The document outlines a keynote by Steven Clift on the evolution of digital engagement over 20 years, emphasizing the importance of people, agenda-setting, and institutional accountability in e-democracy. It addresses challenges and opportunities for the coming decade, including new voices, the role of social media in politics, and the significance of visual communication and open data. Clift advocates for an engaged public that utilizes digital tools to enhance civic participation and reshape community dynamics.

1. Engaging
Times
Steven Clift, E-Democracy.org
@democracy
Slides: e-democracy.org/learn

2. Outline
1. Story - Engagement Generation
2. 20 Years in 20 Minutes - 5 Lessons
3. Next Decade - 3 Challenges and
Opportunities
(Keynote to Consultation Institute, London Oct. 2104)

3. Joe

4. “My husband is missing …”

5. Raging Mississippi

6. Search for Joe
Digital engagement
engine emerges out of
necessity

7. Tools of engagement
● Facebook
● Text/SMS
● Google Docs
● Online maps
● Signup Genius
● Weebly
● YouTube
● Paypal
● Email
● AKA “The Cloud”

8. Digital request one
To: Open Twin Cities Online Group -
300 members
Re: Mapping tools

9. Maps & Open Data
● Government: PDFs,
Difficult interfaces
● Commercial: Pretty, less
adaptable
● Community: Open Street
Maps, gov and crowd-sourced data
- FieldPaper.org to print river
search areas (rec. by Open TC)

10. Digital request two
To: Federal agency that runs river lock
and dams
Re: Posters for staff on river, questions
Response: Nothing but crickets

11. Note to self ...
Pick up
the
phone!

12. Engagement
hive responds
● River shoreline search
coordination
● Helping the family
● Community fundraiser
● Local councillor connection at
event, offers to help with
police
● Note: Joe remains missing as of Nov. 18,
2014, presumed drowned

13. You are in the center
Public
Communities
Friends
You
Family
Prof. Peers
“Entities”
“networked individualism”

14. Networked engagement
● How can institutions join in?
… as individuals digitally engage
vs.
● How do we invite people in on our
terms?

15. We are the
Engagement
Generation
Will we use digital engagement to
re-shape the public world around us?

16. 20 Years,
20 Minutes
I’ve been stuck in the future ...
5 lessons

17. Government by day,
Citizen by night ...

19. #HongKong, Arab
Spring, ...
Is not “everyday”
democracy.

20. Scale to local public life?

21. And scale to community life?

23. 20 Years, 5 Lessons
1. About people
2. Agenda-setting
3. Institutions matter
4.Loudest voices
5. Beyond passion
… questions, then future Challenges and
Opportunities

24. 1.About
people

25. Circles Flashback
● Defining e-democracy
early days
● Seeking the
citizen-centre,
now social
media based
in public life
Political
Groups
Private
E-Citizens
Government Sector
Media and
Commercial
Content

26. 2.Agend
a-setting

27. Two-way democratizes

28. City Hall
Online public
space in “real
community”
In-person
Conversations
Shared on
Facebook
Your
Networks
Local
Media
Y
o
u
Local Biz
Neighbor #1
Local
Online
Groups
Join Group

29. 3.Institution
s Matter

30. Institutions - Build Capacity
● “Of” verses “On” the Internet
● Evolution of project accountability
o Late 1990s:
 Shoot for the moon, get halfway, feel like a
failure … disappear
 EDem: Set low expectations and declare victory
o 2014:
 Set expectations and measure results

31. 4.Loudes
t voices

32. Loudest voices quagmire
● Key barrier. Most partisan,
angry often poison the pool.
● Many use this to dismiss ALL,
very diverse online voices.

33. Only 23%
Never Talk
Politics

34. Source:
Over 2x
Never Talk
Politics
Online
http://bit.ly/pewcivicreport

35. Countering Loudest Voices?
● Culture of civility, real names, accountability
● “They are my voters” - Representative geo connection
● Strong facilitation without costly pre-moderation?
● E-consultation tools laundry lists and guides
● Ideal? Lake Hiawatha exchange: 36 posts, in-depth,
input requested, results into process

36. 5.Beyond
Passion

37. 5.Building beyond passion
● Investment: More are *paid* to care, make
change, engage
● Sustained Impact: mySociety, OKFN, ODI,
Sunlight, CfA, Local Code for X, GovLab, Gov
policies, OGP - Open Government Partnership
● Global Lesson Sharing: DoWire ->
#opengov, gazillion online groups, Open Gov FB

