From:
Dave Briggs
Date:
May 08 10:33 UTC
Short link
Great idea
Dave
From:
http://www.jonbounds.co.uk/blog/255/can-you-get-satisfaction-from-your-local-council/
I've been quietly impressed with Get Satisfaction<http://getsatisfaction.com/>,
which is sort of best described as a "social customer service" site. Twitter
<http://getsatisfaction.com/twitter>and some other big-name players on the
internet use it for their official support channels - the idea of the site
being that employees of the companies join in with discussion of "problems"
that people are having. Some employees just join to help, others are granted
"official" status and can speak on behalf of the organisation.
Of course lots of problems that we have with products or services aren't
really problems (or are well know and documented) - in these instances other
users are happy to help (very much like unofficial forums for software).
'Users' are also welcome to point out possible solutions to anything - and
of course they do.
So, I thought, could this work for a local council? Imagine time saved by
council officials if knowledgeable citizens helped answer questions, imagine
the resources available (once someone had explained how to apply for a
licence, the information would be there for everyone), imagine a monolithic
body "joining the conversation".
Rather than deciding to attempt to persuade my local council (Birmingham
City Council - one of the largest in the UK) that this would be a good idea,
I discovered that - as the site is "a space for an open conversation between
you and other people with interests and passions in this organization." -
anyone can set a company page up. So I
have.<http://getsatisfaction.com/birminghamcitycouncil>
I don't have anything to ask at the moment, but I'm hoping that it might get
used.
"Sometimes representatives from the company or organization may take part in
the conversation too." says the blurb wouldn't that be great?
--
Dave Briggs
<email obscured> | http://davepress.net | 020 8133 8008 (Skype) 07525 209589
(Mobile)
From:
alex stobart
Date:
May 09 06:33 UTC
Short link
Dave and others
What we could also do is ask this site if they can "white label" themselves
and then we could have
http://www.patientslikeme.com/
citizenslikeme
interestslikeme
hobbieslikeme
xxlikeme for anything you like
This site ( as currently designed ) is really useful for anyone who suffers
from health and well-being issues, and is eminently transferable to other
lifestyle issues. Does anyone from America who has read this far, know this
site as it came out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Of course at the moment, commerce wants to pull you into their site, and get
you to register. I don't mind doing that for some things, but I'd rather
reduce my number of usernames and passwords if I could.
Alex
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Briggs" <dave@change2.org>
To: <ukie@groups.dowire.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 11:33 AM
Subject: [UKIE-EDem] Get Satisfaction - with your Council?
> Great idea
>
> Dave
>
> From:
>
http://www.jonbounds.co.uk/blog/255/can-you-get-satisfaction-from-your-local-council/
>
> I've been quietly impressed with Get
> Satisfaction<http://getsatisfaction.com/>,
> which is sort of best described as a "social customer service" site.
> Twitter
> <http://getsatisfaction.com/twitter>and some other big-name players on the
> internet use it for their official support channels - the idea of the site
> being that employees of the companies join in with discussion of
> "problems"
> that people are having. Some employees just join to help, others are
> granted
> "official" status and can speak on behalf of the organisation.
>
> Of course lots of problems that we have with products or services aren't
> really problems (or are well know and documented) - in these instances
> other
> users are happy to help (very much like unofficial forums for software).
> 'Users' are also welcome to point out possible solutions to anything - and
> of course they do.
>
> So, I thought, could this work for a local council? Imagine time saved by
> council officials if knowledgeable citizens helped answer questions,
> imagine
> the resources available (once someone had explained how to apply for a
> licence, the information would be there for everyone), imagine a
> monolithic
> body "joining the conversation".
>
> Rather than deciding to attempt to persuade my local council (Birmingham
> City Council - one of the largest in the UK) that this would be a good
> idea,
> I discovered that - as the site is "a space for an open conversation
> between
> you and other people with interests and passions in this organization." -
> anyone can set a company page up. So I
> have.<http://getsatisfaction.com/birminghamcitycouncil>
>
> I don't have anything to ask at the moment, but I'm hoping that it might
> get
> used.
