Re: Proposal to structure new eGov IG

I am worried that we are becoming tech oriented rather than policy oriented. I would start out with a list of things governments do, especially that differ from commercial interests. My list would include:
* Publishing documents especially laws and regulations that can be used and cited.
* Publishing data in ways that the public and value add entities can use.
* Maintaining private documents securely.
* Establish and enhance communication between citizens and government.
* Receive forms from the regulated citizens and entities.
* Establishing rules of the road for online identity as needed.
* Outlining the roles of governments in eCommerce.

And there are many more. I think we will find that cloud computing (catch phrase of the day), accessibility, standards adoptions, social media tech, and other technology issues fit into each of these items in my list. I know our audience may be mainly the tech folks in government agencies, but their ability to do their jobs is based on meeting policy directives and shaping government policies. 

Perhaps to bring more people in who are tech oriented we need to have some structure that is convenient to them, but I think it is a mistake to not at least have a horizontal policy group that helps focus on the policy implications. This is especially important since different countries have different notions of citizen participation, privacy, regulatory structures, cultures, etc.

One example is the use of HTML5. The ability to use downloaded fonts is important for non-Latin alphabets. There are accessibility advantages. There are digital rights management implications for government cost and oversight. 

And there is the issue of producing W3C documents that are human friendly. Which is not to say that there can also be geeked out tech manuals too. But can we address what I think is an important need that will also help with the access to our work by policy folks.

Thanks,
Daniel Bennett

-----Original Message-----
From: "Chris Beer" <chris@e-beer.net.au>
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 6:04am
To: "Michael Hausenblas" <michael.hausenblas@deri.org>
Cc: "Ed Summers" <ehs@pobox.com>, "Sandro Hawke" <sandro@w3.org>, "W3C eGov IG" <public-egov-ig@w3.org>, team-egov@w3.org, "Brian Gryth" <briangryth@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Proposal to structure new eGov IG

Not a bad approach Michael.

If it is taken up, then:

While always tempted by SM - I nominate Brian Gryth as he was handling 
the original SM TF.

I would like to put myself forward as a Chair candidate for the 
Accessibility TF. I'm on the WCAG working group and will be on a joint 
WAI-PF/WAI-WCAG TF in the new year, working on HTML 5. I have a good 
understanding of 508 in the US, and the various legislative requirements 
pertaining to accessibility for most countries as well. Working in web 
publishing and content delivery, I'm also keenly aware of accessibility 
issues as they relate to government, and was accepted to WCAG with this 
as my primary expertise.

Cheers

-- 
/*Chris Beer*
Invited Expert (Public Member) W3 eGovernment Interest Group & W3-WAI 
WCAG Working Group
EM: chris@e-beer.net.au <mailto:chris@e-beer.net.au>
TW: @zBeer <http://www.twitter.com/zBeer>
LI: http://au.linkedin.com/in/zbeer/

On 12/17/2010 6:45 PM, Michael Hausenblas wrote:
> All,
>
> I like Ed's approach regarding the new eGov IG. Maybe the following model
> could work:
>
> The eGov IG has X Task Forces (TF) and an equal number of co-chairs, that
> is, for example, if we settle on 4 TF, there would be 4 co-chairs. I think
> there is no need to do IG-wide telecons or F2F meetings besides TPAC or a
> alike. Each Task Force is dedicated to a certain topic. I propose - based on
> the current eGov IG charter draft - the following topics and chairs (hence
> team-egov@w3 in CC):
>
> 1. eGov Interoperability TF
>   Deals with standards and best-practices from other bodies, including
>   IETF/OASIS/etc., which could also address the 'data dynamics' bits set out
>   by Ed.
>
>   Chair: I nominate Ed Summers (if Ed can't, maybe someone from SEMIC.EU?)
>
> 2. eGov Accessibility TF
>   Working together with WAI groups, this TF connects government people with
>   WAI resources and develops best practices for Accessibility in PSI.
>
>   Chair: ?
>
> 3. eGov Social Media TF
>   Develops best practices for using social media platforms in PSI, incl.
>   Twitter, FB, etc.
>
>   Chair: ?
>
> 4. eGov Cloud Computing TF
>   Provides overview on available CC offerings (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), including
>   hybrid CC setups and cost/benefits and best practices.
>
>   Chair: (not sure if I can nominate myself, but ...) I nominate myself.
>
>
> Cheers,
>        Michael
>



/<http://au.linkedin.com/in/zbeer>/

Received on Friday, 17 December 2010 14:29:31 UTC