Ideas needed!

In the meantime, I’m setting you a wee bit of homework As you know, we’re building stuff as well as talking this year. And, so we can get the day off to a flying start, we need to be able to focus on a particular/issue problem. So, get voting (or add your own ideas). Preferably by teatime on Monday (12th). That’ll give us time to look out some relevant data sources to use on the day.

Thanks!

While I’m on, I’d just like to thank Aberdeen University for hosting the event and also our very generous sponsors moreopen and Learning Pool. Check out their websites – we couldn’t do ScotGovCamp without them!

Getting there

Remember to check out our Google Map for travel sharing opportunities.

Mini-ScotGovCamp in Glasgow

Sorry if you were holding out for the promised Glasgow event during Social Media Week, but we’ve not been able to make this happen. There are still a few tickets available for the main shindig though.

Traditional hackdays are free-form events where developers and others, such as enthusiasts, campaigners or journalists, come together and discuss potential projects to work on. The discussion can take up most of the morning as ideas are explored and data sources are investigated.  Only once that discussion has taken place do groups form and the work begin.

We thought that we’d try something different for ScotGovCamp. If we can move the idea bit forward, ahead of the hackday, we can use the day itself more efficiently – building something all day rather than discussing options.  So…we have a forum where you can suggest ideas for the hackday and vote on them up to 10 September.  Once we have a ‘winner’ that gives us two weeks to identify data sources, leaving the day clear to work on building stuff.

BTW, feel free to move between the two strands – the hackday and the govcamp – on the day. We hope that the hackday will produce applications of relevance to the barcamp discussions, and that the winning topic for the hackday will generate discussion at the barcamp. All we ask is that when booking tickets you choose the strand where you anticipate most of your time will be spent.

So what’s this GovCamp thing all about then?

GovCamps are self organised unconferences for people that work in and around government. They’re free; have no set, pre-defined agenda; focus on attendee participation; integrate with online stuff and are relentlessly positive, constructive and creative. GovCamps enable folk interested in developing innovation and technology in government to come together in an informal setting to share their ideas. And eat pizza.

What’s on the agenda

Nothing yet! (see above). Last year we talked about:

open data
G cloud
Digital Scotland
Foursquare
Big Society
linked data
law and computers
barriers to engagement
lots of other stuff

ScotGovHack

This year, we’re trying something a wee bit different. Alongside the more ‘traditional’ discussion/presentation sessions there will be parallel hacking sessions – during which we can actually make some stuff! You can get involved in one or t’other, or dip in and out of both. (But just so we get an idea of the numbers for who wants to do what – it’d be helpful if you could choose the appropriate ticket type!)

Getting there

Add yourself to our Google Map to see if anyone else is going in your direction. There may be opportunities for car sharing, etc.

Keep in touch!

Stake out these places for updates before, during and after:

• this blog!
• the Scottish GovCamp group on the UKGovCamp site
• Twitter – hashtag: #sgc2
• the Scotland Web 2 community on the IS/LGID CoP platform (login required)

Tickets

Grab your ticket now – they sold out pretty quick last year!

New University of Aberdeen library in construction

Right boys and girls! I am awfully chuffed* to be able to confirm that ScotGovCamp 2011 will be held in the MacRobert Building at the University of Aberdeen on Saturday 24 September.

I’ll be posting more detail here shortly, and the first tranche of tickets should be available later in the week.

[I've also been chatting with the nice folks at IRISS about holding a mini GovCamp in Glasgow during Social Media Week, which is the previous week (17 - 23 September). This would probably be an evening event and we would be limited to about 30 people. Again, more to follow.]

* not least cos it means I can ogle the new library (which might be open by then!)

But…what I can say is (drum roll please) that SGC2 may well be taking place in Aberdeen on 24 September. Plans are at an early stage, so the date and the location may still change – but there are lots of good folk in and around the granite city keen to make it happen.

I can also say that we might try to add a hack day element to the event this time.

So, thank you for your patience folks. Hopefully I’ll have more details for you soon.

(And, obviously, do let me know if you think Aberdeen/24 September/hack day-ifying  is/are completely idiotic idea/s!!!)

