[GKD] ANN: International Symposium on Local E-Democracy
Are you interested in how to build stronger democracies in the information age? While broad access and use of the Internet is required for "citizen" participation online, the reality is that in the most wired countries most of the "e-democracy" activity is institutional in nature. When I visited Mongolia, it was clear to me that e-democracy ideas are not a "wait until most people are online" luxury - social expectations for this medium are being built now and we don't just want it to be viewed as a shopping mall, but also a town square. In that vein, I encourage development organisations to send delegates to the International Symposium on Local E-Democracy. You should also consider proposing a small group session on Developing Democracies and E-Democracy. Finally, please pass this on to those in government, NGOs, or media "e-participation" circles that you think would benefit from a chance to network with their global peers. Thanks, Steven Clift International Symposium on Local E-Democracy July 26-27, 2005 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA http://dowire.org/localedem The International Symposium on Local E-Democracy is a dynamic conference exploring leading e-democracy trends around the world. The next day, a field trip to the "wired" chambers of the Minnesota State Legislature and Northfield, Minnesota's community blogging efforts along with traveling color commentary will bring one of birthplaces of "e-democracy" to life. This is the world's first international conference focused specifically on local e-democracy. We expect representatives of a number of government, non-profit, research, and civic organisations to attend. If you are interested in improving governance and citizen participation in the information age, this conference is for you. The symposium is sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the United Kingdom and the UK Local e-Democracy National Project along with other partners. * Register Today - Full Conference Details http://dowire.org/localedem Or sign-up for future conference e-mail updates: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Plenary Themes The following panels are being developed: - Informed Elections - From e-voting to voter education online - E-Government and Democracy - Leading e-democracy practices in governance and civic education - Local Citizens and Community Online - Citizen e-activism, local blogging, and media online We promise short presentations with an emphasis on interactive discussion. * Small Group Sessions and Networking Small group sessions, proposed via the conference "wiki" website by conference participants, provide an interactive opportunity for discussion of diverse topics. We expect 50 to 100 participants. Extensive opportunities for networking among practitioners, experts, and researchers will be provided. This includes a "tailgating" pre-conference event with E-Democracy.Org the evening of Monday, July 25 at a St. Paul Saints outdoor minor league baseball game. * 60 Second Pitch Do you have an e-democracy project, idea, technology, etc. that you want to share? Up to 20 speakers will have one minute to powerfully communicate their e-democracy message. * Stay Tuned The final agenda and list of speakers and small group sessions will be released on the conference website: http://dowire.org/localedem ***UPDATE: The full agenda with over 25 speakers is now out: http://www.dowire.org/wiki/Symposium_agenda * Cost and Hotel The fee for the conference is a modest $125 US (~70 GBP, 102 Euros). The enrolled student rate is $75 US. This will cover your symposium participation and the luncheon. For those joining us on the field trip, transportation will be provided at no additional cost. The pre-conference baseball event will be $15. Hotel accommodation in Minneapolis, with free Wi-Fi Internet access, is available at the special conference rate of $99 plus tax per night just a couple blocks away from our conference location, the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. Please use the conference website to register and reserve your accommodations: http://dowire.org/localedem * Receive E-mail Updates - Note Your Interest If you plan to attend or are not quite ready to register, please sign-up to receive conference announcements. Simply e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Contact Us To contact the conference team, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Additional Details and Link About Minnesota - Plan a Minne-vacation http://www.dowire.org/wiki/Minnesota Transportation Advice http://www.dowire.org/wiki/Symposium_transportation Propose Small Group Sessions http://www.dowire.org/wiki/Sessions Highlights from the Global E-Democracy Best Practices Work http://www.dowire.org/wiki/UK_highlights UK Local E-Democracy National Project http://www.e-democracy.gov.uk Office of the Deputy