>
> "Sometimes representatives from the company or organization may take part
> in
> the conversation too." says the blurb wouldn't that be great?
>
>
> --
> Dave Briggs
> <email obscured> | http://davepress.net | 020 8133 8008 (Skype) 07525
> 209589
> (Mobile)
>
> Member profile for Dave Briggs:
> http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/davebriggs
>
>
> -----------------------------------------
>
> Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
>
> Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all
> posts on this topic here:
> http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/2YzhMXljsNVBZCY9jsEsPU
>
> For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> email <email obscured>
> with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
>
> UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
> http://dowire.org.
>
From:
paul canning
Date:
May 25 11:54 UTC
Short link
I blogged a response to this initiative, pointing out my experience with
fixmystreet - where my local complaint was surrounded by other ones yet to be
responded to.
Here's my point
'I don't think councillors, almost all of them anyway, have yet seen what's
happening on such websites and thought - ahah! if I don't address these
community issues I might lose my seat. Whereas if these issues made it into the
local paper even in one letter to the editor, they would.
There's a tipping point of recognition which none of the political parties and
only a few councillors have made.
It will happen but there's a political recognition here as much as anything
else which they need to make and perhaps those advocating this type of
engagement need to bang on about.'
From:
Tom Steinberg
Date:
May 28 09:49 UTC
Short link
Hi Paul,
Just out of interest, you should have got a survey email from
FixMyStreet asking if your problem got fixed. If it didn't get fixed,
it will have automatically told you who your local councillors are and
asked you to write to them.
Did you take up the offer to write to you local councillors? If not,
can you tell us how we can change or improve the experience so that
you would have done?
The only other thing we can perhaps do is integrate the half-built
http://news.mysociety.org experiment that we did a couple of years
ago. But these things all take resources and it would be nice to know
what you think.
best,
Tom
2008/5/25 paul canning <paul.canning@gmail.com>:
> I blogged a response to this initiative, pointing out my experience with
fixmystreet - where my local complaint was surrounded by other ones yet to be
responded to.
>
> Here's my point
>
> 'I don't think councillors, almost all of them anyway, have yet seen what's
happening on such websites and thought - ahah! if I don't address these
community issues I might lose my seat. Whereas if these issues made it into the
local paper even in one letter to the editor, they would.
>
> There's a tipping point of recognition which none of the political parties
and only a few councillors have made.
>
> It will happen but there's a political recognition here as much as anything
else which they need to make and perhaps those advocating this type of
engagement need to bang on about.'
>
>
> Member profile for paul canning:
> http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/paulcanning
>
>
> -----------------------------------------
>
> Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
>
> Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all posts
on this topic here:
> http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/6QWNJ5qFyZMCBIcugWOoWb
>
> For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> email <email obscured>
> with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
>
> UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
http://dowire.org.
>
--
Director, mySociety
07811 082158
New mySociety volunteering opportunities:
http://www.mysociety.org/volunteertasks?skills=nontech
From:
paul canning
Date:
May 28 12:50 UTC
Short link
I actually got a response from the relevant Council very quickly. It was very
badly formed - two sentences and unsigned. Didn't solve the problem either. The
email address was surname, firstname, so I almost wrote back to 'she' before I
doubled back!
I wrote back pointing out that I would add the response to the entry on
fixmystreet but maybe they'd like to instead because mine was surrounded by
others looking unaddressed.
Didn't get a survey email.
I think the fix is really to deal with how councils deal with non-standard
inputs and creating outputs from them. They are getting better at responding to
emails - customer service - but 'reputation management' is really, as I'm
suggesting, a recognition that councillors need to make.
I will send the relevant link to my local councillors and see what happens!
Maybe a suggestion would be to release some data on numbers of 'unresolved
problems'? Are any councils going in and systematically turning red flags blue?
From:
Ella Taylor-Smith
Date:
May 28 13:47 UTC
Short link
Hi,
have you read Stephen King and Paul Brown's paper on this?
