Difference between revisions of "Defining next generation online civic engagement"

Latest revision as of 19:58, 9 July 2010

Back to Participation 3.0, Next Generation Ideas

By "next generation" we do not mean "new" ideas for the sake of new.

We are looking for:

• What really works somewhere but remains rare
  • ... and it should be universal to all local communities in a democracy.

• Ideas that represent the next level of innovation and opportunity
  • ... and pushes the envelope with new experiments, features, etc. that have a serious potential to qualify as "should be universal" in future years but need to be fully tested in the real world.

Further, we are seeking:

• System changing ideas and opportunities
  • ... things that can be incorporated into many communities in a distributed fashion."

• Democratic and community needs that are vital
  • ... not just nice to have. Is this highly subjective? Yes. That is why we need your input and are starting from a bias affirming democracy and community building versus more narrow traditional e-government services, so-called Government 2.0, or journalism approaches.

Finally, this process is:

• Agnostic - We are interested in ideas/needs that might position any number of leaders in front of universal implementation.
  • ... be it government, non-profits, commercial, individual or some combination."

• Engagement - This is a broad term going well beyond informing or serving the public. Think ...
  • ... transparency - What and Where?
  • ... participation - How and Why?
  • ... collaboration and problem-solving - With whom? And Together.
  • ... community building and public life - Moving local society and making lasting change.

• A Flexible Beginning - This is just the start of the Participation 3.0 process.
  • ... E-Democracy.org seeks to help "move the field" and with a subset of the big ideas determine where we should take lead with partners and funders and where other organizations or the "market" might lead with their strengths.