Follow-up: eGov IG Editorial Board/Task Force

Following up - thanks to all who have offered to help.

In the interest of transparency, sending this to the entire list.



We will be called the Editorial Task Force (ETF).

We will have our kick-off meeting next Wednesday, after the regular eGovIG call on June 24.

ETF volunteers should plan to stay on the line (from 10:30-11ET).  (If you can't make the call, instructions and follow-up info will be emailed separately to volunteers/ETF members.)


Below are PROPOSED operating procedures for the ETF.  We will discuss and finalize these on Wednesday.  If you won't be at the meeting, please share feedback before Wednesday (either w/me or w/the list).

Thanks!
-Rachel
rachel.flagg@hud.gov<mailto:rachel.flagg@hud.gov>

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W3C eGov Interest Group (eGov IG)

Operating Procedures - Editorial Task Force



Mission:

Ensure the documents published by the W3C eGov Interest Group can be easily understood by non-technical readers, to bridge the gap between technology and policy.



Purpose:

Review and edit documents created by eGov members before formal publication, to ensure they are written in Plain Language, organized efficiently, and understandable by the general public.  This will increase value to our stakeholders, and promote support for the work of the eGov IG.



Background:

See the Plain Language Use Case:  http://www.w3.org/2007/eGov/IG/wiki/Use_Case_13_-_Plain_Language



Operating Procedures:

  - Coordination:  Rachel Flagg will coordinate the work of the ETF with eGov Group chairs.

  - Meetings:  As needed, Jose Alonso can set up a conference call for the group to meet.  Minutes should be taken at all meetings, so we will need volunteers to scribe whenever we meet.  Instructions:   http://www.w3.org/2007/eGov/IG/wiki/Teleconferences

  - Process for deciding who works on what:  Projects will be sent to the ETF group, and people should volunteer to work on projects that interest them, and that they have time to complete before deadline.

  - Timeframe for completing work: Documents should be submitted to ETF at least two weeks before final deadline, to give ETF time to review and (if needed) edit.



Expectations:

1. All volunteers must be familiar with the basic principles of Plain Language writing.

2. Projects will be completed on time.



Training:

Review the "related initiatives" documented in the Plain Language Use Case:   http://www.w3.org/2007/eGov/IG/wiki/Use_Case_13_-_Plain_Language

Specifically, review and become familiar with all elements listed on this Plain Language checklist:  http://plainlanguage.gov/howto/quickreference/checklist.cfm.



Initial Tasks:



1.  Develop standards for future documents published by the eGov IG.

Communicate these standards to eGov Group members, so they can clearly define their purpose before documents are drafted.  Before writing anything, first establish why, who, what, where, when.



Recommended questions to ask:

   - Why are we writing/publishing this document?

   - Who is the intended audience for this document?

   - What is the most important thing the audience needs to know about this topic?

   - Where is this document going to be used, posted, presented?

   - When is the final document due?



2.  Polish Charter for Year 2 - due July 8



3.  Future Tasks:



- Edit White Paper (draft coming from Kevin Novak shortly).  This is to be a short (3-4 page) document to present and explain our work to the outside world.  Executive Summary http://www.w3.org/2007/eGov/executive-summary could serve as first draft for this.  Requested by W3C Communications.

- Edit, reorganize Group Note

- Review "homepage" for w3c group

- Gather feedback from egov community

- ??


_____


From: public-egov-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:public-egov-ig-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Flagg, Rachel
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 8:01 AM
To: 'eGov IG'
Subject: eGov IG - recruiting for Editorial Board

eGov IG members,
As you know, the W3C eGov IG is a bit different from other W3C groups, in that the work we do is intended to reach both technical and non-technical audiences.  One of our goals is to serve as a bridge between these two groups, so the non-technical people can understand the importance of the technical standards developed by the W3C, and act upon them accordingly.

To help bridge that gap, at today's meeting it was decided that we would establish an Editorial Board.  The goals of the Editorial Board are to:

- ensure each document published by our Group is written in language tailored to the intended audience;
- edit for clarity the documents that our Group publishes; and
- develop/polish a Plain Language "executive summary" for each document.

>From this point forward, anything the Group intends to publish will first go to the Editorial Board for review and editing before it is submitted for publication.

Our first project is to polish the current Group Note, and the deadline for completion is July 8.  If you are an experienced writer/editor, we need your help!

If you would like to be a part of the Editorial Board, please contact me by next Wednesday, June 17 at rachel.flagg@hud.gov<mailto:rachel.flagg@hud.gov>.

Thanks!
-Rachel

Rachel Flagg
Web Content Manager
   and Co-Chair, Federal Web Managers Council
Government Web Best Practices Team (on detail)
Office of Citizen Services
U.S. General Services Administration
rachel.flagg@hud.gov<mailto:rachel.flagg@hud.gov>