It gives some answers from council's point of view (though obviously coundils
vary widely)
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1328057.1328076
Fix my street or else: using the internet to voice local public service
concerns
Proceedings of the 1st international conference on Theory and practice of
electronic governance table of contents
Macao, China
WORKSHOP SESSION: Knowledge management and electronic governance
By the way, the call for the 2nd ICEGOV conference is open till 2nd
June..http://www.icegov.org/
From:
Simon Smith
Date:
May 28 14:27 UTC
Short link
Hi Tom,
I feel the follow-up survey is a bit too black-and-white for some problems.
If my memory serves it simply asks, was your problem fixed (yes/no)?
I once found myself answering 'No' about a problem I'd reported, when I'd
nevertheless received a prompt and satisfactory response from the Council
explaining why the problem could, unfortunately, not be fixed in the way I'd
suggested. So the follow-up options were not relevant. Should the survey not
also contain a supplementary question, such as, 'If no, did you receive a
satisfactory explanation?'
Simon Smith
2008/5/28 Tom Steinberg <tom@mysociety.org>:
> Hi Paul,
>
> Just out of interest, you should have got a survey email from
> FixMyStreet asking if your problem got fixed. If it didn't get fixed,
> it will have automatically told you who your local councillors are and
> asked you to write to them.
>
> Did you take up the offer to write to you local councillors? If not,
> can you tell us how we can change or improve the experience so that
> you would have done?
>
> The only other thing we can perhaps do is integrate the half-built
> http://news.mysociety.org experiment that we did a couple of years
> ago. But these things all take resources and it would be nice to know
> what you think.
>
> best,
>
> Tom
>
>
>
>
>
> 2008/5/25 paul canning <paul.canning@gmail.com>:
> > I blogged a response to this initiative, pointing out my experience
> with fixmystreet - where my local complaint was surrounded by other ones yet
> to be responded to.
> >
> > Here's my point
> >
> > 'I don't think councillors, almost all of them anyway, have yet seen
> what's happening on such websites and thought - ahah! if I don't address
> these community issues I might lose my seat. Whereas if these issues made it
> into the local paper even in one letter to the editor, they would.
> >
> > There's a tipping point of recognition which none of the political
> parties and only a few councillors have made.
> >
> > It will happen but there's a political recognition here as much as
> anything else which they need to make and perhaps those advocating this type
> of engagement need to bang on about.'
> >
> >
> > Member profile for paul canning:
> > http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/paulcanning
> >
> >
> > -----------------------------------------
> >
> > Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> > http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
> >
> > Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all
> posts on this topic here:
> > http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/6QWNJ5qFyZMCBIcugWOoWb
> >
> > For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> > email <email obscured>
> > with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
> >
> > UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
> http://dowire.org.
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Director, mySociety
> 07811 082158
> New mySociety volunteering opportunities:
> http://www.mysociety.org/volunteertasks?skills=nontech
>
> Member profile for Tom Steinberg:
> http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/tomsteinberg
>
>
> -----------------------------------------
>
> Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
>
> Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all posts
> on this topic here:
> http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/2EOoSkFSRPHLl0ZxJC7ayQ
>
> For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> email <email obscured>
> with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
>
> UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
> http://dowire.org.
>
From:
Dave Briggs
Date:
May 29 13:28 UTC
Short link
Just spotted this fixmystreet good news story:
http://sionide.net/2008/05/29/fixmystreetcom-fixed-my-street/
Dave
On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 3:27 PM, Simon Smith <simesmith@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Tom,
>
> I feel the follow-up survey is a bit too black-and-white for some problems.
> If my memory serves it simply asks, was your problem fixed (yes/no)?
> I once found myself answering 'No' about a problem I'd reported, when I'd
> nevertheless received a prompt and satisfactory response from the Council
> explaining why the problem could, unfortunately, not be fixed in the way I'd
> suggested. So the follow-up options were not relevant. Should the survey not
> also contain a supplementary question, such as, 'If no, did you receive a
> satisfactory explanation?'
> Simon Smith
> 2008/5/28 Tom Steinberg <tom@mysociety.org>:
>
>> Hi Paul,
>>
>> Just out of interest, you should have got a survey email from
>> FixMyStreet asking if your problem got fixed. If it didn't get fixed,
>> it will have automatically told you who your local councillors are and
>> asked you to write to them.
