First of all, I’d like to start this blog by pointing out that Open Source Software (OSS) and Free Software are not the same thing.
As Carla Shcroder mentioned in her blog
Think of Free Software as being …
There’s alot of stuff out there on social media in government. Here I’ve carefully chosen what you might need to know and other stuff that might be to your liking. So, check it out!
Here you will find inspiring interviews with key individuals involved either directly or indirectly with local government and their take on online engagement. Very useful!
Sometimes its hard to figure out what works, so why not look at some of the stuff here. You might find them useful to apply to your local council or community website.
Here you will find all the research data on local government social media channels that has been collected to date, which includes Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Facebook and more to come. Keep checking!
Ever feel that you need to be inspired to do your job or just everyday life? Here I’ve hand picked some stuff that might just give you the boost that you need!
Digital Democracy has been working for two years with the Burmese community in Thailand,Bangladesh, India, and China as well as with resettled Burmese populations in Indiana, Washington, DC and New York. D2 staff have published and presented research on Burma with an emphasis on technology use by displaced Burmese groups. In addition to Burmaʼs borders, we have conducted research in Cuba, Armenia, Mali, Zimbabwe,South Africa, and Israel.
This interview covers the following issues and questions:
Steven talks about his most recent project – Neighbourhood to neighbour engagement.
Steven talks about how local authorities get involved within this online neighbourhood.
Citizen to citizen engagement and value.
Does the local authority make themselves known as an authority to the public within the online community?
Mix of email and online forum.
What are the main tools that you use? Groupserver.org
People need to choose their own technology.
What does it mean to you to have an open government?
Hey there, I thought this was such a proud moment for the twitterati’s when one of our own has made in to the top 10 (no 5 to exact) of The Independent list on the most influential bloggers on Twitter with 3,327 followers… and of course after this.. counting… 
I met Peter while I was in NYC attending the Participation Camp (PCamp) and Personal Democracy Forum 09. Its funny how it might seem that I just bumped into him on the street but actually we were on our way back from PCamp and walking towards the subway when I asked Peter if I could do a quick video interview with him. And he was kind enough to agree to do so eventhough the rain was starting to pour ! (Thank you Peter!). We talked about alot of different things.
So, a few weeks ago I was in Olympia attending the Building Perfect Council Websites ’09 (#pcw09) to conduct a workshop on social media (which was alot of fun by the way ! ). While I was there, I managed to interview Robin Christopherson (Head of Accessibility) and Diana Robinson (Sales and Marketing Manager) from AbilityNet . I’m hoping to gain more knowledge on accessible websites as I go along. So hopefully LGEO Research will feature more news on AbilityNet in the future to keep local authority website developers up-to-date on how to make their websites more accessible.
What are the tangible benefits of online learning? … Show me the money ! !
According to Paul, local authorities and organizations have been throwing money away for years on face-to-face training and they don’t care because when it comes down to evaluation they only care about 3 things…
Was lunch any good?
Could I get parking?
Was there a good crack around the break?
But when it comes to online training, we start to evaluate the tangible benefits i.e.
Did we save any money?
Were there tangible benefits to the organization and how long did it last for?
If there was one area I’m very aware and concerned about in health care, it would definitely be mental health care. I have had various of experiences dealing with mental health issues among students while I was a sub warden and I also have very good friends who suffer from with bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder. I have also experienced living with people with bulimia, anorexia (who also always used to cut herself to relieve the pain) and was on alot of anti-depressents at the tender age of 20. Its certainly made me more aware of hard it is to live with a mental illness and what a daunting task everyday life could be for them.
Over the past few months, I’ve become really great friends with my Twitterati’s . Who knew I’d find really great friends on Twitter, people who could be there for you when things don’t go quite right… – I’ve met most of the people on this list in real life. There are a few people that have always given me support throughout the months I’ve been on Twitter and feel that a I’d like to dedicate this post to them as a way of saying TQ so much for all your support on my research and blog! Please forgive me if I have forgotten someone (pls give me a pinch if I’ve forgotten!).
We knew it was coming right? Someone was bound to propose on Twitter! Gosh I wish someone would propose to me on Twitter … LOL
Anyways, check out this awesome video about this guy called Drew Olanoff (@drew) talking about the moment he proposed to his girlfriend on twitter. What really grabbed my attention well was, yes of course the proposal itself, but what was even more interesting was the hashtag stream he used to actually propose to her. You’ll understand after you watch the whole thing, trust me, you’ll see me point after you’ve watched it all the way through! 
Enjoy!
I know alot of the people that read this blog already have a blog, but for those who don’t have a blog.. I’d like to tell you why you should start blogging.
First of all, take a look at some of these questions…
* Do you feel like you’re in a rut?
* Do you feel that you have alot of thoughts and ideas and are unable to fully express them at work?
* Are you out of a job or looking for the job you truly want?
* Are you trying to consolidate your thoughts and going round and round in your head looking for answers?
This post is written for Zaizi blogs and the @OpenGovSummit
Over the past week, we have been inundated with articles surfacing in response to the UK government’s first open standards roundtable discussion hosted by the Cabinet Office …
This blog post looks into those perceptions, both good and bad of why people want to resist or embrace social media within the medical e-learning environment within the NHS.
The playground’s shut!
For the past year, I have been rather quiet due to the many thoughts that have entered my mind regarding the future of local government public services online. Mostly those thoughts encompasses on …
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Liz Azyan started this blog in late 2008 to support her PhD research. The blog has now unexpectedly grown to become a useful resource for the public sector on topics relating to social media, web 2.0, e-learning and other methods for government online engagement. Find out more by clicking About above.
