webcameron and the google generation

This is making waves in the business press, so it must be happening. Quite a bit of talk about political and campaign uses of the web 2, in a range of EU countries. This is surprising, mind you, when Euro Barometer data keep telling us that people do not do politics online, as compared to the zillion things the use the internet for. Uhm.

Valuable, additional commentary on this trend is offered by Bruno Giussani, of course in The Guardian, by Tony Blair himself [the Google generation? is this a joke?]. OK, OK, more here on the google generation.

------

Europe's Politicians Embrace Web 2.0
Seeking new ways to engage with voters, European politicians have taken to blogging and podcasting to get their messages out

by Kerry Capell

Forget e-mail or personal Web pages. Engaging European voters these days requires serious Web cred. Just ask David Cameron, Britain's Conservative Party leader, who wants to be the country's next Prime Minister. Borrowing ideas from photo- and video-sharing sites such as Flickr and YouTube and social-networking sites such as News Corp.'s (NWS) MySpace, Cameron launched his own video blog (www.webcameron.org.uk) on Sept. 30.

Read more

online consultation resources

This is a Canadian institution helping other bodies run e-consulations, in the name of e-democracy. There is a link to papers and publication on the subject that could interest academics as well. Enjoy.

-----

Online Consultation Centre of Expertise

Who We Are

The Online Consultation Centre of Expertise is working to achieve a Common Technologies Platform for the Federal Government. We are researching common suites of online consultation tools and practices for online consultation, facilitation, and moderation. This includes emerging technologies that will benefit the cross-departmental consultation community as well as online tools that have been tried and tested in government departments.
We can help you:

* Choose the right online community tools for your consultation;
* Understand the processes involved in online consultation;
* Stay aware of emerging information and communication technologies.

eGovernment in the European countries – 6th edition

Looks like a big e-governmant day. Here is another string of reports on the state of e-gov in the EU25 + 7 related countries.

---------------------------------------

EU: eGovernment in the European countries – 6th edition

The eGovernment Observatory Editorial Team of European Dynamics for the IDABC eGovernment Observatory

As part of its mission to inform the European eGovernment community about key issues of common interest, the eGovernment Observatory maintains a series of Factsheets presenting the situation and progress of eGovernment in 32 European countries: EU-25, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Turkey, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, providing for each one of them a wide and consistent range of information:

* Country Profile
* History
* Strategy
* Legal Framework
* Actors
* 'Who's Who'
* Infrastructure
* eServices for citizens and for businesses

These reports have been regularly updated since June 2005. The current version has been published in September 2006. Factsheets of Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Turkey, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are published for the first time in this 6th edition of the Factsheets.

eUser e-government research

This website provides data, research and publications from the eUser project.
It provides both supply and demand data on e-government from ten EU countries. Well worth browsing around, and dowloading the data.

Public Online Services and User Orientation

How can we put the user of public eServices in the center of the designing and delivery of online public services and content?

The eUSER project will prepare a state-of-the-art resource base on user needs in relation to online public services and on user-oriented methods for meeting these needs. The project will use this resource base to actively support the IST programme, projects, EU policy and the wider European Research Community to better address user needs in the design and delivery of online public services.

The general focus of the project is on online "services of public interest" for which we will use the generic term "eServices". The specific focus is on eGovernment, eHealth and eLearning services.

e-government report published

You'd be excused if you missed this, not much publicity I have to say.
I still have not read it properly, busy with teaching at present. But it looks impressive, the last in a long series of reports [and a book] on e-governemt by Darrell West.

Global E-Government, 2006
Darrell M. West, Center for Public Policy, Brown University

This report presents the results of the sixth annual global e-government survey performed by a team of researchers from Brown University. The survey measured the online presence of governments in 198 countries through the evaluation of 1,782 government websites on the basis of different criteria, including online information, electronic services (number and type of services offered), privacy and security, disability access and foreign language access. Among other findings, the survey shows that 29% of government websites offer services that are fully executable online, up from 19% in 2005. Generally, countries vary considerably in their overall e-government performance based on this analysis. The most highly ranked countries include South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Japan and Spain.

The PDF of the report is found here.

online survey methodologies

Possibly this is of interest for PhD students in e-government, e-participation and related e-disciplines. That is, the ins and outs of doing online surveys. Oh, joy, if you ask me. But they are v. useful. read the bibliography, at the back, if you cannot attend.

-------------------

Contemporary Research Methods: Online Survey Methodologies

Ph.D. course at the Copenhagen Business School, November-December 2006

*-->> digital or physical attendance...

More information about the course here or from andersen_at_cbs.dk

*Aim of the course*

This Ph.D.-course enables the participants to understand and apply the
integrated processes of designing and conducting online survey research
projects. The course offers participants experience of dealing with
problems in the design of an online survey, the targeting of samples,
the construction of data collection instruments and the management of
online survey projects. The course also raises participants’ awareness
of main sources of error in the survey process as well as methods of
detecting, controlling and minimizing potential errors.

