consultation inst presentation 1.3(2)

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Consult & involve with wikisConsult & involve with wikis

David Evans and Ben Wild

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'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?

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• 10 million articles• 250 languages• 684 million visitors

annually

What’s at stake?What’s at stake?

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

consultation

Whose using wikis?Whose using wikis?

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• 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

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• 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’

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• 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

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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

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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

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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

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Pyramid of EngagementPyramid of Engagement

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The Top TierThe Top Tier

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NDC NetworkNDC Network

Isolated providers Shared mission Cause to collaborate Technical and other

capabilities

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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

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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?

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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

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Wiki Features:Wiki Features:

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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

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For further informationFor further information

The Campaign Company www.thecampaigncompany.co.ukben@thecampaigncompany.co.uk020 8688 0650

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