Guide to Online Participation/4. Resources/4.1. Tool kit

From ParticipatioNZ

Contents 1 Information/One-way 1.1 Tag clouds 1.2 RSS feeds and aggregators 1.3 Games 1.4 Screencasting 1.5 Webcasting 1.6 Mashups 1.7 SMS and Email alerts 1.8 GIS info 1.9 Translators 1.10 Style/readablity checkers 1.11 Glossaries 2 Consultation/Transaction/Two-way 2.1 SMS transactions 2.2 Quick polls 2.3 Online surveys 2.4 Blogs 2.5 Discussion forums 2.6 User/article/information rating 3 Participation/All-ways 3.1 Wikis 3.2 Tagging 3.3 Multi-player virtual worlds 3.4 E-petitions 3.5 Pledges

Information/One-way

Tag clouds

• Description: Displays all tags in a visual way, representing categories with more articles as larger.
• Example: http://wiki.participation.e.govt.nz/
• Function: Provides user a view of what topics/categories are being more heavily covered than others.

RSS feeds and aggregators

• Description: RSS feeds are automatically updated notifiers of changes to a webpage, filed with other RSS feeds in an 'aggregator'.
• Example: http://www.natlib.govt.nz/about-this-site/rss-feeds
• Function: Enables efficient regular readership and notifications.

Games

• Description: Engages users in a fun way.
• NZ example: http://www.sorted.govt.nz/kids_get_started.html
• Function: Often serves as the most effective way to encourage learning. Can be through simulation of reality or entirely abstract.

Screencasting

• Description: A digital recording of computer screen output, also known as video screen capture, often containing audio narration.
• NZ example:
• Function: Useful for demonstrating how websites, software and online tools function.

Webcasting

• Description: the Internet equivalent of broadcasting, but cheaper, no ads, and consumed on-demand.
• NZ example: New Zealand Parliament Live Broadcast
• Function: Distributes information conveniently in either an audio or visual way, and consumed on-demand.

Mashups

• Description: A combination of data from two different sources to create a new interesting source of information.
• Example: http://www.theyworkforyou.co.nz, Tourism New Zealand's Google Earth layer, Greenpeace's windfarm mashup, Harcourts property mashup.
• Function: Allows publicly available information to be combined in a new and interesting way.

SMS and Email alerts

• Description: Updates, reminders, etc targeted to specific users/consumers/citizens/individuals.
• NZ example: http://www.nrc.govt.nz/civildefence/Text-message-alerts
• Function: Sends message to one of the most read and fastest read channels that individuals use.

GIS info

• Description: Adds geospatial metadata to information.
• NZ example: http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2007/04/100_pure_new_zealand.html
• Function: Makes information spatially relevant. Allows for asset mapping.

Translators

• Description: Gives rudimentary translations of information into other languages.
• Example: Google's Language Tools
• Function: Makes information more accessible to non-English speakers.

Style/readablity checkers

• Description: Analyses readability of information.
• Example: Juicy Studio Readability Test. Provides Gunning Fogg Index, Flesch Reading Ease, and Flesch Kincaid grade level scores.
• Function: Provides quality control for content creators.

Glossaries

• Description: Defines terms used.
• Example: Guide to Online Participation Glossary
• Function: Makes clear the meaning of key words.

Consultation/Transaction/Two-way

SMS transactions

• Description: Transactions enabled over the mobile phone SMS channel.
• NZ example: http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/auckland/transport/parking/princesst.asp
• Function: Allows users/consumers/citizens/individuals the ability to complete a transaction via a mobile device.

Quick polls

• Description: Easy and quick way for users to submit an opinion/fact.
• NZ example: http://www.business.govt.nz/
• Function: Gives organisations a superficial view of what users think/feel, plus statistics.

Online surveys

• Description: Users can submit a batch of opinions/statistics.
• NZ example: http://www.thecouch.org.nz
• Function: Provides organisations with a superficial view of what users think/feel plus statistics.

Blogs

• Description: Regularly updated weblog, usually written from an individual's perspective. Generally encouraging comments from readers.
• NZ example: http://sortme.blogspot.com/
• International example: The Chief Scientist's blog at the UK's Food Standards Agency.
• Function: Provides an informal and personal form of communication. Encourages regular readership, and discussion on perspectives.

Discussion forums

• Description: Individuals interact with one another.
• NZ example: http://www.myd.govt.nz/ayv/haveyoursay/discussionforum/discussionforum.aspx
• Function: Allows individuals to express their opinions and discuss them with one another.

User/article/information rating

• Description: Users vote on the quality of other users/articles/information.
• Example: http://www.digg.com
• Function: Allows community to transparently provide feedback on users/articles/information, while also giving other users an idea of the perceived quality of users/articles/information.

Participation/All-ways

Wikis

• Description: Platform for the collective creation of content.
• Example: http://www.wikipedia.org
• Function: Allows many users to create and edit content online with instant updates.

Tagging

• Description: Users (sometimes administrators) enter their own relevant terms (tags) for articles and resources for their own searchability. This is fed into a larger pool of tags browsable by all users. Many sites produce tag-specific RSS feeds and even combined tag feeds.
• Example: http://www.flickr.com http://del.icio.us
• Function: Allows a bottom-up approach for categorising information.

Multi-player virtual worlds

• Description: Online spaces where individuals gather for business, education or fun. As broad and open-ended as the real world, only digital.
• Example: http://www.secondlife.com
• Function: Anything you want.

E-petitions

• Description: Allows individuals to draft their own petitions online and have others join in.
• Example: http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/e-petitions/
• Function: Empowers individuals to mobilise interested communities, providing decision-makers with a snapshot of some public opinion.

Pledges

• Description: Users bypass government processes to make a contract with a large number of individuals in order to achieve their aims.
• Example: http://www.pledgebank.com/
• Function: Empowers individuals to make change.

	Matt's tools tip The worst mistake you can make is selecting a tool/channel solely because it is nifty and new. Your criteria should always be "does this tool/channel allow us to do what we wanted to do, but couldn't before?". Follow this rule and happiness will follow.