sunshine 2.0: using technology for democracy

Sunshine 2.0:Using Technology in

Democracy

Steven CliftExecutive DirectorE-Democracy.org

Government by Day, Citizen by Night - 1994

Sunshine 2.0

Vision. Demand. Goals. Measures.

…for Local Democracy Onlinehttp://e-democracy.org/sunshine

Government Online – PewInternet.org

April 2010 report brings fresh data: 48% of internet users have looked for information about a

public policy or issue online with their local, state or federal government

46% have looked up what services a government agency provides 41% have downloaded government forms 35% have researched official government documents or statistics 33% have renewed a driver’s license or auto registration

31% use online platforms such as blogs, social networking sites, email, online video or text messaging to get government information

23% participate in the online debate around government policies or issues, with much of this discussion occurring outside of official government channels.

Outline - Example

1. What government wants to tell us.2. What government must tell us. What we feel we need to know.3. What we want to tell government.4. What we need to “hear” from each other publicly in the context of government decisions.5. Community collaboration, problem-solving, and inclusive engagement

1. What government wants to tell us.

A home page says 1,000 words.

Minneapolis wants so: Share news it has decided is

important Highlight “results” Use social media Provide non-English

information Promote services strongly

Minneapolis must: Post salaries of top three

paid employees for 90 days on home page

2. What government must tell us. What we feel we

need to know.

“public=online”? – Transparency campaign by the Sunlight

Foundation

Accountability information.

Timely Access to

Information

Key e-service –

e-alerts so you can ACT on information before it is too late!

Public Meeting

s On-Demand

Linked video, documents

Also see PublicMeetings.Info

Reusing Data – Personalized to You

Budgets and Spending

South Carolina state agencies must put spending information online

Comptroller promoting local government efforts

3. What we want to tell government

Communication. Understanding the “will of the people” in

government.

Contact Me!

Old and new clash online –

“Current agendas are posted in front of City Hall in King Plaza on the elevator walls …”

Sorting Policy Input from

Service Queries

Menlo Park, CA

“Community Engagement Feedback”

Both citizen and government can track responses

DemocracyMapCan you “Enter address,” see every government entity that serves you and who specifically represents you (and how to contact them)

The United States lacks an “open data” set on ALL government jurisdictions, districts, associated websites and elected officials.

Huge “local up” market failure

Online working group: http://e-democracy.org/democracymap

4. What we need to “hear” from each other publicly in the context

of government decisions

Imagining online public spaces and hearings?

Great Councilmember Page, But Disconnected from Two-way

Tip Toe in the FacebookReal-names giving some governments confidence to create Facebook Pages with open comments

Why not elsewhere?

5. Community collaboration, problem-solving, and inclusive

engagement

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Let’s make this happen.

Community collaboration

Using Technology for Community Building Webinar

http://e-democracy.org/webinars

E-Democracy Neighbors Forums

http://tcneighbors.org http://neighbours.cc –

New Zealand!

Action Alexandria http://actionalexandria.or

g

Democracy Home Page

Let’s be citizen-centric online in government.

Democracy Home PageHow process works, effective participation

Decision-making information

Who represents you? Good tools for elected officials

Local laws and rules

Local elections

Budgets, spending, and taxes

Accountability Ethics, Freedom of Information, Transparency data, your rights,

etc.

Democracy “Home”

AskBristol.com

– A world leading local e-democracy city (UK)

Democracy “Home”Palo Alto giving it a try with “Know Zone”

Secrecy image?

Next Generation Local Democracy Features

More examples!

Gathering Public InputSanta Cruz – UserVoiceAmherst – LocalocracyManor “Labs” Texas

Freedom of Information RequestsUK WhatDoTheyKnow.com shares results online

Deep TransparencyE-mail sent to all Palo Alto City Council members before meetings

Data sets in Washington DC

Really Deep TransparencyPost-Communist Estonia appreciates “public=online”Tallinn’s Document Register, National X-Road provides secure access to private data held on you

Local Open Government DirectiveFrom CityCamp Colorado came an idea – let’s create generate bottom up support for local open government

Modeled after Federal Open Government Directive

http://opengovernmentinitiative.org

Community-wide Support for

Democracy Online

Webinar preview:http://e-democracy.org/webinars

The “default” local online news commenting experience is …

Most people see, expect public conflict.

