Local Government Web Network

What’s this all about?

By Diana Mounter : May 6, 2008 | In Conference 08, General |

Okay the short version is that we’re trying to create a wider web community within Local Government, and we’re starting off with New South Wales as that’s where we’re based. We’re doing this by creating this site and also with a conference we’re planning in August this year.

Still interested? Here’s the long version:

Perhaps (and I hope) this isn’t the case for all of you, but I’m sure some of you will relate… in my initial days coordinating web projects I felt rather alone in the challenges I was facing. I had the IT guy and the Marketing Manager to help me coordinate the total re-design of our corporate website. They came from quite different view points which left me a little confused at times in choosing which path to follow. It turned into a bit of a solo project partly due to the IT guy trekking off to Europe for the longest 3 months I’ve ever had. Many late nights later, we (the IT guy returned) somehow got the site live and fully populated with content in time for Christmas, just. The biggest thing I learned from the whole process was how much more I needed to learn.

The following year I started to go to more web conferences and found that I wasn’t the only one feeling a bit in the dark. People would come up to me hoping that as the LGSA web coordinator, I might have the answer to their variety of problems - some of which I did, many of which I didn’t. In fact I was facing many of he same difficulties that they were. Increasingly I began to think that there was a need for sharing knowledge, and started thinking about how I might go about this.

Over the last year I’ve been introduced to a wide Sydney web community that I hadn’t really been aware of previously. I’ve been going to all sorts of meet-ups, conferences, and something called jelly (that isn’t edible), all of which has made me grow a new enthusiasm for working on the web. I’ve learned a lot (and still am) from the people I’ve met. I’m hoping that’s something we can do here.

This new found enthusiasm, and the encouragement of my partner in crime - Reem, has pushed me into finally getting organised and starting this blog. Reem came to have similar ideas about building up a network of knowledge in her role as the Local-e Program Director, with an increasing number of queries and requests that were outside of the Local-e realm. So we decided to combine our efforts and create this network for Local Government web coordinators/IT people/marketing and communications staff, anyone really whose role involves working with the web.

The Conference

After putting our heads together we decided we wanted to hold a conference, as although its great to have something online like this that exists outside of the short lifetime of a conference, its very hard to replace the excitement generated from face to face meet-ups. So for our first conference we’ve chosen a theme that we believe is at the heart of what we’re aiming to do - “We Believe in Community”. We want to make this something you will enjoy and learn from, and in particular, be inspired by. So if you think you might want to go read more on the conference, and please fill in our survey so we can try and make it something YOU will enjoy. (Don’t worry it’s a short survey, we know you’re busy.)

What’s next?

Well our current plan of attack is to make sure everything useful Reem and I know about is on here. Then we’re hoping you’ll share with us what you know, what you want to know, and what you like or are frustrated by. Please comment or email us with your ideas, vent at will, or blow our minds with your incredible knowledge. Make sure you stay in the loop by subscribing to updates via RSS or email for your convenience.

So, enjoy reading and start getting excited about the conference, before you have to get back to working on the web.