Facilitators
What is e-consultation?
E-consultation is the use of electronic computing and communication technologies in consultation processes and is complimentary to existing practices. To find out more please visit http://www.e-consultation.org/
Why e-consultation?
E-consultation has value added in terms of the time, costs, participation rates, engagement levels and dissemination processes associated with completing a successful consultation. The use of Information communication technologies (ICT) can facilitate a number of tasks 1) information transfer. 2) dialogue support, 3) problem exploration and solving, 4) measurement of needs and preferences, 5) joint document writing. Within this guide you will find detailed explanation of the nature of the benefits with accompanying examples.
Examples (Trials)
E-consultation is currently in a development phase on the island of Ireland. This section outlines four examples of ongoing e-consultations and you can use the links below to learn more. These four pilots are with Waterways Ireland, The Wheel, the North South Educational Exchange (NSEC) and the Northern Ireland Youth forum. Via their websites these groups have used a range of e-techniques to consult with their members. The groups have used ICT to create on-line surveys, e-forums, e-newsletters and electronic voting. In all cases these techniques have been used in conjunction with traditional methods.
Why not use these links to find out more?
http://waterways.e-consultation.org/
http://wheel.e-consultation.org
http://nsec.e-consultation.org
http://youth.e-consultation.org
Useful Links
Good Practice
http://www.sdublincoco.ie/index.aspx?pageid=1000
http://www.cavancoco.ie/cccws/templates/general/tge_index.aspx?str_ID=227
http://www.meath.ie/community/websites.html
http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk
Time (***)
Will it take longer to set up and organise or will it save time?
Cost (**)
I normally have a set budget...will e-consultation be a cost effective option?
How long does it take to
- recruit - support staff? / participants
- Promote
- Translate the process to online
- Set up the technologies? (do I need approval?)
- How long should it run for?
- What other tasks?
Engagement (***)
What level of engagement does issuing body require?
How can participants be encouraged to engage actively?
What type of relationship needs to be formed to promote engagement?
What moderation is required?
Feedback?
Case studies (***)
Participation (***)
Is there a target audience?
What is the appropriate number of particpants in terms of process/ tech?
What is the critical mass for effective participation?
Skills (***)
What skills will I need?
Will those particpating require training/ guidance?
Usability (***)
How can I insure that people aren't excluded due to usability issues?
