Engage: Getting on with Government 2.0 or Getting to ABC 2.0

Nicholas Gruen 2nd Sept 2010, Southbank

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Outline1. Web 2.0/Government 2.0– it’s not the technology2. Web 2.0 platforms as public goods3. Responses to Web 2.04. Why Web 2.0 matters

• Organisation without organisations• Turbocharging the ecology of ideas• Information from the periphery

5. The Government 2.0 Taskforce report• What we did• What we said

6. ABC 2.07. Conclusion

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What is web 2.0– Web 1.0 was

• Point to point – e-mail • Broadcast – firm to customer (and back) - websites

– Web 2.0 is collaborative web• Google 1998 – a collaborative site• Wikipedia 2001 – the community writes an encyclopaedia• Blogs early 2000s – self-publishing and discussion• Facebook 2004 – social networking• Twitter 2006 – new communications platform

What characterises Web 2.0?• Web 2.0 isn’t fancy technology

– The technology is simple and ubiquitous

• Web 2.0 is a culture change – Collaborate don’t control – Improvise, share, play– Users build value, the technology can let them in– Be modular: use others’ stuff, let them use yours– Build for user value - monetise later

The winner of the Taskforce’s best local council at Government 2.0 was Mosman Council

It’s Government 2.0 activities are not run by their IT department. But by their public library

What characterises Government 2.0?

• Government finds Web 2.0 even harder than firms– Collaborate don’t control – Improvise, share, play – perpetual beta– Users build value, the technology can let them in– Be modular: use others’ stuff, let them use yours– Build for user value

• ABC isn’t government, but is a large organisation, and subject to some of constraints of governments.

Public goods – goods that no-one will supply if the government doesn’t

What is a public good?

The Wealth of Nations 1776• Private Goods

The Theory of Moral Sentiments 1759

• The social preconditions of markets (Public Goods)

Language

Some crucial public goods are not government built – they’re emergent

Public goods

Private Goods

Web 2.0 and emergent public goods• Web 2.0 platforms are emergent public goods

– Google 1998– Wikipedia 2001– Blogs early 2000s– Facebook 2004– Twitter 2006

• Government didn’t build any of them

Building Public Goods

Emergent Distributed on a platform Coercively, centrally funded

Tot

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Public goods . . . present serious problems in human organisation.Vincent and Elenor Ostrom - 1977

Emergent Distributed on a platform Coercively, centrally funded

• Public sector – Opens existing platforms

• (PSI)• HECs, Child Support Agency

– Uses existing platforms and technologies• Blogs, Wikis, Twitter, Facebook, Kaggle

– Builds platforms– Reconfigures it’s boundaries– Opens unique facilities to private platforms

Public/Private Partnerships

Emergent Distributed on a platform Coercively, centrally funded

Builds platforms: opens existing platforms to public

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What is Web 2.0 good for?• Organisation without organisations

• Slashes cost of new social formations– Makes connections of all kinds

• Informational, social, organisational– Collaborations of all kinds for purposes

• Economic - Social - Cultural – Political• By massively lowering the cost of

– Failure - meetup.com– Experimentation – Google– Investigation - Blogs

• Finds needles in haystacks – just the right person– ‘Tanta’

Organising a picnic Writing an encyclopaedia Enforcing the law, Waging a war

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IdentityIdentity

ContributionContribution

ReputationReputation

AuthorityAuthority

Why does web 2.0 matter?

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What is Web 2.0 good for?• It can give us participatory democracy

– As could Web 1.0 – But do we want it?

• Top two items on Obama’s brainstorming site– Legalise marijuana – Release Barack Obama’s birth certificate

• Web 2.0 can be ‘ghettoised’ as special projects• But lots of Web 2.0 is most useful as an adjunct to existing projects

How can large organisations respond?

You don’t need to be revolutionaryYou don’t need to take big risks to great thingsAdapt within (expanding) core of competence

– You learn to speak by speaking

Adapt the new tools – like many large firms– Eg Dell Computer and Ideas Storm

Explore the potential for openness to optimise missionYou’re sitting on platforms of huge social value – PSIHelp build new platforms/public goods

Building a platform: inviting in volunteers

• The National Library Newspaper The National Library Newspaper digitisation projectdigitisation project

• Site has run 24/7 since launch in 2007Site has run 24/7 since launch in 2007• ~ 20% of correctors are overseas~ 20% of correctors are overseas• 20 mil lines of text corrected in Oct20 mil lines of text corrected in Oct• Julie Hempenstall from Bendigo has Julie Hempenstall from Bendigo has

corrected > 500,000 lines!corrected > 500,000 lines!

Outside the walls: Inside the machine

Justin McMurry, Keller, Texas

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Volunteers• If Justin McMurray will work 25 hours a week for Verizon• Who might be prepared to volunteer for

– The GLAM and broader cultural sectors?– The research sector?– Helping

• the aged, • the sick, • the disadvantaged?• the environment?