*Course content*

The course offers participants practical experience on application of a
research project in a multidisciplinary context. Participants are
expected to either take part in an online research project or designing
their own online survey.

The course will help facilitate the conduct of the survey by focusing on
key challenges on target population and /or banner, pop-up for
advertising the survey, as well as incentives for participation.
Students are expected to master basic descriptive statistics before
enrollment and have been introduced to research methods.

We will use the free of charge software Surveymonkey as an online survey
design tool. The software is accessible at http://www.surveymonkey.com

Completing the course, the participants will earn 2½ ECTS points.

*Lecture plan*

The course will run November November 13 from 1 PM to 3 PM, November 14
from 10 AM to 3 PM, November 20 from 1 PM to 3 PM, November 21 from 10
AM to 3 PM, December 4 from 1 PM to 3 PM, and December 5 from 10 AM to 3
PM.


Time/period

13.11.2006 - 1PM to 3PM
14.11.2006 - 10 AM to 3PM
20.11.2006 - 1PM to 3 PM
04.12.2006 - 1PM to 3PM
05.12.2006 - 10AM to 3PM

*Prerequisite/progression of the course*

The course will run November November 13 from 1 PM to 3 PM, November 14
from 10 AM to 3 PM, November 20 from 1 PM to 3 PM, November 21 from 10
AM to 3 PM, December 4 from 1 PM to 3 PM, and December 5 from 10 AM to 3
PM.

Completing the course, the participants will earn 2½ ECTS points.

*Suggested readings*

*Preliminary*:

Best, S. J. and Krueger, B. S. (2004) Internet data collection. Sage
University Paper 141. London. Sage.

Birnholtz, J. P., Horn, D. B., Finholt, T. A. and Bae, S. J. (2004) The
effects of cash, electronic, and paper gift certificates as respondent
incentives for a web-based survey of technologically sophisticated
respondents, Social Science Computer Review, 22, 3, 355-362.

Bosnjak, M. and Tuten, T. L. (2001) Classifying response behaviors in
web-based surveys, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 6, 3.

Bosnjak, M., Tuten T. L. and Bandilla, W. (1991) Participation in web
surveys: A typology, ZUMA Nachrichten, 48, 7-17.

Carini, R.M. et al (2003) College students responses to web and paper
based surveys: Does mode matter? Research in Higher Education, 44, 1, 1-19.

Coomber, R. (1997) Using the Internet for survey research, Sociological
Research Online, 2, 2.

Crawford, S. D ., Couper, M. P. and Lamias, M. J. (2001) Web-surveys:
Perceptions of burdens, Social Science Computer Review, 19, 2, 146-162.

Denscombe, M. (2003) The good research guide for small scale research
projects. Maidenhead. Open University Press.

Dillman, D. A. (2000) Mail and internet surveys - the tailored design
method. New York. Wiley.

Frick, A., Bachtiger, M. T. and Reips, U. D. (2001) Financial
incentives, personal information and drop-out rate in online studies, in
Reaps, U. D. and Bosnjak, M. (Eds.) Dimensions of internet science.
Lengerich. Pabst Science Publishers. pp. 209-220.

Hewson, C., Yule, P., Laurent, D. and Vogel, C. (2003) Internet Research
Methods. London. Sage.

McDonald, H. and Adam, S. (2003) A comparison of online and postal data
collection methods in marketing research, Marketing Intelligence and
Planning, 21, 2, 85-95.

Miller, T. W. and Panjikaran, K. J. (2001) Studies in Comparability: The
Propensity Scoring Approach. University of Wisconsin, Madison.

O'Connor, H. and Madge, C. (2004) My mum's thirty years out of date: The
role of the Internet in the transition to motherhood, Community, Work
and Family. 7, 3, 351-369.

O'Lear, R. M. (1996) Using electronic mail (e-mail) surveys for
geographic research: Lessons from a survey of Russian environmentalists,
Professional Geographer, 48, 209-217.

Pinsonneault, A., & Kraemer, K. L. 1993 Survey Research Methodology in
Management Information Systems: An Assessment. Journal of Management
Information Systems, 10(2), 75-105.

Porter, S. R. and Whitcomb, M. E. (2003a) The impact of lottery
incentives on survey response rates in Research in Higher Education, 44,
4, 389-407.

Porter, S. R. and Whitcomb, M. E. (2003b) The impact of contact type on
web-survey response rates. In Public Opinion Quarterly, 67, 4, 579-589.

Riva, G., Teruzzi, T. and Anolli, L. (2003) The use of the Internet in
psychological research: Comparison of online and offline questionnaires,
CyberPsychology and Behavior, 6, 1, 73-80.

Roberts, L. D. and Parks, M. R. (2001) The social geography of gender
switching in virtual environments on the Internet, in Green, E. and
Adam, A. (Eds.) Virtual Gender: Technology, Consumption and Gender.
London. Routledge. pp. 265-285.

