The document discusses the use of wikis for public consultation and engagement. It provides examples of how wikis have been used, including a breastfeeding campaign in Brighton that saw limited success due to the polarizing topic and lack of collaboration. Key lessons are that wikis work best for complex consultations with a specialist audience and when there is a genuine need for collaboration and co-production. Factors that contribute to wiki success include targeted audiences and addressing the right issues with continual support.

1. Consult & involve with wikis David Evans and Ben Wild

2. 'A wiki is a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content' – Wikipedia What is a wiki?

3. 10 million articles 250 languages 684 million visitors annually What’s at stake?

4. DEFRA – The Environmental Contract CLG – Reviving Civic Status ONS – 2011 UK Census Outputs consultation Whose using wikis?

5. Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill (http://www.commonsleader.gov.uk/output/Page2452.asp) ‏ Gordon Brown's speech to Google EuroZeitgeist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btE075p6Ypg) ‏ Tom Steinberg's 'Power of Information' report (http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/power_of_information.aspx) ‏ Digital Dialogues – Final report due for publication in September (http://digitaldialogues.org.uk/) ‏ The political context

6. Why should you use a Wiki? When should you use a Wiki? What makes a Wiki successful? Who should use a Wiki? .... the following case studies will help us! The 4 ‘W’s’

7. Social marketing campaign to promote breast feeding in Brighton and Hove Promoted on and off line – fliers, Facebook, launch, local press Wiki included survey, polls, Discussion forum, ability for users to add/edit pages Best for babies

8. Did it work? Positive: Several thousand page views Simple features such as Polls well used Negative: Discussions & Wiki features hardly used Little discussion or community on Wiki

9. Problems The issue was too polarising to generate discussion, community. The campaign didn't have a strong element of collaboration and co-production and so didn't uses the strengths of the tool The audience didn't have sufficient buy in to make in-depth, repeated use of the Wiki Stakeholders didn't take ownership of driving the Wiki forward

10. Lessons: Wikis are appropriate when there is a genuine need for collaboration and co-production Wikis work for more complex consultations and a more specialist target audience Wikis are not for engaging people but for enabling those who are engaged

11. Pyramid of Engagement

12. The Top Tier

13. NDC Network Isolated providers Shared mission Cause to collaborate Technical and other capabilities

14. Lewisham Assemblies Assemblies in every ward Round One engaging 60 to 120 in each ward Meetings only 3 to 4 times per year Turn initial engagement into involvement and empowerment

15. How was it done before? Local associations & community groups Regular meetings, newsletters Local events, action days, lobbying etc Either through motivated local activists, or through labour intensive community development activity So how can the technology help?

16. Why might a Wiki be better? Economies of scale – reach a larger audience without the intensive resources Allows people to engage without going to time consuming local meetings Allows people to dip in and out – scale up or reduce their involvement according to time available Enables collaborative, grass roots working

17. Wiki Features:

18. In Conclusion – Golden Rules Huge amount to gain, but only if we target the correct audience and address the right issues. Have to be designed to meet needs of the audience and have continual support and moderation through their lifetime. Only work for consultation if they are central to the process and are part of wider engagement strategy which employs a range of appropriate tools and approaches

19. For further information The Campaign Company www.thecampaigncompany.co.uk [email_address] 020 8688 0650 involve engage empower