If you haven’t heard of it before, Case Study Jam takes a slightly different approach than some of the other, better-known events. The Jam is a place for low-level folks to come together and share their war stories(though high-level folks are welcome to come too!). We don’t feature one speaker, we feature a few, and their (very short) presentations only serve as the catalyst for the greater discussions (the titular ‘jams’) that follow.

It’s informal and, if all goes according to plan, everyone gets a chance to say their piece, share their ideas and shoot the shit about how to get social media projects off the ground.

We don’t have the benefit of a recognized brand. We’re not using super big names to try to attract your attention. We’re just hoping the idea of jamming with a community of do-ers is incentive enough.

If you haven’t already, check us out. And if you think you like what you see, why not register and join the fun?
photo credit: Darwin Bell

I’m looking for best practice examples of an organization doing online collaboration / consultation on a list of proposals. Something like a municipal government posting a list of budget items for discussion, or a political party posting platform ideas for consultation.

I’m looking for strategy and tactics here. What platform was used to post and collect feedback? How was it marketed? What were the barriers to participation and how were they overcome?

Ideally I’d like something that can be hosted on an individual basis, rather than relying on third-party (ie: Google Groups). It would have to be restricted too, so users would have to register and be approved before contributing.

My first thought was a discussion forum. Existing proposals would be posted as topics with threaded discussions following. New proposals could also be posted in a separate section. Wikis tend to have a higher barrier to entry and most lack threaded discussions. In this case, the process of consultation would have to be tracked – it’s about more than just the end result.

Any examples of something like this in practice would be greatly appreciated, either by commenting below or by sending me a message on Twitter.

UPDATE: Oh yea, a bilingual (or customizable to allow for bilingualism) interface would be groov-tastic.

Or, you know, an impression that isn’t quite so pompous.

But, as some of you know, I have a day job too. One I quite like. And I recently got to do an email interview with a really good public service renewal blog about it.

In the interest of shameless self promotion, here’s a link to it.

Now, back to my mountain top.

Yes…

Yes…

Shamelessly borrowed from Ben's photostream. Click to see at original source

For those of you who have somehow missed the pop culture phenomenon (and I just threw up in my mouth a bit calling it culture) that is Larry the Cable Guy, he’s the reason you’ll occasionally encounter drunken frat boys and cheesy mesh-backed baseball caps screaming “Git-r-done!”

And as much as I loathe that lowest common denominator, Jeff Forxworthy knockoff brand of comedy, I found his mantra floating through my mind this morning while meeting with the web development team working with me on a major web redevelopment project.

We’re at that stage now where the finish line is in sight and it looks an awful lot like an oncoming train. Best laid work plans have long since gone awry and we’re under the gun to get it ready in time to meet the very last inflexible deadline. The rose-coloured glass phase that is planning is long behind us and we’re in the nitty gritty that is production.

And I’ll be jiggered if I don’t want to just “git-r-done.”

It’s the temptation of many in my field, I’m sure. But the onus is on us, as the comms and PR folks, to slay the beast that is “git-r-done” and remember why we’re here. My job isn’t to get a new website online, it’s to create something of value for my organziation, our members and anyone else who may find a reason to use it.

I owe it to the people that hired me, and the members who pay my salary, to go well beyond ‘gettin’-r-done.’ I owe it to them to maintain focus and produce something of quality, no matter how largely the deadline looms.

So what are your tricks, dear readers? How do you get past the allure of Larry?

Identify the problem before the solution.

The joy of doing a massive web redevelopment is dealing with questions like “can we do video on the site?” And, in full disclosure, I find myself asking that question as often as others are asking me.

The question shouldn’t be “can we do video?” It should be “we need to put this information across, what is the best medium?”

The tendency towards the shiniest, newest doolie is strong. But as communications folk, it’s up to us to remember they are tools, not strategies.

Hrm, perhaps I should have done a video podcast for this entry.