Presentation at the Listening to Communities conference in Kent on 25th February 2011

1. Virtual Civic Spaces Bringing communities together Listening Communities Conference 25 th February 2011 Catherine Howe

2. This is not a session about technology The most important thing to remember about the virtual world is that it is actually very real

4. We are talking about changing the balance in our engagement towards the digital channels

5. The most important thing is making it relevant to the community and finding the conversations that are already happening

9. What are they be doing? Citizenscape a product by Public-i

10. What are they be doing? Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://microsites.oii.ox.ac.uk/oxis/

11. What are they doing? Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://www.forrester.com/empowered/tool_consumer.html

12. The Social Web has its own culture Citizenscape a product by Public-i

16. The social web is about the people and the content This is no longer a question of getting people to visit your space – you need to engage with them in theirs

17. And there are a variety of conversations going on Citizenscape: a product by Public-i

18. Mainstream tools – don’t build stuff that already exists Citizenscape a product by Public-i

19. This is what we think it looks like Citizenscape a product by Public-i

21. At the heart of this are really fantastic events Citizenscape a product by Public-i

22. And the right digital wrapper Citizenscape a product by Public-i

23. Our objective it that when you leave the conversations continue

24. Openly Local Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://openlylocal.com/hyperlocal_sites

25. Buckshaw Village Forum Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://www.buckshawvillage.com/

26. Harringay Online Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://www.harringayonline.com/

27. Brighton Issues Forum Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/bh

28. I Love Tunbridge Wells Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://anke.blogs.com/

29. Admiral’s Way, Test Valley Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://www.admiralsway.org.uk/

30. Bourneville Village Citizenscape a product by Public-i http://bournvillevillage.com/

31. None of these have been created or run by the Council though they may have been helped

32. Previously you controlled the resources and so you knew you would be involved How will you make sure you are an essential part in the process?

33. People are talking…… ……they’re just not talking to you

34. Why should I care when I am facing massive budget cuts?

37. Because the conversations will happen anyway Its government’s responsibility to make sure the outcomes are democratic

39. To do this you need a co-productive space LOCAL CIVIC SPACE Presented by Catherine Howe, Chief Executive Public-i

40. For example….. Citizenscape: a product by Public-i

41. As your communities start to self organise more effectively you need to understand where you add value to this process Its not about resources anymore