Comments on: The myth of easy engagement. Who should participate and how…

By: The myth of easy engagement: Evans’ Law? | Local Democracy

The myth of easy engagement: Evans’ Law? | Local Democracy — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:40:39 +0000

[...] think that I’ve outlined this argument here, here, here and here already so I won’t bore you with it again. Chris Dillow has covered it [...]

By: Found/interesting: 15 October to 7 November

Found/interesting: 15 October to 7 November — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:33:55 +0000

[...] myth of engaging with everyone /The myth of easy engagement. Who should participate and how? – Digital engagement isn’t about reaching everyone, and decisions are made by those who [...]

By: cyberdoyle

cyberdoyle — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:08:49 +0000

Martin – I know what you mean, and that is why digital has to be boring. At the moment it is complicated, connection is often difficult to get, computers can play up, the whole thing is in its infancy as far as joe public is concerned. The recently educated and the early adopters are ok, but to engage new people to what is essentially a basic utility these days we have to keep everything as simple as possible. That means ubiquitous access comes first, then we can use the tools. Many people mess up their computers trying to get a connection to work! These days modern computers are a lot simpler. More people try to get ‘engaged’ but fail at the first hurdle. Once connection is as simple as turning on a tap or flicking a switch we have cracked it. They will engage. Until then we have our work cut out. But IT will happen. IT would happen a lot sooner if someone sorted the telcos out and stopped believing their excuses and porkies.
Contention ratios in exchanges are far too high, and many people are only getting a dribble out of the tap. They then think it is their computer or their skills to blame, and they give up. I have helped hundreds or maybe even thousands of people (community volunteer) so I do know this is true.

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:32:42 +0000

Some of interesting comments. Is it about the medium or do we need more emphasis on the content (and its transferability).
Trying to get engaged, honest… but I often feel a bit like Im listening to a conversation at a computer science or similar department party.

By: mas

mas — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:06:07 +0000

@Tim understood & agreed

@Cyberdoyle – that’s the nail on the head! Wasn’t there a country recently making it into a legal right for all citizens to have a broadband connection? I think it was Finland or maybe Norway (not sure though)

@Steph I like the thinking of using online/digital towards breaking down barriers for those offline – and by that I mean acceptance that some may not want to use online but exploring ways they can still benefit from what happens online – it reminds me of an idea I think Tim had in the past about making rss feeds available as community newsletters

By: cyberdoyle

cyberdoyle — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:58:29 +0000

The tools are simple enough to master if the connection is good. It is when the connection is slow and or ropey that people get frustrated and give up. Granted there is a period where people have to try out the tools to find the right ones for them, and education and engagement enables this to happen, but it can’t happen until broadband is boring. At the moment it takes every bit of skill you and your friends/family/neighbours have to get a connection that actually works. Until everyone has a fast enough fat enough pipe to the ether we are all banging our heads against a brick wall.
We are putting the cart before the ‘orse. Or it may be a case of the tail wagging the dog…

By: Mark Pack

Mark Pack — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:20:08 +0000

Steph: the pessimistic follow up to your comment is that many of these new tools can make the situation worse. That’s because the more tools that are available, the bigger the gap there can be between the vocal (who can comment, blog, podcast etc.) and the quiet – who can be even more overawed and silenced by all this other commentary going on.

Perhaps the tools will (more optimistically!) tackle rather than increase such difference in future, but overall I think this is a question so far we know little about.

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:46:44 +0000

@steph A good challenge – and definitely one I’ll try and take up in a blog post soon.

You are right to point out that digital, and particularly online-offline blended digital (i.e. using digital in physical space as well as virtual space, and using digital to link up to people in your own locality, as well as people in different areas) offers a whole host of new forms of engagement. Which in turn opens up a new set of possible outcomes from engagement processes.

By: Steph Gray

Steph Gray — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:36:04 +0000

I’m enjoying this discussion, but to me, the post end rather abruptly. What else can the need to balance engagement but focus our efforts (what us marketing folk would think of as segmentation, I guess) teach us about the potential for digital forms of engagement?

Sure, we can save some of the total budget by covering off the digitally-enabled and enthusiastic, to spare more of it to spend reaching the harder to reach.

But are there new forms of engagement possible through digital means? Do the tools, and ability to tell stories and make points using your own and other people’s video or images, or using platforms such as blogging or wiki-style collaboration add something extra? And does some of this in itself change the dynamics of the engagement and willingness of some participants to engage (you know the kind of thing: young people+mobile phone cameras+vlogging+brief to tell the story of their area etc)

And by mixing asynchronously the kind of people who should talk but don’t (like the example of the online discussion about parking zones, which took place between me, my next door neighbour and a local councillor on a Ning site someone two streets away set up), can online overcome other barriers in new ways?

You’re a deeper thinker on these kinds of things than me – what other avenues should be exploring to follow up your last paragraph?

By: cyberdoyle

cyberdoyle — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:05:57 +0000

Mas, I know it is naive as far as local gov is concerned, i just wanted to keep it brief and not go into one of my rants…
…if government truly engaged, that is the house. If they were seen to respond in any medium the people would move into the house. At the moment this isn’t possible digitally because half the country have crap access to broadband. Another house that needs building-the antiquated copper telephone system needs fibre to the home of everyone. But that’s another rant for another poor bloggers comment box.
chris