>>
>> Did you take up the offer to write to you local councillors? If not,
>> can you tell us how we can change or improve the experience so that
>> you would have done?
>>
>> The only other thing we can perhaps do is integrate the half-built
>> http://news.mysociety.org experiment that we did a couple of years
>> ago. But these things all take resources and it would be nice to know
>> what you think.
>>
>> best,
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 2008/5/25 paul canning <paul.canning@gmail.com>:
>> > I blogged a response to this initiative, pointing out my experience
>> with fixmystreet - where my local complaint was surrounded by other ones yet
>> to be responded to.
>> >
>> > Here's my point
>> >
>> > 'I don't think councillors, almost all of them anyway, have yet seen
>> what's happening on such websites and thought - ahah! if I don't address
>> these community issues I might lose my seat. Whereas if these issues made it
>> into the local paper even in one letter to the editor, they would.
>> >
>> > There's a tipping point of recognition which none of the political
>> parties and only a few councillors have made.
>> >
>> > It will happen but there's a political recognition here as much as
>> anything else which they need to make and perhaps those advocating this type
>> of engagement need to bang on about.'
>> >
>> >
>> > Member profile for paul canning:
>> > http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/paulcanning
>> >
>> >
>> > -----------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
>> > http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
>> >
>> > Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all
>> posts on this topic here:
>> > http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/6QWNJ5qFyZMCBIcugWOoWb
>> >
>> > For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
>> > email <email obscured>
>> > with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
>> >
>> > UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
>> http://dowire.org.
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Director, mySociety
>> 07811 082158
>> New mySociety volunteering opportunities:
>> http://www.mysociety.org/volunteertasks?skills=nontech
>>
>> Member profile for Tom Steinberg:
>> http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/tomsteinberg
>>
>>
>> -----------------------------------------
>>
>> Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
>> http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
>>
>> Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all posts
>> on this topic here:
>> http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/2EOoSkFSRPHLl0ZxJC7ayQ
>>
>> For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
>> email <email obscured>
>> with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
>>
>> UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
>> http://dowire.org.
>>
>
> Member profile for Simon Smith:
> http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/simonsmith
>
>
> -----------------------------------------
>
> Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
>
> Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all posts
on this topic here:
> http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/59kHVWLaMGIIO5kl7pcTmx
>
> For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> email <email obscured>
> with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
>
> UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
http://dowire.org.
>
--
Dave Briggs
<email obscured> | http://davepress.net | 020 8133 8008 (Skype) 07525
209589 (Mobile)
From:
Jeremy Gould
Date:
May 29 14:33 UTC
Short link
Well spotted!
On Thu, May 29, 2008 at 2:28 PM, Dave Briggs <dave@change2.org> wrote:
> Just spotted this fixmystreet good news story:
>
> http://sionide.net/2008/05/29/fixmystreetcom-fixed-my-street/
>
> Dave
>
> On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 3:27 PM, Simon Smith <simesmith@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi Tom,
> >
> > I feel the follow-up survey is a bit too black-and-white for some
> problems.
> > If my memory serves it simply asks, was your problem fixed (yes/no)?
> > I once found myself answering 'No' about a problem I'd reported, when I'd
> > nevertheless received a prompt and satisfactory response from the Council
> > explaining why the problem could, unfortunately, not be fixed in the way
> I'd
> > suggested. So the follow-up options were not relevant. Should the survey
> not
> > also contain a supplementary question, such as, 'If no, did you receive a
> > satisfactory explanation?'
> > Simon Smith
> > 2008/5/28 Tom Steinberg <tom@mysociety.org>:
> >
> >> Hi Paul,
> >>
> >> Just out of interest, you should have got a survey email from
> >> FixMyStreet asking if your problem got fixed. If it didn't get fixed,
> >> it will have automatically told you who your local councillors are and
> >> asked you to write to them.
> >>
> >> Did you take up the offer to write to you local councillors? If not,
> >> can you tell us how we can change or improve the experience so that
> >> you would have done?
