The OpenGovNorth blog started out as an experiment.
Nick Charney and Walter Schwabe, at their keynote talk at OpenGovWestBC, issued a call for participants to do something rather important at the conference:
The called upon us to act, to participate, by doing something simple: post in a blog.
Nick and Walter may not have been sure it would work. They were testing out the audience in Victoria to see what our appetite was to truly engage, to truly participate, and to make our first starts towards using the tools to do our work better.
The result has been pretty darn impressive: more than 10 % of those who attended OpenGovWestBC have posted. The #ogwbc hashtag is going strong and the community is continuing to grow.
OpenGovWestBC emerged out of OpenGovWest – a series of conferences that bring together Open Gov leaders in Canada and the US to share common challenges, solutions and a shared vision for a better future. OpenGovWest – and the conferences’ leadership organization Knowledge as Power – have been key partners in getting this conversation started and in keeping it going. OpenGovWestBC was a partnership of local organizers, sponsors, volunteers, speakers and lead by a non-profit organization, all dedicated to building and linking Open Government Communities.
This experiment has grown into a fledgling community and a partnership, between an awesome non-profit organization and dedicated citizens, between governments, and between each other. As we learn more about how to work together and how to be better partners, we invite you to continue the conversation, and continue to share here.
What To Share on The Open Gov West Group Blog
There are no hard or fast rules on what you can share on the blog. Posts can range from full blown prose to rudimentary thinking, raw reactions to deep questions. All we are asking for is 100 words.
Here are some other examples of what we’d like to see:
- Session notes
Questions
Commentaries
Calls for action
Requests for expertise
Pictures
Video
Audio
Moreover, please feel free to engage directly by commenting on the posts of others. This group blog will serve as a great way to help carry today’s conversation forward into action.
Thanks for taking the time, we’re looking forward to learning more about why you decided to participate at Open Gov West BC.