[GKD-DOTCOM] New Open Source Tool Supports Local e-Gov Access
GroupServer is a new open source tool that combines smart e-mail lists and simple web forums. It's open source release was supported in part by the UK Local E-democracy National Project of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. E-Democracy.Org is a lead user of this New Zealand-based tool. We are using it for local forums where e-mail access is essential to reach "average citizens" not just those with "always-on" connections. A blog post on today's open source release of GroupServer: http://www.dowire.org/notes/index.php?p=17 Read up on E-Democracy.Org's involvement with the tool and watch our 20 minute video tour if you want the inside scoop: http://e-democracy.org/groupserver Visit the official download site in New Zealand run by GroupSense, IOPEN and ZYPE: http://groupserver.org Those with NGOs and governments interested in promoting additional core features that serve all of our needs, are invited join a special online group: http://forums.e-democracy.org/factory/groups/gs-ngogov E-Democracy.Org encourages those in the NGO and development community to join us as we further improve GroupServer to meet the needs of those in low bandwidth environments through both e-mail and web-friendly access. Sincerely, Steven Clift Board Chair, E-Democracy.Org Steven Clift - http://publicus.net - Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Join DoWire: http://dowire.org E-Democracy: http://e-democracy.org This DOT-COM Discussion is funded by the dot-ORG USAID Cooperative Agreement, and hosted by GKD. http://www.dot-com-alliance.org provides more information. To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For past messages, see: http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/archive.html
[GKD] RFI: E-democracy Stories from Developing Countries
Dear GKD Members, In India, I've heard about the use of wireless-based Internet video conferencing for meetings between citizens in multiple villages and their district manager. In Turkey, a local government provided deep access to accountability and fiscal spending information. In Mongolia, the Prime Minister uses e-consultation to gather input in both Mongolia and in English by sharing certain draft legislation. I am interested in collecting more suggestions for possible e-democracy case studies from all over the world. Please forward this message far and wide within your countries. A project is waiting to be discovered by the world. Thanks, Steven Clift E-democracy Best Practices - Submit, Draft, Discuss: http://www.dowire.org/bp On this new project site you can: 1. Recommend an E-democracy Project or Strategy (Best before 31 DEC 2004) 2. Commend an Online Feature or E-democracy Practice (Best before 24 DEC 2004) 3. Nominate "Most E-democracy Enabled Governments" 4. Nominate "Most Wired Politicians" 5. Share a Local E-Activism Story 6. Join the E-democracy Best Practices Leadership Team 7. Help draft or comment on Briefs and Case Studies (Honorariums available for accepted topics) 8. Get a preview of the new DoWire blog and wiki system In particular, we are looking for "undiscovered" e-democracy projects outside the UK with relevant lessons for the UK local authorities. In the past, I've discovered most leading e-democracy practices <http://publicus.net/articles.html> in-person! This is because those closest to innovation often don't realize they are ahead or in fact innovators. Help us uncover the stories and case studies to be told. Submit suggestions please: http://dowire.org/submit For updates on this UK Local E-democracy National Project-funded exploration of global e-democracy best practices, join the 2800+ member Democracies Online Newswire e-mail announcement list and new blog: http://dowire.org Additional UK-supported projects that I am involved with: Enhanced Webcasting - http://www.dowire.org/webcasting -- New online community for public sector webcasters and multimedia folks Civic Weblogging - http://readmyday.co.uk/blogs/ -- Local government bloggers in the UK Local Issues Forums - http://e-democracy.org/uk -- Many-to-many citizen forums that matter For more information on the UK Local E-democracy National Project, watch these sites <http://www.e-democracy.gov.uk> and <http://www.e-dem.info> Please forward this message to others or mention key points in e-newsletters, blogs, etc. Thanks, Steven Clift Democracies Online http://dowire.org ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
[GKD] RFI: Low-Bandwidth Long Distance Wireless E-mail