The  Scottish  Parliament  election takes  place  on  5  May. There are implications  for  the work of  the Scottish Government and it’s civil servants during the official ‘election period’ – which starts today. These  arise  from  the  special  character  of  Government  business  during  an  election campaign, and from the need to maintain the impartiality of the Civil Service and avoid criticism of inappropriate use of official resources. There’s more information on the Scottish Government website if you want the full ins and outs.

Although this is not in any way an official government blog…it’s main contributor (me!) is a civil servant and I’m not taking any chances!

Once we’re back – mid May-ish – it’ll be full steam ahead with planning ScotGovCamp 2, so get your thinking caps as I’ll be looking for ideas! And assistance…

In the meantime…you might want to go along to Social Innovation Camp Scotland, which takes place at the Informatics Forum on 17 – 19 June. Or if you’re a data geek, there’s a National Hack the Government Day event in Aberdeen on 26 March.

I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this you think that people blogging about their work is a GOOD THING. And possibly also that blogging AT WORK about more personal stuff is also a GOOD THING. If, however, you’re not convinced, have a read of this and this.  And if you’re still not convinced – why on earth are you reading this blog?!

I’ve been blogging about my work (with the occasional post about more personal stuff) for about four years now. I’m still not very good at it, but I think the fact that I’m doing it at all is a GOOD THING. For me, even if it’s not for anyone else. And for me other people blogging about their work in the public sector has been a VERY GOOD THING – I’ve learnt a hell of a lot from the blogs I read.

Because it’s a GOOD THING we need more folk doing it. There are some very good blogs with a public sector focus written in Scotland. Here are some that I’m aware of – in no particular order (and with apologies to any I’ve missed out):

• http://benplouviez.wordpress.com/
• http://corrinnedouglas.wordpress.com/
• http://www.prettysimple.co.uk/blog/
• http://royhair.com/
• http://scotgovcamp.wordpress.com

But we can do better!  So I’ve being having a think about how we might get more public sector folk in Scotland blogging. (And I’m talking here about blogging outside the walled garden of the Communities of Practice space – lovely though that garden is.)

Blogger extraordinaire Mr Dave Briggs recently wrote a post about Public Sector Bloggers, which aggregates content from UK public sector blogs (very few are written this side of the border), and mentioned it’s growing unwieldiness (cos of the increase in blogs). Suggestions for the future development of the site include better categorisation and the addition of blogging guidance.

But…I’m wondering if a Public Sector Bloggers type resource specifically for Scotland/Scottish bloggers would be something worth developing?

What do you think?  Would existing Scottish public sector bloggers be keen to have their posts aggregated in this way?  Would it be a useful resource for encouraging people to blog?  Or could we just make more of the existing Public Sector Bloggers site?

I’d also be interested in suggestions for other ways to encourage more blogging in the public sector in Scotland.

Next week, Wednesday (9th) to Friday (11th) sees the 2011 COSLA and Improvement Service Annual Conference in Fairmont, St Andrews – the “keynote local government event in the Scottish calendar”. This year’s conference is entitled Rising to the Challenge: Protecting our Communities and Services.

ScotGovCamp sponsors Learning Pool will be exhibiting at the conference for the first time. Learning Pool are currently collaborating with the Improvement Service on a project to help Scottish councils use flexible and agile working. You can find out about the project (and Learning Pool’s other work in Scotland) from Dave Briggs, Mary McKenna and Paul McElvaney who will be on the Learning Pool stand (Dave will be there on the 9th and 10th, Paul and Mary will be in attendance on the 10th and 11th).

Further resources:

• Conference programme
• Find out more about Learning Pool’s work in Scotland by getting in touch with Breda Doherty, Learning Pool’s representative in Scotland
• Agile working project

PS. If you’re attending and fancy covering the conference for this blog, please give me a bell! (no payment involved obviously, but just think of the fame…)

Last year’s scotgovcamp (henceforth sgc1) was in July. July 2011 sounds like a good month for sgc2.

Interesting that last year’s event is only seven months ago.

