI - Briefs and Case Studies Case Studies Canadian International Policy eDiscussions Community Blogging - Northfield, Minnesota Community Forums and News in Subang Jaya - Malaysia Listening to the City - New York City Madrid Participa NordPol - Northern Denmark Queensland's E-democracy Leadership Seoul's Online Policy Forum Seattle's Online Civic Engagement Initiative Briefs Advanced Web Comment Forms Budget Proposals Online Content Syndication Community Portals Democracy Portal Democratized Navigation Elected Official Videos E-mail Response Policy E-Newsletters E-Notification Geographic Personalisation M-Democracy - Mobile Content SMS Citizen Input Voter Education Online Wireless Internet http://dowire.org/wiki/UK_highlights

Case Studies

Canadian International Policy eDiscussions

Community Blogging - Northfield, Minnesota

Community Forums and News in Subang Jaya - Malaysia

Listening to the City - New York City

Madrid Participa

NordPol - Northern Denmark

Queensland's E-democracy Leadership

Seoul's Online Policy Forum

Seattle's Online Civic Engagement Initiative

Briefs

Advanced Web Comment Forms

Budget Proposals Online

Content Syndication

Community Portals

Democracy Portal

Democratized Navigation

Elected Official Videos

E-mail Response Policy

E-Newsletters

E-Notification

Geographic Personalisation

M-Democracy - Mobile Content

SMS Citizen Input

Voter Education Online

Wireless Internet

Recent Articles Ten Practical Online Steps for Government Support of Democracy Part of new 47 page U.S. government publication about e-democracy titled, “How E-Government is Changing Society and Strengthening Democracy.” Also see - UK Local E-Democracy Project – See: www.icele.org

Ten Practical Online Steps for Government Support of Democracy

Part of new 47 page U.S. government publication about e-democracy titled, “How E-Government is Changing Society and Strengthening Democracy.”

Also see - UK Local E-Democracy Project – See: www.icele.org

Government Support for Democracy Online Timely, personalized access to information that matters. Help e-officials receive, sort and better understand and respond to e-mail.

Timely, personalized access to information that matters.

Help e-officials receive, sort and better understand and respond to e-mail.

Government Support for Democracy Online 3. Dedicate at least 10% of new e-government developments to democracy. Not “services first, democracy later.” 9. Fund open source sharing internationally across government.

3. Dedicate at least 10% of new e-government developments to democracy.

Not “services first, democracy later.”

9. Fund open source sharing internationally across government.

Government Support for Democracy Online 4. Announce all government public meetings on the Internet in a uniform matter. 5. Allow all people to look-up all of their elected officials from the very local to national in one search. 6. Host online public hearings and dialogues

4. Announce all government public meetings on the Internet in a uniform matter.

5. Allow all people to look-up all of their elected officials from the very local to national in one search.

6. Host online public hearings and dialogues

Government Support for Democracy Online 7. Embrace the rule of law by mandating the most democratically empowering online services and rights across the whole of government. Open meeting laws, ethics information 8. Promote dissemination through access to raw data from decision-making information systems.

7. Embrace the rule of law by mandating the most democratically empowering online services and rights across the whole of government.

Open meeting laws, ethics information

8. Promote dissemination through access to raw data from decision-making information systems.

Government Support for Democracy Online 10. Local up – Build a strategic approach to building local democracy online Absolute need for non-partisan, convening approaches Government, media, universities, non-profits, business all must contribute something Public interest use “of” the Internet not just “on” it

10. Local up – Build a strategic approach to building local democracy online

Absolute need for non-partisan, convening approaches

Government, media, universities, non-profits, business all must contribute something

Public interest use “of” the Internet not just “on” it