All in Definitions
Thinking About “Data Program Governance”
Creating a data program governance strategy is not unlike creating other types of enterprise business strategies.
Do People Really Understand What “Open Data” Means?
Ultimately the most important issue has to come down to deciding what level of data literacy citizens need. As the production and consumption of goods and services become more data-dependent in both developed and developing countries, it is reasonable to ask how much understanding of data and data related decisions people really need. I’ve referred to this elsewhere as data management literacy. Maybe we also need to consider data consumption literacy. After all, if people don’t understand or appreciate the services we’re providing, no amount of standardization, interoperability, or transparency is going to make any difference.
Is Your Organization Ready for the Third Age of Open Data?
Because of this my advice to anyone contemplating an open data program is to start not with what data are available but with what programs are trying to accomplish, then work on how open data can contribute to the success of those programs.
Getting Real About "Open Data”
If the “geeks” on your team understand all this that’s great. If not, you need to seek out and involve other areas of expertise, starting with people who understand what enhanced data services can do for your target users and the problems you are trying to solve.
How To Make Datathons and Hackathons Sustainable
What’s a “datathon”? Here’s one suggested definition from NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge:
On Defining the "Maturity" of Open Data Programs
Making government program data more “open” should be the responsibility of the program that is responsible for generating the data. The cost of doing so should also be part of the budget of that program.
What Makes a Government Program "Transparent"?
What makes a government program “transparent”? I’ve been thinking about this while researching my framework for transparency program planning and assessment. Here are criteria to use when designing, modifying, or assessing a program’s “transparency”:
Is availability of powerful mobile devices and services really changing the way people work? Or are smart phones and tablet computers just providing more options for doing existing work without regard to location?
On Attempting an Updated Definition of "Web 2.0"
I recently had an opportunity to provide an updated definition of “web 2.0” for a project I’m consulting on. The project, managed by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), is called Changing the Conversation: From Research to Action. “Web 2.0” is one of those terms that just won’t die. Even as some have tried to invent and sell newer-sounding terms like “web 3.0,” there are still many for whom the underlying concepts of “web 2.0” and social media are new, unfamiliar, or ready to be revisited after an initial or limited exposure.
I use the term “social media” all the time. It’s one of the terms listed in the index banner at the top of this page. Besides, development of “social media” strategies and tactics are an important focus of some of my current consulting clients.
Can Online Public Dialogs Succeed With Anonymous Participants?
I used to think that if you want to be taken seriously online, and if you want to actually participate in an ongoing dialog with a sponsor or other participants, you need to post using your own name and identity so that others know who you are.
A Fire Upon the Web
In A Fire Upon the Deep, Vinge created a universe where different physical laws exist in different locations corresponding to different levels of communications and travel speed. This got me to thinking about the different levels of computing and networking that have existed and are evolving as arguments about what constitutes Web 2.0 continue.
Am I Asking the Right Question About Technological Literacy?
Maybe the question should be how technologically literate people should manage the jobs they find themselves doing — jobs that may not be ready to take advantage of all the skills and experience technologically literate people bring to them.
Project Management, Social Media, and Defining "Community"
As a continuation of our Conversation about Project Management and Social Media, Lee White in his recent post Project Community states the following:
The point here is not that Social Media, as discussed in earlier posts, directly drives efficiencies, but that it can create a community of project stakeholders that are passionate about the successful completion of a project.
I’ve made some attempt to keep up with public discussions of DataPortability.org. I’ve had a suspicion that the project is experiencing the growing pains that technology industry standards groups sometimes experience when there is no single strong and deep-pocketed voice willing to weigh in, knock heads, and force progress along a single path.
Collaborative Decision making in Disaster Response Situations
Professor Murray Turrof recently sent me a draft of a paper that will be presented at the upcoming 5th International ISCRAM Conference in Washington DC in May of 2008.