Thisreport covers a workshop on digital engagement for Community Councils supported by the School of Computing's public engagement fund. It was heldin Glasgowon 22 March 2016. The workshop combined presentations by subjectexperts with attendee-led round-table discussions. Itwaswellreceived and felt by delegates to be of immediatebenefit. Thereis clear demand for follow-up events, potentially more focussed  on training

Cruickshank, Peter

Ryan, Bruce

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						Digital	engagement	workshop	for	Community	Councils:	Glasgow	2016	General	Report	–	issued	April	2016		1 Overview	This	 report	 covers	a	workshop	on	digital	 engagement	 for	Community	Councils	held	 in	Glasgow	on	22	March	2016.	It	should	be	read	as	an	adjunct	to	the	public	report	on	similar	workshops	funded	by	the	Scottish	Government	and	held	in	autumn	2015	in	Ayr,	Elgin,	Forfar	and	Newton	St	Boswells.		This	 report	 is	 intended	 for	 anyone	 interested	 in	 community	 councils,	 including	 the	 Scottish	Government	(SG),	Improvement	Service	(IS)	and	Local	Authority	Community	Council	Liaison	Officers	(CCLOs).		Following	our	 established	practice,	 the	workshop	 combined	presentations	by	 subject	 experts	with	attendee-led	round-table	discussions.	It	was	well	received	and	felt	by	delegates	to	be	of	immediate	benefit.	There	is	clear	demand	for	follow-up	events,	potentially	more	focussed	on	training.		The	rest	of	this	short	report	covers:	• an	outline	of	the	workshop	process	and	contents	• a	summary	of	key	findings.	Appendices	contain	links	to	further	reading	and	resources.	We	would	of	course	be	very	happy	to	contribute	to	training	programmes	building	on	the	needs	we	have	found.	We	wish	to	express	our	thanks	to	the	School	of	Computing	at	Edinburgh	Napier	University	whose	funding	made	this	event	possible.				Peter	Cruickshank,	Principal	Investigator	 Dr	Bruce	Ryan,	Researcher	p.cruickshank@napier.ac.uk	 	 	 b.ryan@napier.ac.uk		Centre	for	Social	Informatics,	Edinburgh	Napier	University,	April	2016			 	Glasgow	digital	engagement	workshop	for	CCs	 Page	2	of	6	2 About	the	workshops	This	workshop	was	an	extension	to	a	programme	of	four	workshops	on	digital	engagement	for	CCs,	commissioned	by	the	Scottish	Government’s	community	empowerment	team.	The	workshops	were	organised	 and	 presented	 by	 Bruce	 Ryan	 and	 Peter	 Cruickshank	 of	 Edinburgh	 Napier	 University’s	Centre	 for	 Social	 Informatics,	 in	 conjunction	with	 the	CCLOs	of	 the	host	 Local	Authorities	 (LAs).	 A	report	on	these	workshops	is	available	at	http://www.iidi.napier.ac.uk/c/grants/grantid/13382910.	The	Glasgow	workshop	was	 funded	 by	 Edinburgh	Napier	 University.	 It	was	 co-hosted	 by	 the	 Glasgow	 Community	 Council	 Liaison	 Officer,	Steven	 Dowling.	 As	 with	 previous	 workshops,	 it	 mixed	 small-group	discussions	 with	 expert	 presentations	 from	 the	 Scottish	 Government,	the	 Improvement	 Service,	 Edinburgh	 Napier	 University	 and	 the	Democratic	Society.	The	workshop	was	attended	by	33	delegates,	each	representing	a	different	CC,	from	six	LAs	–	see	box.	3 Discussion	The	following	is	a	transcription	of	the	small-group	discussion	findings.	These	are	consistent	with	the	major	 findings	 from	 the	previous	workshops,	 in	particular,	 that	most	CCs	 find	 it	difficult	 to	 recruit	sufficient	members	to	develop	and	maintain	digital	engagement	channels.	Each	 section	 below	 included	 links	 to	 online	 resources	 with	 further	 details	 (note	 that	 access	 to	khub.net	requires	a	(free)	Knowledge	Hub	account).	3.1 What	are	the	major	barriers	to	CC	digital	engagement?	Highlighted	issues	included	• Fear	of	technology	• Lack	of	basic	skills	and	training,	including	lack	of	awareness	of	funding	sources	• Continuity	and	security	issues,	e.g.	control	of	usernames	and	passwords	to	shared	resources	• Need	for	suitable	templates	and	models.		o http://modelcc.net	may	be	part	of	a	solution	to	this.	• Understanding	and	building	audiences	in	the	local	community.		o Audience	surveys	may	help	to	understand	what	the	community	wishes	from	a	CC	online	presence.	• Lack	of	time	to	maintain	presences	–	this	may	be	related	to	difficulty	in	recruiting	members.	• Demographic	issues,	e.g.	older	people	may	not	understand	how	to	use	the	internet	• Connectivity	issues,	e.g.	lack	of	access	to	the	internet,	poor	internet	speeds.	Further	details	can	be	found	online:			• Flipchart	(https://khub.net/documents/10440977/19179985/S1.jpg)		• Video	(https://youtu.be/4WB4uXtm7K0).	3.2 How	can	CCs	best	use	the	internet?	Highlighted	issues	included	• More	online	engagement	might	lead	to	more	offline/face-to-face	engagement.	• Facebook	is	widely	used	o But	not	everyone	wants	to	use	it.	o Who	should	control	and	keep	a	CC	Facebook	page	up	to	date?	(It	can	be	difficult	to	gain	control	of	a	page	if	its	owner	moves	on.)	