Tobias Escher

1
An introduction to Web 2.0(and what it might
mean for PSI)

• Tobias Escher
• Doctoral Student
• APPSI 4th Annual Seminar Oxford Internet
  Institute 12 November 2007

2
Outline

• Does it exist?
• What it could be
• What does it mean for PSI
• IMHO how to make PSI 2.0

3
Web 2.0

• collaboration
• user-generated content
• social web
• sharing
• XML
• API
• customization
• localization

4
Blogs

• mass phenomenon
• UK 10-15 of Internet users write a blog
• citizen journalism vs. traditional media
• allow for comments
• impact
• power shift?
• blog Daily Kos 600,000 visits a day
• resignation US senator Trent Lott
• Salman Pax and Soldiers blogs

5
Reputation systems

• Amazon

• eBay

6
Virtual Worlds

• Second Life,World of Warcraft
• controlling avatars in a simulated environment
• SL 11m users (700k active)
• economic value (GDP 500m ???)
• campaigning

image sourceshttp//secondlife.com/_img/content/
wa.jpghttp//www.hhcc.com/?p213
7
Social Network Sites

• MySpace, Facebook, Bebo
• key components
• profile with personal information
• network of friends
• huge growth
• UK and US 50 of teenagers have a profile, half
  of them daily users
• most popular sites on the Internet
• applications
• socializing
• professional networking
• campaigning
• NOW advertising

8
more examples of collaboration sharing

• Wikipedia
• 2m English articles
• tens of thousands of contributors
• Twitter awareness technology
• www.netmums.com
• 275k users
• local help and advice on parenting
• www.patientopinion.org.uk
• allow patients to share experiences
• proven benefits of communities
• social
• health
• money

9
Mash ups

• Combine content from different sources into one
  experience.
• BBC Backstage
• original travel information
• structured travel information
• 3rd party Mash Up BBC travel info and Google Maps
• Chicago crime map
• Upmystreet.com
• Relies on data being available (open standards)
• Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs)
• especially geo information, Google Maps
• Facebook, Second Life (CASA)

10
What it means for PSI

• experiments
• 100 people
• 10-15 questions
• find PSI online
• track navigation

see Government on the Web papers
source Oxford Internet Survey 2007
11
How information is being found

• 9 out of 10 questions use search first
• 98 of searches check only 1st page
• use of direct.gov.uk 1 or 2 out of 10

12
Examples of Competitors
GovernmentSources
Issue
Competitors
13
Issues for PSI in a Web 2.0 paradigm

• visibility
• people use Google, not brands!
• UK top sites (most visited)
• determine online visibility
• competition
• alternative information providers
• others might be better at doing things
• who is responsible / authority
• less control
• Different from usual government strategy
• pull vs. push
• creative freedom vs. control of message
• license
• UCL CASA, Google Earth Ordnance Survey
• UK parliament website

14
IMHO how to make PSI 2.0

• structured formats!
• increases utility for volunteers business
• leverage wisdom of the crowds
• government certified data stream
• sort out license and privacy issues
• enable re-use
• machine readable license info (CC)
• proactive (instead FoI)
• be visible

15
How PSI can look like

• Maplight tracking lobbying in legislation
• Farmsubsidy.org EU CPA subsidies
• FundRace Campaign Donations
• Theyworkforyou.com MP information
• compare parliament website
• US NOAA
• US Environmental Protection Agency
• US Federal Election Commission

16
Further information
Thank you!

• people.oii.ox.ac.uk/escher/
• www.governmentontheweb.org
• www.sunlightfoundation.com
• www.e-participation.net/