[open-government] Toward Open and Innovative Governance - Webcasts Aug 6-8 - #FOCAS12 - Aspen Institute, Also Sunshine 2.0 Indicators

[Steven Clift]

Starting next Monday at 10:45 am Eastern (that's 3:45 pm in the UK ...
or 14:45 UTC), three days of very interesting open government round
table discussions will be webcast from the Aspen Institute. Stick it
on your calendar.

Below is their press release.

I have the honor to participate again this year and wanted to invite
as many people as possible in to tune-in and also participate via
Twitter. The group assembled is amazing, but collectively there is
much more to be added around the world.

Watch from:

       http://www.aspeninstitute.tv (live and on-demand)

Twitter #focas12:

       https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23focas12

       Also for year-round exchange on similar themes try #edem
#opengov #gov20 etc.

On a related note, I've released a final draft of the top ten Sunshine
2.0 indicators I've prepared for the national League of Women Voters
to help communities determine their relative local government support
for democracy online. It is my hand-out so to speak:

        http://blog.e-democracy.org/posts/1567

I will be tweeting my local "inclusion" and open governance themes (
http://e-democracy.org/inclusion ) and more from:
http:/twitter.com/democracy


** Webcast Schedule - Mountain Time
  - Here are some other major time zones: http://bit.ly/N7GCdg

Monday, August 6, 2012
8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.         Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.       Session I.  Problems of Governance
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.      Session II.  Innovation in Governance:
How Are Governments Working Better?

Tuesday, August 7, 2012
8:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.       Session III.  Solutions Using ICT: Working Groups
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.      Session IV. Inertia and Resistance: The
Cultural Barriers to Change
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.      Session V.  Closing the Door on Open
Governance: Exceptions

Wednesday, August 8, 2012
8:45 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.        Session VI.  Reports of the Working Groups
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.       Session VII.  Policy Options Ahead

The detailed webcast agenda is here:
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/images/cands/FOCAS12_Webcast%20Agenda_FINAL.doc

Overview:
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/communications-society/FOCAS2012

** The press release text:

Open and Innovative Governance at Heart of Aspen Institute FOCAS 2012 Seminar

Contact: Sarah Eppehimer, Aspen Institute, (202) 736-5818
sarah.eppehimer at aspeninstitute.org

Washington, D.C. – Leaders and experts from the public, private, and
academic sectors will explore the role of transparency and openness in
fostering more effective, innovative and accountable governance at a
roundtable discussion Aug. 5-8 in Aspen, Colo. The event will be
streamed live at www.aspeninstitute.tv

The annual Forum on Communications and Society (FOCAS), a project of
the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, explores how
public policy and private initiatives can better serve communities.
Participants in this year’s FOCAS, titled Towards Open and Innovative
Governance, will address the changing roles of citizens and
governments in the digital age.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is the forum’s senior sponsor.

“Citizenship and governance in 2012 can benefit from the same digital
disruptions that have transformed the business world,” says Charlie
Firestone, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Communications
and Society Program. “This forum will explore exciting new ways to
move that process along.”

"Technology has transformed media in the past decade from a
one-to-many experience to a participatory one," said Michael Maness,
Vice President for Journalism and Media Innovation at Knight
Foundation. "But we're only beginning to tap the potential of
technology to make citizenship and governance far more participatory,
allowing individuals and communities to be much more engaged."

Participants of this year’s FOCAS will include former Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright, President of the Republic of Estonia Toomas
Hendrik Ilves, California Controller John Chiang, Ushahidi Executive
Director Juliana Rotich, and Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director
Susan Gardner.

Towards Open and Innovative Governance will mark the seventh year that
FOCAS includes an interactive web experience, thanks to generous
funding from Knight Foundation.  FOCAS 2012 will be streaming live at
www.aspeninstitute.tv at 8:45 a.m. mountain time August 6-8. Viewers
are invited to follow the discussion on twitter @AspenInstitute and
@AspenCS and to tweet about the event using #FOCAS12.

###

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational
ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation,
engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that
democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and
engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based
leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas
that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced
venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen
Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader
fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences
and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado;
and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices
in New York City and an international network of partners. For more
information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.


Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
  Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.org
  Twitter: http://twitter.com/democracy
  Tel/Text: +1.612.234.7072