> >>
> >> The only other thing we can perhaps do is integrate the half-built
> >> http://news.mysociety.org experiment that we did a couple of years
> >> ago. But these things all take resources and it would be nice to know
> >> what you think.
> >>
> >> best,
> >>
> >> Tom
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> 2008/5/25 paul canning <paul.canning@gmail.com>:
> >> > I blogged a response to this initiative, pointing out my experience
> >> with fixmystreet - where my local complaint was surrounded by other ones
> yet
> >> to be responded to.
> >> >
> >> > Here's my point
> >> >
> >> > 'I don't think councillors, almost all of them anyway, have yet seen
> >> what's happening on such websites and thought - ahah! if I don't address
> >> these community issues I might lose my seat. Whereas if these issues
> made it
> >> into the local paper even in one letter to the editor, they would.
> >> >
> >> > There's a tipping point of recognition which none of the political
> >> parties and only a few councillors have made.
> >> >
> >> > It will happen but there's a political recognition here as much as
> >> anything else which they need to make and perhaps those advocating this
> type
> >> of engagement need to bang on about.'
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Member profile for paul canning:
> >> > http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/paulcanning
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > -----------------------------------------
> >> >
> >> > Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> >> > http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
> >> >
> >> > Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all
> >> posts on this topic here:
> >> > http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/6QWNJ5qFyZMCBIcugWOoWb
> >> >
> >> > For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> >> > email <email obscured>
> >> > with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
> >> >
> >> > UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
> >> http://dowire.org.
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Director, mySociety
> >> 07811 082158
> >> New mySociety volunteering opportunities:
> >> http://www.mysociety.org/volunteertasks?skills=nontech
> >>
> >> Member profile for Tom Steinberg:
> >> http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/tomsteinberg
> >>
> >>
> >> -----------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> >> http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
> >>
> >> Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all
> posts
> >> on this topic here:
> >> http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/2EOoSkFSRPHLl0ZxJC7ayQ
> >>
> >> For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> >> email <email obscured>
> >> with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
> >>
> >> UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
> >> http://dowire.org.
> >>
> >
> > Member profile for Simon Smith:
> > http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/simonsmith
> >
> >
> > -----------------------------------------
> >
> > Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> > http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
> >
> > Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all
> posts on this topic here:
> > http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/59kHVWLaMGIIO5kl7pcTmx
> >
> > For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> > email <email obscured>
> > with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
> >
> > UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
> http://dowire.org.
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Dave Briggs
> <email obscured> | http://davepress.net | 020 8133 8008 (Skype) 07525
> 209589 (Mobile)
>
> Member profile for Dave Briggs:
> http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/davebriggs
>
>
> -----------------------------------------
>
> Group home for UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange:
> http://groups.dowire.org/groups/ukie
>
> Replies go to members of UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange with all posts
> on this topic here:
> http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/55sqPnWtJ397tTx7LQf6mM
>
> For digest version or to leave UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange,
> email <email obscured>
> with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
>
> UK and Ireland E-Democracy Exchange is hosted by Democracies Online -
> http://dowire.org.
>
From:
Ross
Date:
May 29 15:00 UTC
Short link
Hi Tom and others,
How goes?
I've uploaded a report onto FixMyStreet and have completed the subsequent
follow-ups from the site. I think the surveys are good as a prompt not only of
the site's existence but of the other things that can be done to report and,
hopefully, resolve the problem. Incidently, I had already written to my
councillors about the problem - still waiting :)
I was prompted to blog about the site by an article I read
(http://basiccraft.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/fixing-up-my-street/). I think it
is a good site, but in the spirit of betas (although just noiced FixMyStreet is
out of beta) I also noted some things that I thought would improve it (and
other services that might seek to emulate it) further.
One that I have since thought of, would be to put some time into producing
brief case studies of the the 672 fixes in the last month and display these
prominently on the homepage - ie. this isn't just a place to ven, it really is
a resource to help get things done.
