@MMaryMcKenna and @JHarkin of Learning Pool (I’ve no affiliation with them but they’re passionate about what they do)

Any more ideas on how we can approach this problem?

Susan Landau (Sun Microsystems – Policy, R&D)
Michelle Dennedy (Sun Microsystems – Policy, Privacy, Cloud Computing)
Judith Rauhofer (University of Central Lancashire – Law, Digital Identity)
Debbie Ashenden (Cranfield University – Identity, Privacy, Policy)

I hope they don’t mind my posting without asking first… (ulp)

I had this conversation with Liz Azyan and Hadley Beeman at LocalGovCamp Lincoln too and we mentioned some of the ideas you’ve listed.

Thanks for including me in your list and I don’t mind being labelled a local govt girl geek at all – in esteemed company there!

Let’s find some ways of working on this to break free of the echo chamber and get some different voices heard.

I like your ideas for getting a more diverse range of voices speaking at these events. I wonder if it’d be possible to combine points 2 & 3 in your list – like an unconference for women in tech/gov/comms/etc?

An event like that might encourage women who haven’t got experience of speaking at larger events to give it a shot – hopefully helping to develop confidence as well as giving some female speakers a bit of profile so they aren’t overlooked in future.

I was watching a vid about an unconference – something hyper-geeky – and it was talking about the benefits of good hosts. To get a panel together the good host made the audience stick up their hands when he asked ‘do you know about blah?’ and then he put that person on the panel.

This is part of the value of trying for diversity because you get fresh ideas and fresh expertise. Corps know that diversity means you don’t miss out – and that’s what happens when you get the same old male faces.

I noticed at the Government 2010 event that the sole woman facilitator was the best facilitator and I seem to recall a recent digital inclusion event, of some controversy, when the tweets were all about how good the two women speakers were compared to the rest …

some more for the list:

@JazCummins
@Dr_Black
@alisonvsmith
@LSpurdle
@KimberleyWillis
@micheleidesmith
@allyhook
@Lizziesanderson
@bridgetmck
@missmass
@EmmaMaier
@charlottetwitts
@RachAllen
@webyogi
@aliceainsworth
@frangle
@irislapinski
@karenblakeman
@evarley
@CovalentCPM
@LeonieWatson
@gabysslave
@lizmcwilliams
@helenewilliams
@HelenNicol
@alteredeye
@kazwccsocialnet
@kcorrick
@AnneFaulkner
@Alheri
@helenmilner
@juliac2
@lfeatherstone
@racheljacksonn
@Mari_Browne

Tell Us Once is the government’s answer to its own bureaucracy. Even the government thinks it’s too bureaucratic to tell them the same information over and over.

What I’m suggesting is that the way in which we simplify that bureaucracy can either happen by glossing over it (i.e. Tell Us Once) or we can decide to reorganise things around individuals (or even let individuals organise things themselves) so that bureaucracy is lessened but the individual retains control of their data and there’s less scope for the government to abuse it, intentionally or otherwise.

Having worked in the public sector for several years I fully understand the complexities which are not very different from other large organisations as you point out. My aspirations for government may not ’seem very realistic’ to you but fortunately I have ambition for the sector and will carry on hoping for the best