Not a very profound quote I’ll accept, but I saw a quote attributed to yours truly in an article in Internet Week about the merger talks between Microsoft and Yahoo. I don’t even remember talking to the author of the article, but I’m attributed as saying: "The new technology out there is allowing people to connect far more easily and the best way to do this is through social media tools". Well hopefully not many people will argue with that,…
Clearly I’ve been remiss in my recent blog and news reading since I only came across Wikileaks by accident. A bit embarrassing really given the name of my blog! The blurb on the site says: " Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Our primary interests are oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west…
I picked this up courtesy of Beth Kanter’s blog, regarding a recent survey conducted in the education sector on use of Web 2.0 tools. The survey summary analysis is available under a Creative Commons license from David White, JISC funded ‘SPIRE’ project 2007 Survey. I was particularly interested in the data on the ratio between contributors to lurkers for on-line communities, an area I’ve previously commented on (Re the "1% Rule"). The survey reveals a much higher proportion (20%) who…
I picked this item up from Beth Kantor’s blog who references a report by JISC on Web 2.0 technologies (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/tsw0701b.pdf) I have to say that, on the whole, the report gives a very good introduction to Web 2.0, and provides some context to the hyperbole surrounding this topic. It gives covers quite a wide spectrum of topics, from html, the invention of the Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the long tail, the development of social networking and publishing tools such…
I was drawn to this item on the Phronesis blog by Bev Trayner. The Knowledge Management for Development Journal (KM4D Journal) has issued a call for papers on “Stewarding Technologies for Collaboration, Community Building & Knowledge Sharing in Developmentâ€, for their KM4Dev Journal Vol. 3, Issue 1, June 2007 publication. It appealed to me with respect to the work I’ve been engaged on at the IDeA for development of a Community of Practice strategy, which included a technology component (web…
They say that the Great Wall of China is the only man made object visible from space. WRONG! Check this out from Guardian Unlimited (look at the grass, left hand side, close to the path).
I saw this earlier this week on Public Sector Forums and reflected on its significance. The Information Commissioner’s Office will today (26th Jan) publish revised guidance for local authorities wishing to make secondary use of Council Tax Data, for example to populate CRM systems. Previous government guidance on data sharing has created uncertainty in many local authorities on whether they can use this data for other council functions, despite the prevailing common sense that having one authoratitive data set is…
This is a riveting good read! Released under a creative commons licence from Demos, available here for download (87 pages) (Download receivedwisdom.pdf ). Extract: Since 1997, there has been a flowering in bodies such as the Health Protection Agency, the Food Standards Agency and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that turn science into policy. At the same time we have seen more and more ad hoc expert groups pop into existence, tell the government what to…
The Guardian article gives a list of the top ten best performing councils on green issues. It caught my eye initially because my local council – Uttlesford DC – got a mention in relation to their turning down plans for expansion at Stansted airport. A subject close to my heart!
Prescott’s legacy – the Department for Communities and Local Government – DCLG (previously the ODPM) continues to flounder. A recent Civil Service Capabilty Review identifies the DCLG is one of the least capable departments in Whitehall. The report refers to "skills gaps in project and programme management" and says the DCLG lacks a reputation for strategic influence across government. Its senior officials are also unable to exert significant leverage over ministers on spending choices. Is it right to watch something…