Ross> Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 15:32:58 +0100> From: <email obscured>> To:
<email obscured>> Subject: Re: [UKIE-EDem] Get Satisfaction - with your
Council?> > Well spotted!> > On Thu, May 29, 2008 at 2:28 PM, Dave Briggs
<dave@change2.org> wrote:> > > Just spotted this fixmystreet good news story:>
>> > http://sionide.net/2008/05/29/fixmystreetcom-fixed-my-street/> >> > Dave>
>> > On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 3:27 PM, Simon Smith <simesmith@gmail.com> wrote:>
> > Hi Tom,> > >> > > I feel the follow-up survey is a bit too black-and-white
for some> > problems.> > > If my memory serves it simply asks, was your problem
fixed (yes/no)?> > > I once found myself answering 'No' about a problem I'd
reported, when I'd> > > nevertheless received a prompt and satisfactory
response from the Council> > > explaining why the problem could, unfortunately,
not be fixed in the way> > I'd> > > suggested. So the follow-up options were
not relevant. Should the survey> > not> > > also contain a supplementary
question, such as, 'If no, did you receive a> > > satisfactory explanation?'> >
> Simon Smith> > > 2008/5/28 Tom Steinberg <tom@mysociety.org>:> > >> > >> Hi
Paul,> > >>> > >> Just out of interest, you should have got a survey email
from> > >> FixMyStreet asking if your problem got fixed. If it didn't get
fixed,> > >> it will have automatically told you who your local councillors are
and> > >> asked you to write to them.> > >>> > >> Did you take up the offer to
write to you local councillors? If not,> > >> can you tell us how we can change
or improve the experience so that> > >> you would have done?> > >>> > >> The
only other thing we can perhaps do is integrate the half-built> > >>
http://news.mysociety.org experiment that we did a couple of years> > >> ago.
But these things all take resources and it would be nice to know> > >> what you
think.> > >>> > >> best,> > >>> > >> Tom> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>
2008/5/25 paul canning <paul.canning@gmail.com>:> > >> > I blogged a response
to this initiative, pointing out my experience> > >> with fixmystreet - where
my local complaint was surrounded by other ones> > yet> > >> to be responded
to.> > >> >> > >> > Here's my point> > >> >> > >> > 'I don't think councillors,
almost all of them anyway, have yet seen> > >> what's happening on such
websites and thought - ahah! if I don't address> > >> these community issues I
might lose my seat. Whereas if these issues> > made it> > >> into the local
paper even in one letter to the editor, they would.> > >> >> > >> > There's a
tipping point of recognition which none of the political> > >> parties and only
a few councillors have made.> > >> >> > >> > It will happen but there's a
political recognition here as much as> > >> anything else which they need to
make and perhaps those advocating this> > type> > >> of engagement need to bang
on about.'> > >> >> > >> >> > >> > Member profile for paul canning:> > >> >
http://groups.dowire.org/contacts/paulcanning> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >
From:
paul canning
Date:
May 29 19:02 UTC
Short link
Just to say that I made a point of drawing attention to the red flags in my
local area to the County and City councillors. The County one is opposition
but knew the site - and thought they (ruling party and their officers)
should do something about it. The city one just fobbed me off to 'council
officers' and didn't know fixmystreet! Trouble is I work for the city! So
now I have to deal with that bizarre balancing act of being both a
complaining resident and an officer of the council ...
ever felt you've lost some democratic rights somewhere when you join the
public service? Hmm. Don't remember signing anything knowing what I was
getting into ...
--
www.paulcanning.me.uk
web stuff and other ramblings
~~~~~~~~~~~
From:
paul canning
Date:
May 29 19:04 UTC
Short link
Just to say that I made a point of drawing attention to the red flags in my
local area to the County and City councillors. The County one is opposition but
knew the site - and thought they (ruling party and their officers) should do
something about it. The city one just fobbed me off to 'council officers' and
didn't know fixmystreet!
Trouble is I work for the city! So now I have to deal with that bizarre
balancing act of being both a complaining resident - to this slack councillor -
and an officer of the council ...
ever felt you've lost some democratic rights somewhere when you join the public
service? Hmm. Don't remember signing anything knowing what I was getting into
...
