en.europa-eu-audience

Internet poverty

Source: http://greatemancipator.com/2010/11/28/internet-poverty/

See the most recent ONS Statistical Bulletin - Internet Access 2010 about the UK public’s use of the Internet 

and also a specific bulletin entitled “e-society” by a Chris Beaumont

VoteWatch EU about European Parliament

An interesting job done by the NGO VoteWatch.eu

Download Vw_nl_nov

 

Information Architecture 101: Techniques and Best Practices

Some basic but useful practices with good references

October 18th, 2010 by Cameron Chapman

 

Information architecture (IA) is an often-overlooked area of website design. Too often, as designers, we just let the CMS we’re using dictate how content for a site is organized. And that works fine as long as the site fits perfectly into the narrow content formats most CMSs are designed around.

But too often, a website’s content breaks the boundaries of most CMSs. Without a clear understanding of how information architecture works, we can end up creating sites that are more confusing than they need to be or, at worst, make our content virtually inaccessible. It’s a shame, considering that the basics of good information architecture are no more difficult to learn than the basics of good web design.

This guide covers the fundamentals of information architecture for organizing website content. We will look into popular IA design patterns, best practices, design techniques, and case examples.

Read more on http://sixrevisions.com/usabilityaccessibility/information-architecture-101-techniques-and-best-practices/ (Source)

 

PREMIS for Digital Preservation

Source: http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/library/challenge/premis.html

 

October 2010 - Behind every digital object, there is usually metadata with descriptive information about the object.  But the library world is all too aware that metadata for access and discovery is no longer enough.  Now, digital library professionals are looking to the future with an eye towards preservation, not only needing to preserve the digital objects themselves but also the valuable metadata that goes along with it.

Enter PREMIS, which stands for Preservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies. According to the publication Understanding PREMIS [pdf, 543 kb],written by Priscilla Caplan and issued by the Library of Congress, preservation metadata "supports activities intended to ensure the long-term usability of a digital resource." 

Read more  http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/library/challenge/premis.html

 

Allow other public servants their own Gov 2.0 and social media journeys

An interesting point of view coming from Australia

At an event with colleagues last week, I overheard several talking about their surprise at the levels of caution and fear they still encountered amongst various professionals regarding Gov 2.0 and social media.

"It's as if they were still living in the early 1990s," said one. "Some people just don't seem to understand how far technology has advanced, nor the level of work and learning that has gone into social media strategies in the last five years or Gov 2.0 in the last year."

I strongly sympathised with this view. As I have spent a significant share of my waking time in the last fifteen years learning, developing and testing new media strategies and solutions, it can be hard at times to realise that others don't have the same level of experience as me.

One of my most valuable learnings has been that not everyone is at the same point in their Gov 2.0 and social media journey.

Read more on http://egovau.blogspot.com/2010/11/allow-other-public-servants-their-own.html

See also http://www.gov2au.net/

Government 2.0, or Gov 2.0, is the application of Web 2.0 and social media technologies and techniques to the governance of nations and states.

and at http://egovau.blogspot.com/2010/11/gov-20-views-from-gartners-government.html

Gov 2.0 views from Gartner's Government day

PDF/A: A Viable Addition to the Preservation Toolkit

http://www.dlib.org/dlib/november10/noonan/11noonan.html

The Publications Office is using the PDF/A format for preservation

Source: D-Lib Magazine

Abstract

PDF/A, the archival version of the PDF file format, is an International Standards Organization (ISO) vetted, open source tool that can be added to the librarian's and archivist's preservation toolkit. This article describes the format itself, the lessons learned as the authors investigated the tools readily available for creating PDF/A files and the design of the pilot to test implementation of the use of the format in The Ohio State University's repository, the Knowledge Bank. Further, we identify issues in conversion of diverse original formats; strategies for time-saving batch conversion; and considerations in deciding whether to attempt full or partial compliance with the standard. 

 

 

Budget transparency

An interesting note at http://www.access-info.org/fr/budget-transparency/127-obi-results-spain-2010

The International Budget Partnership and Access Info recommend that Spain should:

• publish its Pre-Budget Statement;

• produce and publish a Citizen’s Budget and a Mid-Year Review;

• improve the comprehensiveness of the In-Year Reports and the Audit Report;

• provide opportunities for the public to attend legislative hearings on the budget;

• increase the powers of the Legislature and Tribunal de Cuentas to provide more comprehensive oversight of the budget.

 

 

Transparency Initiative, lobbyists, NGO and other pressure groups

Other versions [fr] [de]

Source: http://www.euractiv.com/en

Published: 01 October 2009 | Updated: 27 September 2010

The drive to strengthen ethics rules for EU policymakers and the estimated 15,000 lobbyists, NGOs and other pressure groups seeking to influence them in Brussels has triggered extensive public debate since the European Commission launched its Transparency Initiative in 2005. But will it be enough to restore citizens' confidence in the European project? 

Read more on http://www.euractiv.com/en/pa/transparency-initiative-linksdossier-188351

 

MEPs to twitter their way into new communication

Version française

Source: http://www.euractiv.com/en/ Published: 22 November 2010

People are increasingly using social media as a way to communicate with the members of the European Parliament and MEPs seem convinced that Twitter is the way to go, a new public affairs survey has found.

Read more on http://www.euractiv.com/en/pa/meps-twitter-their-way-new-communication-news-499873

 

European Parliament, the Committee web-pages have been renewed: go and have a look!

There is a new structure with webstreaming (broadcasting) and press releases better visible than previously.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/homeCom.do?language=EN&body=LIBE

The competencies of the committee can now be found in the presentation section with a new feature: the welcome words of the Committee Chair. That section will later be also updated with a video where the Chair will give his greetings in his own mother tongue (with subtitles according to the language selected).

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/presCom.do?language=EN&body=LIBE

There is now also a possibility to upload photos on some pages and that should be taken into account e.g. when drafting the announcements. For example for the hearings we could use the poster as soon as it's available (which would mean that it would be nice to have the poster in pdf format in good time). When using photos of persons, we will have to be careful what we publish as, for example, for the Members it is also a question of getting publicity, and we have to have a balanced and well justified policy in that respect. 

The LIBE Committee announcements are displayed on the LIBE front page as before and we can decide what we put there and when ourselves.

The Committee Top Page means the introduction pages of all the committees, where there is a possibility to get the committee announcement of the most important events displayed. The request has to be made two weeks in advance and the Editorial Committee makes a decision of which announcement will be displayed and when, as there are only five places.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/home.do?language=EN

The links to these announcements are also displayed on the lower right corner of the Parliament's front page.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htm?language=EN