Enable

The role of the Local Authority in the Connected Community is that of steward rather than owner.  The Local Authority’s web properties and systems should provide the right features to enable the people of the community: citizens, businesses, and staff, to do what they need and to connect to each other for civic activity. This entails providing tools that allow staff, citizens and community groups to help themselves, such as collaboration tools, platform access, open data, APIs and other facilities.

Promote

Promotion in this context means making sure that the activity that happens in the community is visible and recognised. The community has a need to promote itself to a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes. Some of those purposes such as inward investment may have dedicated websites. However, in addition to that, the Connected Community’s digital presence should be a promotional mechanism in itself. If the Local Authority’s websites reflect the activities, connectedness and involvement of the community, then much of the work of promoting the area becomes a great deal easier.

Owned, partnered and community sites

Different approaches to integrating with websites must be taken depending on their origins.

The integration of a website into the platform, or of platform services into a website will be managed differently depending on the ownership model of that site. If the site is owned by the Local Authority (as in funded entirely) then a set of integrations can be agreed with the site creator.

A website that is owned and managed through a partnership, where the Local Authority only partly funds the website, will need a more collaborative approach to defining the integration methods. While a website that receives no Local Authority funding will only integrate it the platform where it benefits the site owner.

Connect the external digital community

Allowing services built and managed by the Local Authority to be used by individuals or groups within the digital community will benefit all parties.  Services such as taxonomy and localised gazetteer suggesters will allow local newspapers, bloggers, forums and hyperlocal websites to relate their content directly to Local Authority content and services.

In addition to simply allowing links to form between the web systems in the region, the Local Authority must foster greater connections between them allowing them to find opportunities to share with each other to mutual benefit.

Access the power of local innovators, developers and social entrepreneurs

The Local Authority must engage with those who can themselves generate more involvement. The local communities of social entrepreneurs, web specialists and technology innovators are already imbued with the will and wish to be involved.

Enabling these groups with support, tools, and even contracts will result in higher returns as the work they do will enable others. The Local Authority must spend time and effort to reach out and find these groups through physical and social media.