Question of the Day
Larry Lessig and the team from Change Congress, along with a large (and growing) group of internet visionaries released a set of principles today, with the goal of helping/pushing President-Elect Obama towards a more open and accessible government.
The three principles that Lessig et al shared at http://open-government.us/ included:
1. No Legal Barrier to Sharing
2. No Technological Barrier to Sharing
3. Free Competition
(There is an explanation of each on the site)
Certainly, we all want a more open and accessible government, but there continues to be significant debate about how best to achieve that and what challenges exist. What technology might be used? Is technology what is needed to address this challenge? What level of staffing (or expertise) is required to support a more open government? What security risks could a more open and accessible government create? How do you hold the administration accountable? What does the average citizen have to do to realize the benefits of a more open government?
I have few, if any, answers to these questions. I’m not even sure I know all the questions that should be asked. But I do know that these three principles are just the beginning.
So, my question of the day is this: What other principals must we consider, or put in place, to help the Obama administration achieve a more open and accessible government?
Thoughts?
Brian is Managing Director of little m media which provides strategic guidance and support to organizations around the use of the internet and technology to facilitate communications, engagement, education, and mobilization. He is well known for his expertise in new media, web 2.0, social networks, mobile, community, ecommerce, brand marketing, cause branding, and more. Reich, the author of Media Rules!: Mastering Today’s Technology to Connect With and Keep Your Audience (Wiley 2007). He blogs at Thinking About Media and contributes as a Fast Company Expert.
Previously, Reich was a principal of EchoDitto, one of the most successful online communications agencies in the nation, Director of New Media for Cone Inc, a brand strategy and communications agency in Boston and a Senior Strategic Consultant and Director of Boston Operations for Mindshare Interactive Campaigns, an interactive public affairs agency. From 2000 – 2004, Brian ran how own strategic communications firm, Mouse Communications.
Reich has worked in and around politics, including helping to direct dozens of campaigns across the country. He spent two years as Vice President Gore’s Briefing Director in the White House, handling both official activities and activities during his 2000 presidential campaign.
Brian serves on the board of Investigate West, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the art and craft of investigative and narrative journalism. Brian served as an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University in Washington, DC and is currently teaching a course on consumer behavior and marketing at Columbia University in New York.
Brian attended the University of Michigan and is a graduate of Columbia University. He and his wife, Karen Dahl, live in New York City with their son, Henry.
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