consultation inst presentation 1.3(2)

making democracy workIn association with

Consult & involve with wikisConsult & involve with wikis

David Evans and Ben Wild


'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?What is a wiki?


• 10 million articles• 250 languages• 684 million visitors

annually

What’s at stake?What’s at stake?


• DEFRA – The Environmental Contract• CLG – Reviving Civic Status• ONS – 2011 UK Census Outputs

consultation

Whose using wikis?Whose using wikis?


• 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 contextThe political context


• 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’The 4 ‘W’s’


• 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 babiesBest for babies


Did it work?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


ProblemsProblems

• 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


Lessons: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


Pyramid of EngagementPyramid of Engagement


The Top TierThe Top Tier


NDC NetworkNDC Network

Isolated providers Shared mission Cause to collaborate Technical and other

capabilities


Lewisham AssembliesLewisham 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


How was it done before?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?


Why might a Wiki be better?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


Wiki Features:Wiki Features:


In Conclusion – Golden RulesIn 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


For further informationFor further information

The Campaign Company [email protected] 8688 0650

involveengageempower

consultation inst presentation 1.3(2)

Technology