SOMUS – an open research group work case study Open Symposium, Helsinki 5.-6.11.2009 Auli Harju – [email_address] Teemu Ropponen – [email_address] Pirjo Näkki – [email_address] http://somus.vtt.fi

What is SOMUS? ” Social media for citizens and public sector collaboration” Funded by the Academy of Finland (2009-2010) Multidisciplinary (and geo-distributed) research partners: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland / Media Technologies University of Tampere / Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communications University of Jyväskylä / Dept. of Social Sciences and Philosophy Helsinki University of Technology / Dept. of Media Technology The Open Research Swarm / http://parvi.fi

” Social media for citizens and public sector collaboration”

Funded by the Academy of Finland (2009-2010)

Multidisciplinary (and geo-distributed) research partners:

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland / Media Technologies

University of Tampere / Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communications

University of Jyväskylä / Dept. of Social Sciences and Philosophy

Helsinki University of Technology / Dept. of Media Technology

The Open Research Swarm / http://parvi.fi

Project themes Study citizenship and participation in social media environment Prototype social media based concepts for dialogue between citizen groups, public sector, mass media Create and validate a model for open Internet-based research

Study citizenship and participation in social media environment

Prototype social media based concepts for dialogue between citizen groups, public sector, mass media

Create and validate a model for open Internet-based research

SOMUS subprojects

Somus methodology Project management and research group work Tools Social media communities and services, applications for online collaboration ’ Ideology’ Values (democracy, equality, research ethics) Key principles (openness, deliberation, agility) Practices In communication and research (information sharing, participation, collaboration, retrospective evaluation)

Project management and research group work

Tools

Social media communities and services, applications for online collaboration

’ Ideology’

Values (democracy, equality, research ethics)

Key principles (openness, deliberation, agility)

Practices

In communication and research (information sharing, participation, collaboration, retrospective evaluation)

SOME OF OUR TOOLS (AND PRACTICES) FOR OPEN COMMUNICATION & COLLABORATION

Openness Work and communication are open and available on the Internet (by default) Project plan creation Brainstorming, planning, article drafting Online discussions, meeting agendas, microblogging and minutes Wiki, Qaiku, Etherpad, Skype, Delicious, blog

Work and communication are open and available on the Internet (by default)

Project plan creation

Brainstorming, planning, article drafting

Online discussions, meeting agendas, microblogging and minutes

Wiki, Qaiku, Etherpad, Skype, Delicious, blog

Openness since day 1 We started finding researchers and planning SOMUS openly on Jaiku

Promoting the open data agenda – Apps for Democracy Finland competition

Deliberation Discussion is democratic, open, inclusive, tolerant, respectful Presentation of different views, listening, argumentation, debate, empathy People, networks and interaction important analogy to good open-source communities?

Discussion is democratic, open, inclusive, tolerant, respectful

Presentation of different views, listening, argumentation, debate, empathy

People, networks and interaction important

analogy to good open-source communities?

Agility Agile and reactive project management and execution New theoretical concepts and ideas New collaboration parties Participation in the society, current issues User groups … Even researchers Redefinition and reprioritization in software development, based on constant co-design

Agile and reactive project management and execution

New theoretical concepts and ideas

New collaboration parties

Participation in the society, current issues

User groups

… Even researchers

Redefinition and reprioritization in software development, based on constant co-design

Framework for participatory design Needs Ideas Concepts Services How can we make this framework open deliberative agile? Immigrants Students Media Citizens NGOs Public sector Researchers

Nice, but NOT in my research field?! Openness - ”others will steal our ideas” how do you know other will steal your ideas?! so what ?! ideas come and go? isn’t that great?! how would that feel , if someone ”cheated” and ”stole” my ideas?! (a ”crashing” learning experience?) to the audience: has anyone stolen your work!? Please explain! Deliberation – ”talking too much never gets anything done, someone must take responsibility” Agility - ”an euphemism for no project planning”

Openness - ”others will steal our ideas”

how do you know other will steal your ideas?!

so what ?! ideas come and go? isn’t that great?!

how would that feel , if someone ”cheated” and ”stole” my ideas?! (a ”crashing” learning experience?)

to the audience: has anyone stolen your work!? Please explain!

Deliberation – ”talking too much never gets anything done, someone must take responsibility”

Agility - ”an euphemism for no project planning”

Preconditions for SOMUS methodology Shared values democracy, ethics, equality, openness Self-organization New ideas allowed and actively investigated Some budgeted “flexible” money

Shared values

democracy, ethics, equality, openness

Self-organization

New ideas allowed and actively investigated

Some budgeted “flexible” money

Challenges Doing actual research AND method development simultaneously Swarming and new research tasks -> the big picture lost? New issues gain interest, sometimes at expense of old ones What extra value do new research tasks bring in? Self-organization doesn’t always work in practice all the tasks need to be addressed to someone(s) Openness and information overflow need for organizing, summarizing and analysis The big question: How to develop the dialogue between citizens, the public sector and the media? How to understand the problem, cannot be solved alone

Doing actual research AND method development simultaneously

Swarming and new research tasks -> the big picture lost?

New issues gain interest, sometimes at expense of old ones

What extra value do new research tasks bring in?

Self-organization doesn’t always work in practice

all the tasks need to be addressed to someone(s)

Openness and information overflow

need for organizing, summarizing and analysis

The big question: How to develop the dialogue between citizens, the public sector and the media?

How to understand the problem, cannot be solved alone

Benefits Transparency of research Availability of research problems, ideas, and results to the public => science’s societal function! Outside involvement: help, ideas, expertise Minimize risk Re-focus according to changes, priorities Societal value through collaboration and networking Continuous learning, teamwork and spirit

Transparency of research

Availability of research problems, ideas, and results to the public => science’s societal function!

Outside involvement: help, ideas, expertise

Minimize risk

Re-focus according to changes, priorities

Societal value through collaboration and networking

Continuous learning, teamwork and spirit

Experiences from a researcher Key findings new kind of publishing is difficult but rewarding at best! ” perpetual beta” – publishing and admitting own incompleteness enriching own thinking through collaboration social (digital) networking is fast, direct and far-reaching online interactions: how to fit time & fitting into ”scientific work” new competences: new culture, communications, technological tools

Key findings

new kind of publishing is difficult but rewarding at best!

” perpetual beta” – publishing and admitting own incompleteness

enriching own thinking through collaboration

social (digital) networking is fast, direct and far-reaching

online interactions: how to fit time & fitting into ”scientific work”

new competences: new culture, communications, technological tools

Methodology development next steps We see a need to develop this into a more defined framework of practices similar to agile software development => Scrum Evaluate this framework in practice, e.g., resource allocation issues in cross-organizational swarming and collaboration dilemmas in participation motivation and compensation fit with academic culture remains unproven – e.g. forms of publishing, proceding as planned, reporting mechanisms

We see a need to develop this into a more defined framework of practices

similar to agile software development => Scrum

Evaluate this framework in practice, e.g.,

resource allocation issues in cross-organizational swarming and collaboration

dilemmas in participation motivation and compensation

fit with academic culture remains unproven – e.g. forms of publishing, proceding as planned, reporting mechanisms

THANKS!