I am interested in learning about projects that have extended lower cost e-mail access into the remotest areas - particularly cheaper non-satellite options. Articles, tutorials, and links to software, etc.. are of interest as well. Here are a few resources of which I am aware: Digital Messaging for Amateur Radio http://winlink.org/ E-mail at Sea http://www.hffax.de/html/email_at_sea.html http://www.sailmail.com/ http://www.scs-ptc.com/news.html http://www.airmail2000.com/ http://www.airmail2000.com/pprimer.htm http://www.yachtcom.co.uk/SSB-email/index.html Radio E-mail network in Congo http://www.worldcom.nl/worldcom/congo.htm Radio E-mail in West Africa: The Complete Version http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6299 Indian Wireless Village Internet Cafes ~ 56K up to 25km - with special optimized software/tech to support video conferencing, a telephone, etc.. (this is not wi-fi) http://www.n-logue.com/technology.htm I am also interested in any options that include low-bandwidth store and forward mirroring of web content for remote use or one-way satellite downlink options that are cost-effective. I am working on some recommendations related to the use of the Internet in election administration and I'd like to include some pointers to lower cost e-mail solutions for communication among election officials and observers as well as "remote printing" of timely flyers and content delivered electronically to places off the communications grid. Also, I was recently in Mongolia where the first ISP in the country still relies on an expensive 256K satellite connection for all their users. They were looking for any ideas that would help them keep traffic in Mongolia (I suggested that they mirror http://tucows.com for example) whenever possible. A 32 KB direction connection costs a business/NGO something like $500 a month. I am interested in metropolitan wireless options like iBurst <http://www.iburst.com.au> or Wi-Fi (this is apparently licensed in Mongolia) options that have routed around monopoly telco infrastructures in an economically sustainable, lower consumer cost way. The issue of remote off the grid Internet/telephone access is huge as well and postal service is quite mixed. Thanks, Steven Clift Steven Clift - http://publicus.net - Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Join DoWire: http://e-democracy.org/do Speaking requests: http://publicus.net/speaker.html Watch my BBC World interview: http://publicus.net/media.html ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
[GKD] E-Government and Democracy Report: Looking for Dev. Country Examples
I recently added two slides to my Global E-Democracy Trends speech (see below). One from India about the use of wireless Internet-based video conferencing among district managers and another about a city in Turkey that provide deep access to government financial information. These are great e-democracy examples to present to the world. Please take a look at the report I developed for the UN on E-Government and Democracy. Let me know about examples in other countries that will help us demonstrate what governments and others must do online to ensure that democracy survives the information age. E-mail me: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sincerely, Steven Clift E-democracy expert and speaker http://publicus.net P.S. Anyone in Mongolia? I'll be there in a couple of weeks presenting on these issues. E-Government and Democracy Report, World Summit Speech, More -- * E-Government and Democracy: Representation and Citizen Engagement in the Information Age Download my recently released 40 page report from: http://publicus.net/e-government Commissioned to assist drafting of the United Nations World Public Sector Report, this article articulates essential democratic outcomes in e-government. Outcomes different from the usual notions of cost-savings and service delivery. The table of contents far below lists the case examples. Included are links to related articles and the new e-mail list for e-government practitioners and experts interested in the democratic opportunities of e-government. To join this peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Democratic Evolution or Virtual Civil War? I put my http://E-Democracy.Org "civil society" hat on while speaking at the Promise of E-Democracy side event at the World Summit on the Information Society. While my report above shares exceptional best practices, my Geneva speech makes it clear that democratic will is required to make what is possible - probable and universal. Access my text and the panel video, which included the Foreign Minister of Greece, George Papandreou, Nicholas Negroponte, Stephen Coleman from Oxford among others: http://publicus.net/articles/democraticevolution.html Also, the BBC World's Click-Online television program used the WSIS as a back drop for a report and interview on e-democracy. See right column. * Democracies Online Newswire, Top Ten Articles, Global E-Democracy Trends Slides, E-Democracy.Org Technology DoWire, the Democracies Online Newswire will under go some changes this year as I integrate blogging technology into my content gathering. The DoWire network now reaches 2600 people in over 80 countries. Subscribe from: http://dowire.org My articles collection <http://publicus.net/articles.html>, dating