Sax, L. J., Gilmartin S. K. and Bryant A. N. (2003) Assessing response
rates and non response bias in web and paper surveys, Research in Higher
Education, 44, 4, 409-431.

Umbach, P. D. (2004) Web surveys: Best practices, New Directions in
Institutional Research, 121, 23-38.

Zhang, Y. 2000 Using the Internet for Survey Research: A Case Study.
American Society for Information Science, 51(1), 57-68.

research: virtually essential

This is a report from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Chimera group at the University of Essex. It tells us that online interaction is based on offline encounters, not far from organisations' geographical location.

Hardly hearth shattering, I see this as very much the first mapping execise while quite a bit of research is being conducted. So perhaps worth keeping track of the project. The project includes a toolbox for local activists.

The full report is here, below you can find a summary.

Virtually essential: why voluntary and community groups must embrace the internet
5th October 2006

People in middle of large At signIgnoring the Internet is no longer an option for voluntary and community organisations, according to a new booklet 'ICT, Social Capital and Voluntary Action' (download PDF - 1.6Mb) published today by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

It warns that failing to embrace information and communications technology (ICT) risks having their work overshadowed by those who do draw on this new source of 'social capital' - the reserve of goodwill generated when people interact. And though local ICT initiatives are taking place, the booklet says that the smaller online communities they create need ongoing technical and funding support if they are to survive.

The booklet was produced to accompany the second in a series of special seminars entitled 'Engaging Citizens', organised by the ESRC in collaboration with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). It summarises views from two experts in the field - Jayne Cravens, a leading researcher regarding 'online volunteerism', and Dr Ben Anderson, of the Institute for Socio-Technical Innovation and Research, at the University of Essex.

webcameron 3.5

Hooray, found perhaps the first webcameron comment originating in da UK, from James O'Malley. And an interesting take, I have a dishwasher, now I only need 130K a year. But no kids to shout at.

webcameron 3

And the french, and conservatives abroad, and Yahoo international news, and the Belgians...

Can it be that nobody in Britain cares? [lol, largely sardonic and alone]

webcameron 2

Think what you wish of the guy, his blog is becoming cult, but the minute mind you. Try this tiny little search on technorati, but do not be overwhelmed. A post about the blog every 1/2 hour? Have I got it wrong?

There are those who claim it is a pioneristic example of use of the web 2 by politicians, those who track spoofs [gosh, it's been 48 hours, give him a break], the Australian ABC covering the event, a number of spanish bloggers picking it up, and catalans also, which speaks volumes to me...

As I said, it is everywhere. But the question really is, is it here to stay? Agreed, dull, but the question remains.

UK politics gets Googled

If Reuters and the FT report it, it must be true... Google boss advising UK and world politicians that new media will make them all accountable, no place to hide. After Murdoch's televisions ending tyranny, new media moguls target elected politicians. Be warned.

Or not.

This nice article explores the very important question whether it is Google and politics or Google and policy. Or, whether the recent British whirlwind tour of Google's commander in chief is really about teaching politicians the power of the Net, to restore democracy, or more mundanely to have friends in the right [high] places.

Judge for yourselves, from the New Scientist Technology Blog, a nice take:

New Scientist Technology Blog: UK politics gets Googled.
It seems the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, is taking an interest in UK politics. Today he met with Prime Minister Tony Blair before speaking at the annual conference of the opposition party the Conservatives...

webcameron

In case you have missed this; yes, it is Webcameron, the blog, vlog and other online stuff of David Cameron, PM hopeful and technical whiz. No, seriously, the Tories are doing great on the web.

Only thing, it sounds worryingly similar to Decameron, you know, the Boccaccio tale of lust and corruption in Florentine high politics, which unleashed on the Principate a deadly plague...

But alas, title aside, here's an excerpt of the website's ethos:

webcameron: responding to comments

03 October 2006

Thanks for all the comments. Sorry for the delay in getting to the site with some replies. This is the busiest week of the year. I agree with a lot of what Voltaire said about party funding reform. On ..."

Read more on Webcameron, and watch the video, they are nice.

international centre for local edemocracy [icele]

Not quite a new kid on the blok, one worth watching though. Amon other things, they helped organise the recent e-democracy symposium [you can download papers and presentation if you missed it].

UK Government launches international centre for local eDemocracy [from IADBC news]

The UK’s Centre for Excellence for Local eDemocracy has been transformed into the International Centre for Excellence for Local eDemocracy (ICELE). Building on the success of the national project for local eDemocracy, initiated in 2004, the new centre aims to support and promote local eDemocracy across the world.

ICELE’s aim is to help local authorities improve two-way engagement with communities by providing best practice advice, support and practical solutions, focusing on the use of technology. One of its main tasks will be to gather information from around the globe on the most effective ways of using digital technologies to engage citizens in the civic and political lives of their communities.