Sharp contrast with private social networking.

“The most democratizing aspect of the Internet

is the ability of people to organize and communicate in groups.”

- Steven Clift in “Democracy is Online” article published by Internet Society, 1998

Neighbors Online – PewInternet.org27% of American adult Internet users (or 20% of adults overall) use “digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues.”

14% read a blog dealing with community issues at least once in the last year

13% exchanged emails with neighbors about community issues 7% say they belong to a community e-mail list (more women) 6% communicated with neighbors by text messaging on cell phones 5% joined a social network site group connected to community issues 3% followed neighbors using Twitter Read full report

Lower income, Latino, rural need to be included Analysis on E-Democracy.org blog.

CC:, E-Lists, Placeblogs, Social Nets

CC: E-mail The simple sheet of paper passed around at National Night Out …

E-mail Discussion Lists E-Democracy.org forums, Google/YahooGroups, DC nhoods, Brooklyn

parents

Placeblogs Cornerstone of “citizen journalism” online, sometimes “watch dog” protest

sites

Local Social Networks Facebook Pages/Groups, Ning Sites, etc.

Networks: Everyblock (v2), OhSoWe, Hey Neighbor, i-Neighbors (academic), Front Porch Forum, CommonPlace, Hello Elephant, and perhaps open source, non-profit BeNeighbors.org social enterprise led by E-Democracy.org

Creating Public Space

- Issues Forums

City Hall

“SecondaryNetworks”

e-mail forwards Civil Society

PersonalNetworks

Local MediaCoverage

Librarian

Reporte

rArt

s G

roup

City Councilor

Candidate

Local Biz

Ctiz

en #

1

Advocacy Group

Neighborhood Leader

Mayor

Forum M

anager

Citizen

500

Polic

e

Citizens

Issues Forum

GroupServer e-mails posts

web view

Subscribe onceCommitment securedPost via e-mail/web

New Resident

Neighbor Issues Forums Stories Somali community – 20

missing youth to crosswalks

“Little Mekong” and BoaLee’s lessons

Powderhorn Cinco de Mayoviolence

Community garden

Chickens in Bemidji

Leech Lake Native American majority rural forum

Inclusion evaluation in progress:http://e-democracy.org/inclusion

Conclusion

Services first, democracy later.

It is now later!

Sunshine 2.0 Draft Indicators

Information

"Your" Government/Democracy Page How request information via FOI Accountability Information - The

Transparency Ten Pack Open Data Initiative Document Register/Info Catalog

Representation

Elected/appointed governance body clear on home page and Elected Officials List

Appointed Officials and Bodies Election Information Council Member/Mayor Site Section Council Member/Mayor E-Newsletter

or Blog E-Response Tool - E-Petition Receiver

Help us pick the top ten!http://e-democracy.org/sunshine

Decision-Making Public Meeting Calendar, Agenda,

and Minutes Public Meeting Documents Webcasts - Live and On-Demand Performance Data E-Transparency System

Engagement

311/Web Comment Form/General E-mail Inbox

Online surveys and polls or requests for comments on reports or proposals

Policy Pack - Response, Community Engagement, Social Media Use

Online Exchange with Public (External Tools)

Online Government Engagement (Government Managed)

Online Features

Community Links Section Site Search Content Management System with

Web Feeds E-Updates Services What's New/What's Popular -

Automated

Further Information

Steven Clift clift@e-democracy.org @democracy on Twitter 612-234-7072

Links http://blog.e-democracy.or

g http://e-democracy.org/p3 http://stevenclift.com

Slides also available from:

http://www.slideshare.net/netclift

As part of Participation 3.0 we are:

Convening and working to “move the field”

Plotting a “Locals Online” roll call webinar

Working with League of Women Voters on “Sunshine 2.0” guide for local evaluation of govs online support for democracy

Working with OpenPlans.org on “DemocracyMap”

Really pushing inclusion in online civic engagement

Developing next generation partnership proposals by 4Q