back to 1993, now has a handy list of my top ten articles: http://publicus.net/topten.html As I head to Mongolia for a speaking trip (with short stops Korea and Japan) in a a week or so, my updated Global E-Democracy Trends slides for 2004 are available at: http://publicus.net/speaker.html Finally, E-Democracy.Org (I'm the Board Chair) is recruiting the world's top civic-minded techies to help us build our global platform for "local up" citizen-based e-democracy. Help us help citizens join us as we start our second decade of non-profit, non-partisan activity. Review our technology notes and volunteer to help craft our project requirements via our new E-Democracy Factory wiki: http://e-democracy.org/center/technology.html http://e-democracy.org/center/eweb.html If you haven't already, visit our U.S. election links starting point: http://e-democracy.org/us * That's all this year. Do you have something to share? I am always looking for new and interesting content to share with my "primary source" DoWire network. Content on DoWire is often appears in major e-mail newsletters, blogs, and the media. Help me keep the influential DoWire network in the loop. Send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks, Steven Clift E-democracy expert and speaker http://publicus.net [EMAIL PROTECTED] netclift - MSN/Y!/AIM P.S. The table of contents from my UN article: E-Government and Democracy: Representation and Citizen Engagement in the Information Age By Steven Clift Summary Introduction Initial Conclusions Research Trends Democratic Outcomes Trust and Accountability - Case 1 - Policy Leadership Legitimacy and Understanding - Case 2 - Budget Information Online - Case 3 - About Government Citizen Satisfaction and Service - Case 4 - E-mail Notification and Personalization - Case 5 - User Generated "What's Popular" Navigation Reach and Equitable Access - Case 6 - E-mail newsletters Effective Representation and Decision-Making - Case 7 - E-Parliaments - Case 8 - E-Councils - Case 9 - Decision-Making Systems Participation Through Input and Co
[GKD] New WSIS and Democracy E-mail List
DO-WSIS - New E-mail List on E-democracy and Information Society - An information exchange forum on e-democracy and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). DO-WSIS is hosted by Democracies Online. The Democracies Online Newswire e-mail announcement list reaches over 2500 members from over 75 countries. To subscribe to DO-WSIS: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to DoWire - the Democracies Online Newswire or visit its archives: http://www.e-democracy.org/do In the WSIS documents <http://www.itu.int/wsis/> being drafted by participating governments, the word "democracy" only appears once near the end of the Statement of Principles. Further, the most powerful human right in terms of citizen empowerment in the online world, the right to _associate_ and therefore communicate, is not mentioned (the freedom of expression is powerless without an audience or in this case an "online community" for two-way exchange). Possible topics for exchange on the DO-WSIS include strengthening the information society to promote: 1. Participatory democracy at the local, regional, and national levels of government and in society generally. 2. Online-enhanced participatory international governance processes and institutions that are transparent, accountable, and provide citizens with timely electronic access to legally public information. (The WSIS web video streams set a new high standard for access to other international bodies!) 3. The realization of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In particular, Article 20 on the freedom of assembly and association and article 19 on the right to freedom of opinion and expression as they come to life and raise citizens voices through the online environment. 4. Good governance and greater levels of citizen participation through e-government, media online, and civil society information efforts that deliver on the democratic potential of the new medium. 5. The establishment of WSIS Plans of Action that develop specific goals and initiatives to implement the often cited democratic potential of the information society - this could include specific mention of "E-democracy" ICT applications through civil society and e-government to encourage democratic citizen participation and involvement in official documents. For more on democracy in the information age, see the links from: http://www.publicus.net/articles/edemresources.html Also see the new article by Steven Clift titled, "E-Democracy, E- Governance and Public Net-Work" for a summary overview of projects that make the democratizing and collaborative potential of the new medium a reality: http://www.publicus.net/articles/edempublicnetwork.html Steven L. Clift-W: http://www.publicus.net Minneapolis- - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - -T: +1.612.822.8667 USA- - - - - -M: +1.612.203.5181 Join my Democracies Online Newswire: http://e-democracy.org/do My blogging experiment: http://travelscoops.com ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
