The Politic Exchange
“The Ideal Bloomington Portalâ€
Monroe County Public Library, Room 1B
Saturday, January 6, 2006 @ 1p-4p
This second local unconference is an outcome of the first RootsCamp held mid-November to discuss the recent elections. This follow-up event will focus on “The Ideal Bloomington Portal” and include participants from the City government, universities, media, and local interest groups.
ABOUT THE TOPIC
It is difficult to know where to go for information about local events and ideas. There are several local calendars online, none of which are coordinated. There are multiple forums, none of which are as active as they could be. Where does one go to get information out to the community? The solution could be a single system, but it is just as likely to be an integrated-coordinated effort by existing systems.
There is no preconceived notion about what could come out of this conversation. Representation at this event will include a mixture of those who believe strongly in one system over another, as well as those who are undecided. This is an exploratory gathering, to put all issues and resources on the table and discuss how the collective tools can be improved.
HOW IT WORKS
The Politic Exchange is an ad-hoc format for small group conversations that should include participation from the City IT and other local stakeholders. A brief welcome introducing the topic of the day will begin at 1p, with participants invited to write topics on the Big Board (they will be encouraged to do so before 1p as well). Everyone breaks up into the discussion group of their own choosing and has a conversation for the next 45 minutes. The larger group reconvenes to share summaries of our discussions. Then, it happens all over again for a second 45-minute discussion.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This community conversation will appeal to anyone interested in how technology might be better applied for local use. This includes:
- Departments in City and County Government
- Academic IT Professionals
- Internet Service Providers
- Design and Marketing Firms
- Programmers and Information Architects
- Media and Public Relations Professionals
- Local Bloggers
- Managers for Existing and Planned Community Websites
- Local Residents and Information Consumers
Specific stakeholders have been contacted to participate, but this is an event open to the general public. Please reserve the early afternoon for some engaging conversation on an important subject.
More information is available by joining a new Yahoo! group created for these kinds of local events. Contact Kevin Makice (812.360.2557) about free registration. All stakeholders and general public is encouraged to attend.
2 replies on “The Ideal Bloomington Portal”
It is 12:53p, just a few minutes before we are set to begin. I saw Steve (RootsCamp vet) in the hallway, but now is the waiting for the 1p crowd to come in. I set up the chairs in a big circle of 20, with plenty of other seats stacked up along the walls in case we manage more. Five stations, which should be plenty for a 30-person unconference. The room next door is available, too, if people want to head there.
I have high hopes for this particular unconference. There is a much higher ceiling on participants today than there was in November (based on who I have talked to and heard from)
In the end, the turnout was a little disappointing. There were a minimum 15 who had committed (either through emails, talking to me or forum posts) yet we didn’t have that many attend. I was hoping for a minimum of 20, once the walk-in and tag-along crowd showed up.
But … the conversation was stimulating, and I again came away from the experience with new ideas and tangible things to do. More details will come in a different post.
Thanks to all who attended. And to those who didn’t, we missed you.