(No.120) How to engage users?

Gradually and slowly as we merge the digital divide, it is possible to envision the Internet as an ultimate leveler, representing one playing field, where, theoretically, everybody has the potential to interact. But how to engage users on political debates? How to use the net to bring them to the negotiation table? There are indeed, a few examples of Internet serving as a tool for empowerment. In some countries, public sector have been fostering such initiatives, as the case of Iceland, where an online public consultation was held for drafting it's new constitution. Or Brazil, where a several consultations are being held either to discuss digital rights or to monitor implementation of public policies, such as the initiative from the so called “Gabinete Digital”, where citizens where able to demand policies from the governor in a real virtual dialogue.Entrepreneurship has also played a role in terms of users engagement. As the case of Ushahidi, a remarkable open source web platform, that had allowed users to crowd source information about violent “hotspots” and spreading rampages, which was all sent via email or mobile text-messages, generating an online interactive mapping of the crisis, or the so called “activist mapping”.Users have also been involved in creative usages of the internet for education and others forms of exercising citizenship. Wikipedia is the most paradigmatic example, once, besides engaging users for the production of content, it was also one of the leaders at SOPA/PIPA online protests. In terms of social news, Reddit is another interesting example. Nonetheless, there has been no systematic approach or proper exchange of knowledge about mechanisms that are being invented to engage users. Assessments like that are important to evaluate and try to promote other initiatives to empower users.Therefore, the main goal of this workshop is to discuss and evaluate how open online consultations and users led initiatives have been creating mechanisms to engage users on the Internet Government debates and other initiatives that represent the usage of ICT for political participation. For achieving such goal, this workshop will gather speakers with different experiences on the topic. In a multistakeholder approach, it will gather representatives from governments, companies, the technical community, academia and civil society from both developed and developing countries. Active moderation will foster debate amongst those in Baku and encourage remote interventions.