[GKD] Asia Internet and Democracy Online Conference - May 2001
Please pass on to your contacts in Asia and anyone you think would be interested in learning about the role the Internet is playing in civil society in this important region. - Steven Clift, Democracies Online - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Online Conference, Starts May 2001 ...--- Forward Please ---> The Internet and Democracy Across Asia: Online Trends in Governance, Civil Society and Media To participate, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hosted by Democracies Online Newswire - Join over 1800 subscribers on our main low volume, announcement e-list - http://e-democracy.org/do - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *** Full Details *** The Internet and Democracy Across Asia: Online Trends in Governance, Civil Society and Media -- An online conference via e-mail hosted by Democracies Online - http://www.e-democracy.org/do - May 2001 Join experts, practitioners, and journalists interested in role of the Internet in democracy, governance, civil society, politics, and media across the many countries of Asia. This is the first online event on these trends specifically focused on Asia. If you have a story to tell, research to share, or want to simply learn about what is happening, then join us. The online conference will begin in May 2001 once 150 participants subscribe to our facilitated e-mail list. The online exchange will last approximately one month. There is no fee to participate. Please help spread the word. To participate, send an e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Note: The e-mail list of participants will remain private and anonymous participation is permitted. "Lurkers" are welcome. You will be asked to confirm your subscription via e-mail. The DO- ASIA online event uses simple e-mail list technology. Posting rules and guidelines will help limit the number of messages each day in to enable those with slow or limited Internet connections to participate fully. The primary language of the online exchange is English. The use of other languages is appropriate and additional conversations, country or language-specific via other web forums or e-mail lists, organized by online event participants are encouraged. Country Contacts are sought to promote this event in specific Asian countries. If you can help make this a great online event, join the DO-ASIA Team by subscribing to our behind the scenes online event organizing e-mail list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. Further information on the Democracies Online Newswire is enclosed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Democracies Online Newswire - DO-WIRE http://www.e-democracy.org/do - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Join the Democracies Online Newswire - DO-WIRE 'must reading' 'highest quality' DO-WIRE is your primary source for what's important and happening with the convergence of democracy and the Internet around the world. DO-WIRE is a free, low volume, moderated e-mail announcement list. To subscribe for convenient e-mail delivery or read recent posts on the web, visit: http://www.e-democracy.org/do Or send the command "SUB DO-WIRE" in the message body to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. Be sure to reply "ok" to the confirmation e-mail request you receive. Launched in January 1998, DO-WIRE now connects over 1800 experts, practitioners, journalists, and citizens from around the world. If you are interested in democracy online, which includes politics online, new media, e-governance, online advocacy, citizen interaction and related topics, then join us. Each week, well known e-democracy expert and speaker Steven Clift <http://publicus.net> forwards, with occasional analysis, up to seven carefully selected messages. Posts include news, article, and report web links, event and conference announcements, calls for papers, and often uncover important "primary source" online resources, projects, and initiatives of significance. DO-WIRE Member Submissions and Comments The large and diverse subscriber base on DO-WIRE makes this information exchange network so vibrant. Share your text-only submissions for review to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the end, comments from DO-WIRE members are the best invitation to join: 'must reading' 'highest quality' 'interesting content' 'keeps me informed ... not inundated' 'incredibly rich, diverse, deep coverage' 'best source ... invaluable resource' 'your contributions are ... informative and enlightening' 'thoughtful analysis and provocative personal perspective' E-Democracy E-Book Democracy online trends from the last decade are explored in Steven Clift
