Category Archives: Local Government

A new direction…

After a long period without posting I have been wondering about the usefulness of this blog and its future. When I started Sociamind in May 2009 I was interested in exploring the usefulness of social media and “Web 2.0 applications” … Continue reading

Posted in Community Sector, Local Government, Mind Mapping, Social Media, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Big Business carves up the internet – part 1

Is the free, open and somewhat anarchic era of the internet drawing to a close? If so, what are the implications for small organisations? There has been a lot of media attention in recent months to how various governments are … Continue reading

Posted in Cloud, Community Sector, Local Government, Smartphones, Social Media, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Listening to Twitter- some key tools for your NGO or Council

Serendipity is not uncommon in social media. People find new and unexpected ways of using social media tools all the time. Of course, the same thing happens with PC-based software, but the web allows people to develop new uses for social … Continue reading

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Web scraping – the Jekyll and Hyde of Web 2.0 (part 2)?

In the last post I wrote about a positive use of web scraping, the software process used to extract data from the HTML mark-up language used on websites. I highlighted Planningalerts, a web and phone app to deliver real-time information … Continue reading

Posted in Local Government, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Web scraping – the Jekyll and Hyde of Web 2.0 (part 1)?

Two media reports this week have highlighted the way in which social media and web 2.0 applications can use “web scraping” in very different ways and for very different outcomes. Web scraping is a specialised software-based process used to extract data … Continue reading

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If the iPad is the answer, what is the question?

Recently I extolled the virtues of netbooks as an ideal device for travellers, due to their light weight, long battery life and very low (sub $500) cost. When the iPad was subsequently announced I assumed that it would be a … Continue reading

Posted in Community Sector, Local Government, Meeting tools, Mind Mapping, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Update – MyCommittee online meeting tool improved

Back in June I wrote a short review of MyCommittee, an online tool to manage committees and meetings. I concluded that there was a lot to like about MyCommittee and that it would suit a small to medium organisation with … Continue reading

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Web 2.0 tools unlock statistics 2 – value-adding by the private sector

In my last post I looked at the release by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) of TableViewer, which demonstrates the increasing use of Web 2.0 by the ABS to provide greater access to census data. Now I’ll take a … Continue reading

Posted in Community Sector, Local Government, Statistics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Web 2.0 tools unlock statistics 1 – ABS releases TableBuilder

Web 2.0 tools unlock statistics 1 – ABS releases TableBuilder So far in this blog I’ve looked mainly at end user applications, but this is not the only area in which Web 2.0 strategies are appearing. Another aspect which is … Continue reading

Posted in Community Sector, Local Government, Statistics, Web 2.0 | Leave a comment

Running an interactive forum in the 21st Century – Poll Everywhere

In my last post I discussed three web-based mind mapping programs that could transform workshops and brainstorming sessions for small organisations (a discussion I’ll continue in future when I look at other mind mapping software which has online collaboration facilities). … Continue reading

Posted in Community Sector, Local Government, Meeting tools, Polls and Surveys, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments