Social media-style consultation provides a good gauge of public sentiment and can boost acceptance of new public sector initiatives, says IBM SA.
Hamilton Ratshefola, IBM SA sales lead, believes the public sector can harness the power and reach of the Internet to engage with citizens in numerous ways. Not only can this engagement enhance acceptance of new initiatives, but it can also help shape the direction of new projects, ensuring they meet real public needs.
"Thanks to the high level of mobile penetration in SA, and the widespread adoption of mainstream social media platforms by South Africans, social media-style platforms now present a well-accepted and cost-effective way for the public sector to engage on a personal level with millions of individuals across the country," notes Ratshefola.
A good example of the use of online consultation and collaboration platforms by the public sector is the 'Jam Session' staged in 2011 by the National Planning Commission (NPC) within the Office of the Presidency.
According to the organisation, an IBM Jam is a guided, real-time online discussion with tens of thousands of people, initially developed by IBM for internal brainstorming. The NPC secretariat, working with IBM, hosted its own 72-hour Jam session inviting public comment. The session was a success, with more than 10 400 logins and more than 8 900 individual posts made.
"Described as the biggest online dialogue ever held in Africa, the Jam not only allowed the NPC to analyse public opinion, it also allowed for the identification of the areas the public was most concerned about. Ten discussion forums were included in the Jam, with the highest participation occurring in the areas dedicated to education and training, the economy and jobs," explains IBM.
"The power of online interaction with citizens was also illustrated in a campaign held earlier this year, when IBM launched a Web site and released an Android crowdsourcing app, Water Watchers, which encouraged South Africans to report leaks, faulty water pipes and problems with their local waterways. The six-week campaign generated positive social sentiment, with 745 396 hits on its Web site and 147 reports and/or service requests."
The uses for crowdsourced information and large-scale online consultation are unlimited, says Ratshefola. The resulting data can be used to empower citizens, build political capital, ensure service delivery that meets communities' needs, and predict changes and future needs. The process also allows the public sector to base its decision-making on more accurate data and up-to-date needs analysis, he concludes.
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