I've not had chance to look at the interview, and obviously I am somewhat restricted in what I can say, but there were some points of interest.

It appears to me that there is a lack of focus or at least certaintly as to where exactly we are going with e-democracy (and from my perspective what exactly they do). This might be because of the changes to the unit (thanks for posting this, it came in very useful!)

They are emphasising the need to develop an idea of what the particular department wants to achieve through the use of technology and then devising a plan (and if applicable designing technology) to achieve the aim. The problem in the early days was that they tended to go "we can do this - let's do it" without much thought for the implications. This fits into my argument...

They are aware to some extent of all the issues you mention, Simon, but they cannot subscribe a standard method to solving them as each discussion board, consultation or whatever has a particular context and this needs to be taken into account. There is more I can say but it would be better in a private thread....

When senior people appear in forums, it is usually because they are asked to appear by the cabinet office.... this is also an interesting discussion about the extent to which ministers should be involved in discussions - who is the right owner - and this again is case-specific....

Sorry that is a bit half-hearted but I've got a lot on my mind today, and I am restricted as to what I can say for ethical reasons....

I agree totally with need to identify key figures - I think you can design into the presentation of a persons nickname font colour or some other recongnition to show that this is who we think it is (for gov. ministers on government-run discussion boards this would not be problematic).

I also agree with the opposition argument - it is something I only briefly mentioned in the Downing St. piece (it may have been cut, actually!) I think it is a big concern that the government gets direct and publicly-funded communication channels yet the opposition does not. They either need to be directly involved in the same forum (most useful but politically very sensitive) or by being given mirror forums....

I did ask them about their future plans and whether they are working on new designs and so on and he either did not really answer it or he said that they were not working on this directly (other groups were and they advised them....) I did mention your company and how there was a lot of work going into online communities which I thought they should be aware of... and it might be feasible to arrange a presentation of your work and what you can do for them, but I am not sure you would be interested in this... actually I am thinking of ways to drum up some business for you!

Has anyone looked into getting funding from the EU for research into online communities? They have all sorts of rules but it worth considering.... how much does it cost for one of your discussions roughly? (you might want to email that!)

scott

ps. Can I attach a word document to a post?