39. Open Government Partnership
Commitments, Action Plans, IRM
Video on
YouTube

40. These are
Engaging Times
We are the engagement
generation. We are using the
new tools of our times - digital.

41. Questions
Break
Then five challenges ...

42. Challenges
and
Opportunities
Next decade and more ...

43. Challenges and Opportunities
1. New Voices
2. Facebook Native Politicians
3. Open Data and Civic Apps
4.Serendipity versus Filters
5. Making it Visual

44. 1.New Voices,
Reach All

45. Raising
New
Voices?
Need
Numbers
Source: PewInternet

46. Over 50K
Income
2x
more
likely

47. New Voices - Just Ask? Yes.
Slides
Video
More

48. 2.Facebook
Native
Politicians

49. 2. Facebook Native
Politicians
● Facebook: Engage YOUR
local constituents, community
activists, supporters …
“friends”
● Twitter: Message media,
be visible political player,
engage most wired

50. 2. Facebook Native
Politicians
● “Friending for Office”
● Councillors asking questions, directly
engaging - New councillors Minneapolis
● Personal profiles key - Pages secondary

51. Open Gov Facebook Group
● Secret
strategy: One
click to link
wired
councillors to
#opengov
● 2200
members,
100+ countries

52. 3.Open Data
and Civic
Tech

53. Will work for stickers ... civic
hacking

54. Open
Gov’t
Data

55. Services v. Democracy
● Local Civic Tech movement more services focused -
Code for America Summit highlights:
o Food stamp web app redesign
o Expunge.io - remove juvenille record
o Atlanta courts - tackling long lines
● Democracy, citizen engagement, consultation,
deliberation, power impact needs “local
everywhere” attention for national change
● Inclusive user design, Service Design gaining steam

56. With, not for

57. Chicago is smart
● Smart Chicago
Collaborative
● CUTGroup - User testing
● Large Lots - Buy empty
lots near you from city
● SchoolCuts.org

58. Democratic Open Data Deficit
● Stronger
o Budget and spending
o National politician info
o Politicized
accountability
● Weaker
o Transparency for
engagement
o Public meetings
o Local democracy
o Timely notice
● Projects to
Watch
o Open Civic Data
o Poplus “Components” -
mySociety et al
o Google Civic API
o OpenStates
o Free Law Founders
o Councilmatic

59. Conclusion

60. Engagement
Generation
Let’s be the engagement
generation in public life.
Build what can be. Together.

61. Making Challenges Opportunities
● Democratic data generation - fill gaps
● E-Listening - Better, more representative
decisions not just more input
● Empower representatives
● Funding, support, convening, research

62. Making Challenges Opportunities
● Take OGP commitments, plans across govs
● Equity, inclusion, outreach
● Rule of law - create legal baseline, rights
● Direct citizen problem-solving

63. Thanks!
StevenClift.com
e-democracy.org/learn
@democracy
clift@e-democracy.org
+1-612-234-7072 - M

64. Bonus Slides
Slides I pulled out
due to time constraints…

65. 3.Agenda-setting works
● ... pre-condition to impact
decision-making, deliberation
● Key:
o Two-way, real names, volume constraints
o Visit social media “parade” versus
destination experiences
● Continuous diffusion of power,
spaces, well-resourced adapt

66. E-Democracy 50 year plan
Scenario cross from 2002
● “Family and social
networking”
● “social networks evolve
into movements?”
● “E-citizens ultimate
challenge”

67. E-Listening?
● Tools for decision- makers?
o E-Consultation - Delib, Peak Democracy,
MindMixer, Bang the Table, etc.
o APM - Public Insight Network from journalism
converted for gov? Edmonton Insight
Community
o Pew - Greater equity in name brand social media
use

68. Civic Tech
Ecology -
Knight
Foundation
documents
$695 million
US invested

69. 4. Serendipity
v. Filters

70. 2.Serendipity v. Filters
● Facebook filter - Bubble or saving
grace?
● Twitter torrents - Find like-minds,
lost at sea?
● Where will we engage different
views, people?

71. The Email is Dead,
Long Live the Email
● Direct access - location, location, location
● E-Newsletters
● Personalized notification

72. 5.Make it
Visual

73. 5. Make it Visual
● Pictures, maps,
infographics
v. text “equality”
Over 1 mil comment to FCC.gov

74. Online
Deliberation
Common
Ground
● Kettering Fnd tool
visualizes “common
ground” with live
online deliberation:
e-democracy.org/cga

75. Building networked
engagement - with people
5 Lessons from 20 Years
1. About people
2. Agenda-setting
3. Institutions matter
4. Loudest voices
5. Beyond passion
Challenges and Opps
1. New Voices
2. Serendipity versus Filters
3. Facebook Native
Politicians
4. Making it Visual
5. Open Data and Civic Apps