The UK government is working towards the pilot of a ‘Digital mentoring’ system to support people on the wrong side of the digital divide to cross over. As discussed in Connected Republic, Digital Mentors, the white paper for the initiative states, Government will pilot a ‘Digital Mentor’ scheme in deprived areas. These mentors will support…
One of the recommendations of the Gershon report was that the number of IT contractors be cut by 50% – replaced by full-time staff. Given the cost of contractors, it makes enormous sense to take this step. However, with virtually full employment in the IT industry, falling IT graduates and a lack of talented IT…
I have been reading a paper by James Robertsen of Step Two entitled Successful collaboration requires support. It discusses the need for central support and nurturing of online collaboration within an organisation rather than simply a ‘build it and they will collaborate’ approach. While I agree with James’ points, I do not feel that it…
Step Two will be running a free information session discussing the winners of the 2008 Intranet Innovation Awards in Canberra on Tuesday 11 November from 2-4pm. According to James Robertson of Step Two, the event will include a look at, Transfield Service’s uniquely effective approach to rolling outSharePoint team spaces. Highly successful collaboration amongst cabin…
In August I analysed traffic to our agency’s website in July 2008 using Hitwise’s data measurement service, comparing our share of web traffic against the total to Federal government websites, other government websites and the top websites visited by Australians. The results provided me with a view of how important government websites are in peoples’ online lives –…
Forbes magazine has asked whether IT departments are their own worst enemies, in an article, The un-marketing of IT, citing examples such as, Promoting e-mail use but limiting inbox storage and file attachment sizes. Touting the Internet as a data goldmine, then blocking people from visiting so-called non-business sites. Providing people with a PC as…
The Gershon Review of the Australian Government’s Use of Information and Communication Technology report has been released by the Department of Finance, and it makes for an interesting read.Peter Gershon’s key findings were that, 1. There is weak governance of pan-government issues related to ICT. 2. Agency governance mechanisms are weak in respect of their…
Some departments block them totally, others just monitor usage, is there a case for allowing or even supporting public social network use in government offices?The other day the Sydney Morning Herald published an article on The pain and potential of Facebook in the office where Nick Abrahams, a Deacons law firm partner provided his personal view…
I’ve been looking at the success of the Future Melbourne program, a wiki and blog based approach to shaping the future urban landscape of Australia’s second largest city. The program allowed citizens to directly collaborate, edit and comment on the plans for the future development of the city. It attracted more than 30,000 visits by…
I find egovernment an exciting area to work in. It offers benefits to citizens and businesses in reducing the time and cost of engaging with government It offers benefits to taxpayers due to the cost savings achievable within the public sector and the ability to improve transparency in government. It offers benefits to individuals and…
This archive mirrors the original eGov AU blog — Craig’s professional commentary on AI, digital government and technology in public life, running since 2006.
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