But things move fast in the social media world.

So what’s happened in sgc-related issues since July that I’ve noticed?

Well, for starters

• snow Mark I – no that’s not a new form of social media.  But #uksnow was a great Twitter app that gives a real-time map of snow conditions in the UK.  As I write it’s blank (er, ’cos there’s no snow) but good to see it’s attracted some advertising, proving it’s both a business opportunity and a great social service.  Was I the only person who sat mesmerised in December at the swirling snow storm outside and the evolving uksnow map inside?  What about #ukflood, #uksun or #ukNHSdentistswithvacancies?
• snow Mark II – lots of councils (Scottish and English) woke up to Twitter as a way of keeping their residents bang up to date with local road conditions, gritting schedules, closed schools etc.  Some great practice sprung up apparently instantly
• snow Mark III – one (very) large Scottish council fouled up by announcing at 8 a.m. that all its schools were going to be closed that day.  Proof that you can use all the Tweets, texts, web site updates and local radio stations you like but you still need a tad of common sense along with the technology
• sgc1 attendee Nick Ananin asked a question a month ago on a LinkedIn forum – A big question = Are there too many people in the world? Last time I checked his question had attracted over 800 serious comments and answers from contributors world-wide.  How else except through social media could you get such an informed, passionate, diverse and positive discussion in such a short time?
• I stumbled across Groupon which presumably needs no introduction to social media buffs.  It brings me news every day of deals available in Scotland’s three largest cities.  Rather too many spa treatments, feet-nibbling fish and nail extensions for my needs but someone wants them and I’ve had a couple of nice meals at very reasonable costs through the site.  What about a voluntary/public sector version of Groupon?  It’d be good to get my head around that one at an sgc2
• good to see the Local Government Improvement Service has got even more into social media (just search for the phrase on their web site).  Their estimable Mike McLean was prominent at sgc1
• a meeting of the Scottish Knowledge Management Network was held the other week in my backyard (well, sort of – Westhill).  Damn, I missed it.  But at least (the power of social media again) I can check out the presentation given by sgc1’s organising genius Lesley Thomson.  sgc1 star Dave Briggs of Learning Pool was also there.  Where can I find his contribution?  He usually parks his stuff somewhere (quick visit to Slideshare due?)
• Lesley also got to sgc1’s big brother ukgovcamp in January.  Another one I missed but proof that the social media unconference continues to flourish
• finally, here’s the Big Society thundering down the track.  There MUST be some social media apps in there somewhere.  Am I the last one jump on board or is that another sgc2 topic?
• oh, and finally finally, I tweeted from Madrid airport to vent my frustration at being stranded for three days by BA/Iberia when Heathrow was snowbound.  Even blogged about the lessons for the public sector (plug over).

There you are.  I’ve convinced myself.  I want scotgovcamp2!  Any takers?

So I’m wondering if any of our original bloggers (or others who attended) might be up for writing a bit of an update – whether it be developments in the area they led/attended a session on, or a more personal ‘how ScotGovCamp contributed to my professional development/changed my life’ kind of thing.  Any volunteers?  The more the merrier!  Be nice to know that we made a difference…

And then I guess we’ll need to start thinking about ScotGovCamp 2011. It should be easier to organise this time:

• We know the format works
• I know what to do. And, more importantly, what not to
• Dave Briggs and Steph Gray have recently set up moreopen to help organise GovCamps (including help with raising sponsorship)

But… I’m going to be extremely busy in the day job (even busier than usual) over the next 3 months as we try to pack in as much as possible before the election period.  And I’ll be keeping a low profile once purdah kicks in. If there’s enough interest I’ll see what I can do between now and purdah, but if anyone else has a burning desire to do the organising I’d be happy to step back and let them get on with it!

PS. I’m off to UKGovCamp 2011 in the big smoke in a couple of weeks to see how the big boys do GovCamps. I haven’t given too much thought yet to what I might propose a session on, if you have any ideas, let me know. I’m not going to promise to live blog on the day, but I will try to post something as soon as possible after the event. Anyway, keep your eyes on the #ukgc11 hashtag in the meantime.