--
www.paulcanning.me.uk
web stuff and other ramblings
~~~~~~~~~~~
From:
Tom Steinberg
Date:
May 30 14:56 UTC
Short link
> Didn't get a survey email.
Checking your records it turns out you filed one problem back a some
time ago before there were survey emails running, but the much more
recent one will generate you a survey soon.
> I think the fix is really to deal with how councils deal with non-standard
inputs and creating outputs from them. They are getting better at responding to
emails - customer service - but 'reputation management' is really, as I'm
suggesting, a recognition that councillors need to make.
>
> I will send the relevant link to my local councillors and see what happens!
That might have some input. As everything in life, some councils are
mega aware, and others aren't. We've had stories about problems being
fixed precisely because the council was worried that the unfixed
problem was now public. We've also had stories about problems being
fixed almost immediately with no media pressure, and problems being
left unfixed despite all efforts. Every possibility, in other words.
> Maybe a suggestion would be to release some data on numbers of 'unresolved
problems'? Are any councils going in and systematically turning red flags blue?
It's already all there on FMS, but we don't produce actual % league
tables because the data would be an unfair portrayal. Some users will
have problems fixed and never change the status of their problem,
which would count against a council that had done nothing wrong.
From:
Tom Steinberg
Date:
May 30 15:00 UTC
Short link
2008/5/28 Ella Taylor-Smith <e.taylorsmith@napier.ac.uk>:
> Hi,
> have you read Stephen King and Paul Brown's paper on this?
> It gives some answers from council's point of view (though obviously coundils
vary widely)
> http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1328057.1328076
No, because it's behind a registration wall. Can anyone post a link to
the PDF that isn't purposefully made more difficult to obtain?
From:
Tom Steinberg
Date:
May 30 15:07 UTC
Short link
2008/5/28 Simon Smith <simesmith@gmail.com>:
> Hi Tom,
>
> I feel the follow-up survey is a bit too black-and-white for some problems.
> If my memory serves it simply asks, was your problem fixed (yes/no)?
> I once found myself answering 'No' about a problem I'd reported, when I'd
> nevertheless received a prompt and satisfactory response from the Council
> explaining why the problem could, unfortunately, not be fixed in the way I'd
> suggested. So the follow-up options were not relevant. Should the survey not
> also contain a supplementary question, such as, 'If no, did you receive a
> satisfactory explanation?'
> Simon Smith
Hi Simon,
I've added this to the to do suggestions pile for FMS:
https://secure.mysociety.org/cvstrac/tktview?tn=1026
Note: FMS is an unfunded project at this point, though, so this task
will have to compete with all the other feature additions suggested
for all our other sites. The proportions of allocated time per
project, and the priority of specific tasks are decided jointly by the
mySociety community.
From:
Tom Steinberg
Date:
Jun 02 11:03 UTC
Short link
Ella kindly found this PDF of the FixMyStreet paper. She couldn't post
it herself for post-per-day limit reasons.
best,
Tom
2008/5/30 Tom Steinberg <tom@mysociety.org>:
>> Hi Tom and others,
>
> Hi Ross
>
>> How goes?
>
> Good, thanks.
>
>> I was prompted to blog about the site by an article I read
(http://basiccraft.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/fixing-up-my-street/). I think it
is a good site, but in the spirit of betas (although just noiced FixMyStreet is
out of beta) I also noted some things that I thought would improve it (and
other services that might seek to emulate it) further.
>
>> One that I have since thought of, would be to put some time into producing
brief case studies of the the 672 fixes in the last month and display these
prominently on the homepage - ie. this isn't just a place to ven, it really is
a resource to help get things done.
>
> What's tricky about this is you're asking for an ongoing, manual
> commitment by an unfunded project. It's much easier to find the spare
> resources to add a single feature, like Simon's survey alteration,
> because it's a one off cost. I'm afraid we're just not in the market
> for things that require looking after all the time, so I've not made a
> ticket for this suggestion right now. Hope that helps you understand
> how things look from our perspective.
>
> all the best,
>
> Tom
>
--
Director, mySociety
07811 082158
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