Categories
Local Government Studies

Local e-Government vs Local e-Democracy

I’ve been thinking and writing about these two terms a bit recently as I work through my preliminary PhD research. The term e-government is largely used in an organisational context. That is, it describes the strategies used to arrange governments to respond to the possibilities and perceived challenges that digital communications tools pose. Meanwhile, e-democracy […]

Categories
Local Government Politics/Government

Local Government Referendum

The Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Local Government Minister Anthony Albanese today joined the Brisbane Lord Mayor to announce a referendum that will for the first time recognise local government in the Australian Constitution. While the actual wording of the referendum question is yet to be announced ((The draft bill Constitution Alteration (Local Government) 2013 […]

Categories
Academia Social Media Web

What is participatory media?

One of the key aspects of my PhD research is the practice and theory of participatory media, which I originally took to be more self-explanatory than it apparently is. For me, the term participatory media has always encompassed and been greater than the term Web 2.0, which I find reflects old paradigms of thinking about […]

Categories
Academia Media Social Media Web

A Framework of Questions

Some questions to consider during my PhD project. Why do local governments use social networks? Is it because the councillors think its a good idea? Because the managers do? Is there a push from the ‘citizen’ for social media use? Is it just what everyone else is doing? How do local governments use social networks? […]

Categories
Academia Media Politics/Government Social Media Web

Starting a PhD

Following completion of my honours year in 2012, I applied for and received admission to a PhD program at the University of Wollongong, and an Australian Postgraduate Award. I’m looking forward to beginning work on the project, but at this stage it is still in the very early developmental phase so I’m finding it hard […]