Hello, Lars, My name is Daniela Matielo and I have worked for a long time in a telecenter initiative in Brazil and recently one of the topics we have started to discuss is how to promote the use of e-gov services among our users. Also, the theme of my graduation paper was an study on ideas of how to promote public participation in Brazil, which seemed even more difficult because, together with the barrier of using a computer, there's very little culture of participation in Brazil, which is another problem that needs to be faced.
Anyways, I kept your message here for late reply, and here I am. :) I agree with the ideas you have offered, and I have some more to add to them, based on what we have felt in our telecenters: the importance of the monitor, as being the person that facilitates the process of using the computer. I started working with digital inclusion in 2002 and what I could see is that a well capacitated monitor can make a huge difference in how the users use the center. This person is not a computer technician or a informatics teacher, but a social agent. And I believe that just as the monitor has a huge importance for digital inclusion, he should be carefully considered when thinking about participation. Still if people should use the web to interact with the government, I believe it's absolutely essential that citizens feel that they are talking to human beings. And that's not an easy process, right? Also, another idea is to have not just one channel of interaction, but several interfaces, for different public. People interact in a different way and if you are interacting with human beings, then the attendant can comply with your profile, but when we talk about computer interfaces, you have to think about different alternatives... and that were my two cents. :) Dani On 9/14/06, Lars Hasselblad Torres <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Dear DDNers: > > I am currently thinking through some options for engaging low-to-no > literacy groups in web-based public deliberation. Generally the way > we work at AmericaSpeaks, there are three distince stages to anything > we would do: > * Outreach > * Public meetings > * Monitoring and accountability (follow-up) > > There would be a steady presence of community/unity-building > activities as well, for example audio, video, and photo blogging tied > to discussions and priority-setting input processes. For example, I'd > like to develop a public comment process that could automatically > capture cell phone data to geotag an audio post to GoogleEarth and/or > Maps locations. > > Some core values for the "solution": > * The web environment must appeal equally to literate and non- > literate groups (know of any that might already?) > * Web-enabled discussions should minimize the privilege and > influence of highly literate, computer-competent groups > > Some initial ideas i've had are: > * Develop web-based discussion guides for community > conversations designed to solicit group feedback (kind of a "kit for > telecenters"); > * YackPack-like technology that can convert discussion posts to > audio and audio posts to text > * Asynchronous video dialogues (need to think more about this, > the structure and format in particular). > > A couple of questions for the group: > * What are some leading examples you know of where participation > on the web is able to overcome traditional literacy barriers? > * What tools do you think might be particularly useful in this > regard? > > I really look forward to some of your ideas! Deepest thanks in advance, > > lars > ----- > Lars Hasselblad Torres > Researcher & Web Developer > 802-563-2759 > > www.americaspeaks.org > > Download AmericaSpeaks' Latest Report, > "A Manager's Guide to Public Engagement": http:// > www.americaspeaks.org/lab/docs/ibm_managers_guide.pdf > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] the word UNSUBSCRIBE in > the body of the message. > -- Dani Matielo [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] LIDEC - Laboratório de Inclusão Digital e Educação Comunitária www.lidec.futuro.usp.br Escola do Futuro da USP www.futuro.usp.br ++ 55 11 3091 6366 "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say an uncommon-place thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles." ~ Jack Kerouac _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
