Open Is Dead.

Comment

Comment by Chris Poirier on October 12, 2011 at 1:25pm

@ Andrea has a good point here. It is not lost on me that "open" is considered a "small" enclave of people and things inside the beltway focused on "transparency" etc. I think we do need to get into the heart of the issue and engage more in the conversation. I don't think anyone here is saying that any concept associated with the term "open" is bad or un-useful, in fact I think everyone's comments are underscoring the problem. (everyone has a different view of the "same" thing.)
So how do we unite these issues and reignite the fire to get people engaged again?

"open" is a word, what we're trying to accomplish is an action or series of actions. It's really about engagement at all levels of government and citizens. It's about access, it's about transparency, it's about sharing, and it's about being part of something. (..and all those other things! apps, web 2.0, social media, hard copy media, etc.) Speaking in a single, understood nomenclature is important, but I feel like we've been straying from the mission, from the goal of actively engaging one another in our greater communities (and sub-communities).

..so isn't it really social/citizen/active engagement?? (which encompasses the many layers everyone has talked about so far??)

Comment by Andrea Schneider on October 12, 2011 at 10:55am

Open in the context of Gov has become synonymous with accountability, data, transparency which in turn has focused on data, websites, hackathons, technology apps, and other related things, an important part of much needed change, but a very limited view of what needs to happen.

My frustration is it defines a small universe and does not get at other strategies, equally important to address how we can more effectively deal with public challenges, beyond apps, new websites, etc.  It is a relatively small group who love to work with the technology of Open Gov, but it is not at all the universe of everything going on.  It's unfortunate that a broad concept has become so limited. 

I see technology and all its cousins as a profound tool, not the driver of innovation.  The whole focus on data leaves a lot of everyday Americans out of the loop.  They may be happy they have 311 to call or a better bus app, but how is it changing the system itself and how it works for the end user at the end of the day?  The focus on technology has to be woven into a much wider agenda, be more inclusive and tangible to a lot more people.

Comment by Hubert Guillaud on October 12, 2011 at 5:38am

Yes, everyone loves Open (David Cameron, Barack Obama, people of Occupy Wall Street, German pro hacker party, me too), but we don't share the same definition. You're right. Open is not magic. In France, we prefer speak about "re-use of public data". It's a way to show that the most important is in the process (access, data interoperability, application development, linking with a community of innovators and developers...) rather than the result. http://www.internetactu.net/2011/10/11/louverture-est-elle-morte/

Comment by David Fletcher on October 5, 2011 at 4:02pm

Open is generally good. I've always pushed it as important, but it is not the only thing and some people try to make it the only thing. It's also not new.  Many of us have been trying to share data for years, but it was never really a movement like it has been recently. Also, when some try to push it to far so that it impinges on privacy or security that can also create problems with a wide range of implications.  It also needs to be sensitive to economics, just like everything else.  If we can establish a clear economic value or benefit it is much more likely to succeed.

Comment by Doniele Ayres on October 5, 2011 at 2:48pm

Interesting conversation. I agree that the end state of OPEN is Shared, Mutual Reciprocal. In a business relationship I think you have to use the term and the concept of OPEN. Most information is proprietary and restricted but the partnership relationship is what you are trying to build. Think of it as the OPEN Source community that builds software. Everyone contributes, everyone wins. Open isn't dead.

Comment by Jay Johnson on October 5, 2011 at 11:35am

Good discussion, some thoughts: Organizational change expert Dr. John Kotter teaches that the first, and largest, obstacle to change is developing a sense of urgency. What is the vision of the change? Maybe that's what Open needs, a statement of vision for the future to complement the one word description so common in our language today. Also, instead of WIIFM, you could show What Am I Missing Out On? - by not embracing Open.

Comment by Andrew Krzmarzick on October 4, 2011 at 9:33pm

We've got to stick with "Open" - 

1) it's the term that the Obama Administration is using to mandate reform and is part of the official nomenclature ... to change now would further erode momentum and progress as it would confuse the already strong association with the terminology among those who have not adopted

2) local iterations of the movement have adopted this language and are building on the Federal initiative

3) the international movement is now using it as part of the Open Government Partnership

On top of that, none of the alternatives presented above are as simple and clear as "Open."

And this is coming from a guy who strongly advocated for language change around social media early on...

Comment by John Geraci on October 4, 2011 at 7:36pm

Christopher I'm a big advocate of open everything - open data, open gov, open cities. I believe in it, and I think it's something that is going to take over the world and help make it a better place. I'm not arguing with the concept of openness, I'm arguing with the label of "Open". It's a non-starter for anyone who doesn't already get the core ideas that it suggests. So if we're going to get more people to adopt the idea, beyond the (relatively small) group of people who have adopted it up til now, we're going to have to use terms that are easier for newcomers to grasp and that convey the value more innately.

Comment by Christopher Whitaker on October 4, 2011 at 7:31pm

I think people do understand the concept  The sites that I listed were built on open data. John Fritchey (Cook County Commissioner) helped get the whole lookatcook site going by teaming up with developers who built the site ..FOR FREE  

Why? Because they understand they like open government. They've also put the source code for the lookatcook site and chicagolobbyist site on github so anyone can use it. 

The Chicago Tribune gets the open government concept. They TribApps unit talks to the city's data officer. They're using the data. They're building PANDA - which is may be a little obscure now - but it will be a big freaking deal when it launches. 

If Open was dead - this kind of thing would NOT be happening. 

Comment by John Geraci on October 4, 2011 at 7:25pm

Hi Christopher,

 

That totally underscores my comment.  People are rallying around the apps, not around the idea of "open".  Apps are value that people understand, tangibles.  They excite people.  They sway people.  That's what we need to speak in terms of more often.

 

Thanks for your examples.

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