Here’s an ambitious experiment from the Norwegian Finance Ministry: All citizens can contribute their views on sustainable development. The material will be used in the ministry’s further work, culminating in a new strategy to be made public next year. The public comment option is open one month, from April 24 to May 24. The initiative is accompanied by a new finance minister blog. All very well, but the launch was too soft. I just heard about it through Marion two days ago (today VamPus picked it up). Some first thoughts and suggestions for improvement:
- Feed the buzz: The initiative was launched with a formal press release. I have found no mention of it in the media or on blogs. Tip to communication department: Next time, start blogging about such initiatives before they are formally launched, if possible. At least feed the press release directly to as many bloggers as you can. Create discussion and buzz.
- Create alliances: Involve schools, libraries etc in projects where the issues are presented and discussed before people contribute.
- Help them find it: The backbone of the initiative is a lot of complex material from public reports about economics and the environment. To even find this on the government information portal Odin, you almost have to be an expert user. And once you’ve found the material, you don’t get much help in navigating through and understanding it. A subsite would have been a better idea, and there the minister’s blog could have been better integrated as well.
The more important point of all this? Digital democracy is complex and requires a lot of care and attention if it’s going to work. Usability issues are strategic, not something you add “afterwards”.
