Having been commissioned by the Cumbria PCT to consult the public on changes to health care services, we recently embarked on a tour of different locations in North Cumbria to obtain responses to the proposed reforms.
To keep TCC staff, the PCT and interested parties updated on our progress, I created a 'ning' site. Ning is a DIY social networking site, rather like a Facebook group, on which you can post blogs, forum discussions, photos and videos to discuss with an invited audience. It proved to be a fantastic small-scale project management tool; a great way of keeping in touch and facilitating debates on different aspects of the health service that were, perhaps, particularly prevalent in the days engagement activities.
The question of whether 'nings' are best suited for internal discussion or public consumption was brought into sharp perspective when members of the public were inadvertently invited to join the site. Ultimately, it sparked off an interesting debate between professionals and local people on the changes proposed under the consultation. I would have no hesitation using a 'ning' again for a similar purpose, but it is vital to establish exactly what its purpose is to be before beginning...
The Ning social network has a lot of potential, I have used one to highlight some of the things you can do with current weblog/web 2.0 technology and really would rate the system highly. Where it does less well is in comparison to some of the blog and Wikis out there at the moment. One of the things I have found useful with a Wiki is the ability to see previous versions of the site. Not only is this handy for the occasional visit from the wiki vandal, but it also means you have a useful history of how the wiki has developed. Outside of TCC, I would heartedly endorse their use.
Posted by: Ron | 30 January 2008 at 10:23 PM