| True to the spirit of Web 2.0 form Utah's official state | | | | Utah government site uses another but equally |
| Web site was recently unveiled with a fresh design | | | | challenging approach:o The site uses geographical |
| which focuses on engaging and encouraging | | | | recognition software to calculate the location of the |
| community users to boost their participation in state | | | | user and then displays all relevant location-specific |
| and local government issues. The ambitious intention is | | | | information, including any school and library information, |
| that with greater accessibility to practical data Utah | | | | parks, local meetings, government Web sites and other |
| citizens will collectively make government services | | | | online services.o It provides simpler, user friendly |
| more effective, accessible, and transparent. | | | | interfaces with detailed explanations for main menu |
| This grand strategy provides a public arena for its | | | | items.o It has search facilities for government agencies, |
| citizens to tap into raw data. Specifically, the Utah | | | | online services, and more than 50,000 government |
| government is helping citizens to use facilities, data and | | | | forms. |
| knowledge bases in more inventive ways. How this will | | | | The new site also gives users access to 27 state |
| evolve is yet to be seen but this style of crowd | | | | blogs and over 100 Twitter accounts. Users can |
| sourcing has been used successfully by other public | | | | quickly find and subscribe to content that appeal to |
| institutions including the Smithsonian Museum of | | | | them and this includes;o the Utah government |
| American Art which used an impressive model using | | | | Facebook page,o the Utah government Flickr photo |
| Web 2.0 features that benefits the Smithsonian and | | | | group to view and upload photos,o an updated |
| the community. | | | | Multimedia Portal with "channels" of video and audio |
| "Fill the Gap" challenged "citizen curators" to find | | | | files accessible by topic or agency ando all state RSS |
| alternate art work for gaps in Luce Foundation Center | | | | feeds. |
| display cases when pieces are away from the | | | | "The new Utah.gov incorporates cutting-edge |
| Musuem for anything up to twelve months. | | | | technologies to enhance the user experience and the |
| Museum staff came up with a strategy deep in the | | | | usability of the site," said Stephen J. Fletcher, Chief |
| spirit of the community using Web 2.0. It successfully | | | | Information Officer for the State. "This site is |
| generates assistance from its public. Staff opened up | | | | ground-breaking in the effort to help citizens find |
| the process to die hard online communities. Using Flickr, | | | | information regardless of the level of government." |
| they share photos of all the cases that need artwork, | | | | The new site is the third site supporting and delivering |
| provide information about surrounding art in the case, | | | | Utah government strategy for more open government |
| and look to their community to search through their | | | | and sharing information. It's already launched |
| collections for appropriate substitution suggestions. | | | | transparency portal ( and the new data portal ( |
| It's proven a brilliant strategy to engage with their die | | | | It will be interesting to see how deeply user |
| hard audiences, find what they like while revealing | | | | participation within these three sites will or can evolve |
| some behind-the-scenes museum activities.Most of all | | | | and whether crowd sourcing public opinion with |
| it's giving everyone a sense of connectedness and | | | | government resources over such a wide range of |
| community and is genuinely helping museum staff to | | | | topics will work. Without doubt, access to raw data is |
| reduce costly time resources while delivering a | | | | a great step for users to finding information. It will |
| superior outcome. | | | | create more open communities and an environment |
| What's so smart about this model is that it's a | | | | for sharing dialogue. |
| repeating challenging contest that the public is dying to | | | | The real achievement for the Utah Government is |
| solve. It offers prizes with a high perceived value to | | | | giving everyone a sense of connectedness and |
| the winner, who not only feels part of the museum's | | | | community while genuinely helping government staff to |
| process but also shares a great honor in the | | | | reduce resources while delivering its public better |
| experience, and at no expense to the museum. It | | | | qualified solutions on a range of community issues. This |
| crowd sources the process in a cooperative way | | | | territory comes with monetary and political costs but |
| transforms it into a special opportunity while helping | | | | the long term benefits of truly engaging the public could |
| workers find the best solution in the shortest time. | | | | be outstanding and worth the difficulties for all involved. |