Good content is crucial

It is essential that all content is up to date, consistent and accurate.

There should be a focus on empowerment and responsibility over approvals and editorial control. Good content is informative and engaging, it is in the most appropriate accessible format and is not hidden in attached documents. Content should be well tagged with easy-to-use taxonomies by readers as well as editors and have embargo and review dates. Readers should be able to feedback directly on the content they are reading with further levels of participation available to readers to help improve the content. There should be to-do lists for information that has been identified as missing.

Enable Staff

Local Authority staff will be the main agents of change of approach to the web.  They must be provided with the correct tools and training in order to drive these changes.  If the process of encouraging and nurturing connections between the citizens and businesses of the community is not clear, easy to perform and – above all – rewarding, then it will not happen.

Host conversations

Conversation and debate are good.  They break down prejudices and preconceptions that can create barriers between communities.  The Local Authority should support conversations around any piece of content, whether that is a page, a picture, a paragraph an application form, or a service.

The host of a conversation does not control it. Rather, they guide, foster and nurture it.  Occasionally the host must refocus a conversation, or calm those who have become too passionate, or even eject those who break the house rules and become abusive.  Tools to enable staff to host conversations like this must be available for any conversation on a Local Authority website.