• Could volunteers come from those helped?

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Volunteers

Find, Play, Share

1. If it can’t be spidered or indexed, it doesn’t exist;2. If it isn’t available in open and machine readable format,

it can’t engage;3. If a legal framework doesn’t allow it to be repurposed, it

doesn’t empower.

Play, show, tell

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Public sector information

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http://specials-leader.whereilive.com.au/maps/Melbourne-swoop-hot-spots.php

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Designing a websiteThe old way =>Management => employees => clients => specs => tender The new way =>Management => employees => clients => specs => tender - With hacking events throughoutWith hacking events throughout- Unleashing the power of play, of association

- Between ideas and perspectives - Between people- Between agencies

- Getting people and resources in

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Central finding• Australia has some of the world’s best examples of Government 2.0

– Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum first to use Flikr– Future Melbourne Wiki was a world leader

• But other countries are taking whole of government action to transform their policies and their institutions

– UK– US – New Zealand

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A Declaration on Open Government • Online engagement by public servants should be enabled and encouraged.

– Robust professional discussion benefits their agencies, their professional development, and the Australian public;

• Public sector information is a national resource– releasing as much of it on as permissive terms as possible maximises its value and

reinforces democracy;

• Open engagement at all levels of government is integral to promoting an informed, connected and democratic community, to public sector reform, innovation and best use of the national investment in broadband.

Other recommendations

• Establish a lead agency to coach, enable, advocate and co-ordinate effort

• Use Information Commissioner to deliver accountability to the open government policy

• Encourage Agencies to engage and innovate online • Encourage public servants to engage online

Government response• Our recommendations essentially accepted • Declaration of open Government now made• So now over to

– The lead agency– The Information Commissioner

• You• The community

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Reaction to our reportThe Australian Government 2.0 Taskforce Teaches Us A Lesson

Their report is the best piece of work I have seen by a government-driven initiative around government 2.0. But I would also like to praise the way members of the taskforce worked over the last few months.

Their blog was a constant source of thoughtful considerations, and their debate went on in the open, being as informative as the report itself. They participated in external debates, by reading other people’s blogs, reaching out and commenting. For what I have seen, as I had a few chances to interact with them, the level of engagement and openness they have achieved was truly exemplary, with a level of humility that made their excellent skills even stronger.

2nd of top ten things

A truly excellent report in a remarkably short period of time, reaching out to experts inside and outside government worldwide, and showing a rare attitude to listening to other people’s opinions.

Australia is the place where the government 2.0 taskforce has recognized the centricity of employees and the federal government has bought into that idea.

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Citizen collaboration in policy and service delivery design will enhance the processes of government and improve the outcomes sought. Collaboration with citizens is to be enabled and encouraged. Agencies are to reduce barriers to online engagement, undertake social networking, crowd sourcing and online collaboration projects and support online engagement by employees, in accordance with the Australian Public Service Commission Guidelines.The possibilities for open government depend on the innovative use of new internet-based technologies. Agencies are to develop policies that support employee-initiated, innovative Government 2.0-based proposals.

Lindsay TannerMinister for Finance and Deregulation16th July 2010

Declaration of Open Government

Web 2.0 and IT

Often improvisedElaborately planned

CommunicativeTechnological

Governance - DifficultGovernance – Impossible

$$$$$$

SocialMechanical

Web 2.0IT

Cultural institutionsHave huge opportunities because

– their risks are lower – they’re instinctively communicative– they have huge ‘fan base’ who are keen to help– their content is PSI

• They may wish to sell content – which may close it• Often underfunded and seek alternative sources of funds• Often this raises little revenue when all costs are considered• Often more open access actually increases sales• So . . .

They should experiment with new business modelsPricing and copyrighting should balance the benefits of closure against costsIssues with externally contracted materialCopyright (including industry practices) remain a huge problem

ABC 2.0Make all podcasts available Keep archives available on the net One needn’t even host them oneselfRelease as creative commons allowing remixABC programs have a great relationship with their

audience– Web 2.0 enables it to be much better still

ABC 2.0: The program as platform • For a wider conversation• For a community

• The ABC does this, but its an adjunct to the program• You could plan programs on the net• ‘Guestbooks’ could become real blogs• Each program could have a ‘friends of’ group

– Moderating the blog– Helping discuss future programs and talent for them– Helping host crowd-sourcing of transcript correction– Suggesting pre-reading for programs a la RN’s book club– Helping make the programs

ABC 2.0Get community content in

ie ABC Open should be Australia wideBest of community programs Greater international exchange of ‘best of’ programs

ABC 1.0

ABCAudience

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ABC 2.0

ABCAudience

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Enthusiasm counts – empower your doers

Complacency isn’t an option – don’t bother being complacent

Some takeouts

Experience matters – get as much as you can

You don’t need to take big risks – and you shouldn’t

Any questions or comments?