LAs	represented	at	the	Glasgow	workshop	(numbers	of	delegates)	Glasgow	(21)	Clackmannanshire	(1)	Dumfries	&	Galloway	(1)	East	Ayrshire	(1)	Edinburgh	(4)	North	Lanarkshire	(5)	Glasgow	digital	engagement	workshop	for	CCs	 Page	3	of	6	• CC	online	presences	could	be	built	into	community	portals,	e.g.	o forums	for	conversation	o connecting	to	and	linking	with	local	community	groups	o disseminating	news	about	local	events	and	issue	o finding	out	and	sharing	the	community’s	views,	potentially	using	surveys	and	polls.	• Email	address	lists	can	be	built	up	and	then	used	to	disseminate	CC/community	news.	• There	is	a	call	for	generic	email	addresses,	e.g.	info@anytownCC.net		o But	who	should	monitor	and	control	these?	It	was	suggested	that	named	people	should	be	responsible	for	each	CC’s	communications.	• Training	could	be	online,	but	downloadable	to	avoid	bandwidth	issues.	Topics	might	include	data	protection	and	copyright.	• To	avoid	paying	for	costly	video-hosting	solutions,	videos	can	be	put	into	DropBox.	Then	links	to	these	can	be	put	onto	the	CC	online	presence.	Further	details	can	be	found	online:	• Flipchart	(https://khub.net/documents/10440977/19179985/S2.jpg)		• Video	(https://youtu.be/elcVz9OagBM).	3.3 Topics	chosen	by	delegates		Highlights	include:		3.3.1 Features	of	an	ideal	CC	website	template	• When	suitable	templates	have	been	created	in	WordPress,	these	can	be	exported	for	re-use	elsewhere.	• In	general,	photos	are	good.	There	should	also	be	links	to	community	groups		• Suitable	tools/resources	include	YouTube	for	‘how-to’	guides,	a	dead-link	checker	to	aid	maintenance,	analytics	See	also	flipchart	at	https://khub.net/documents/10440977/19179985/S3b.jpg.		3.3.2 How	can	CCs/CC	members	learn	from	each	other?	• By	networking/building	up	contacts	• Regular	meet-ups	• News	updates	sent	to	all	CCs	• External	experts	or	CCs	with	relevant	expertise	delivering	training	3.3.3 The	KnowledgeHub	Suggestions	included	• Setting	up	a	Glasgow	topic	within	the	existing	CC	group	• Using	the	KnowledgeHub	for	safe	continuous	storage	of	files	and	hosting	discussions	It	is	worth	noting	that	that	the	KnowledgeHub	is	a	free	public	tool,	and	that	training	is	available	from	the	Improvement	Service.	3.3.4 Handling	abusive	online	comments	This	 topic	 triggered	 a	 wide	 ranging	 discussion,	 it	 was	 suggested	 that	 abusive	 comments	 are	 best	ignored	or	simply	deleted.	Only	in	extreme	circumstances	should	the	Police	be	called	in.	WordPress	and	other	platforms	allow	moderation	of	comments.	However	there	is	a	debate	around	free	speech	versus	preventing	hate-speech.		Glasgow	digital	engagement	workshop	for	CCs	 Page	4	of	6	This	highlights	the	need	for	community	councillors	to	have	access	to	consistent	and	legally	grounded	guidance	on	good	practice	in	online	engagement.	3.3.5 How	to	recruit	CC	members	using	the	internet,	and	hence	increase	awareness	of	CCs?	Suggestions	included	• Provision	of	training	and	workshops	• Sharing	good	practices	between	CCs	across	Scotland	• Understanding	audiences,	hence	choosing	appropriate	communication	channels	• Engaging	student	representatives	to	teach	and	share	digital	skills	Further	details	can	be	found	online:		• Flipchart	(https://khub.net/documents/10440977/19179985/S3.jpg)		• Video	(https://youtu.be/29h0nKKM4Z4).	 	Glasgow	digital	engagement	workshop	for	CCs	 Page	5	of	6	Appendix	1:	Further	reading	and	resources	Most	 documents	 linked	 to	 here	 are	 in	 the	 library	 of	 the	 Scottish	 community	 councillors’	KnowledgeHub	 group	 (https://khub.net/group/scottish-community-councillors-online/library).	Membership	 of	 this	 group	 is	 necessary	 to	 access	 the	 documents,	 but	 is	 open	 to	 all	 community	councillors	and	will	be	considered	for	other	stakeholders.	Other	links	are	to:	• The	Improvement	Service	YouTube	channel	(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj0N2FYL2Ljb4oS49pyyqHQ)	and		• The	national	website	for	CCs	(http://www.communitycouncils.scot).				Current	CC	website,	Facebook	and	twitter	use	643	CCs	have	websites,	 343	use	 Facebook,	114	use	Twitter.	 These	are	not	exclusive:	 for	example,	157	CCs	have	websites	and	Facebook	pages.		(Source:	https://khub.net/web/b.ryan/blog/-/blogs/2015-cc-digital-presences)		Resources	created	by	previous	research	by	Edinburgh	Napier	University	Criteria	for	an	ideal	CC	online	presence	https://khub.net/documents/10440977/16901497/An+‘ideal’+CC+online+presence.pdf	Development	of	a	model	CC	online	presence	https://khub.net/documents/10440977/16901497/a+model+CC+online+presence.pdf		Report	on	2014	survey	of	CC	online	presences	Ryan,	B.	M.,	&	Cruickshank,	P.	(2014).	Community	Councils	online.	(http://www.iidi.napier.ac.uk/c/publications/publicationid/13379605).			Some	blog-based	website	platforms	• Weebly:	http://www.weebly.com/uk	• WordPress:	https://wordpress.com	• Blogger:	https://www.blogger.com					

Digital engagement workshop for community councils: Glasgow 2016 report.

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Digital engagement workshop for community councils: Glasgow 2016 report.

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