Communications and consultation are the watchwords of local government today. In the UK, there have recently been a number of central government announcements about e-government becoming we-government. Citizens, we are told, will have more involvement in health and social care decisions in their local areas, and in the design and delivery of public services.

All well and good. The trouble is, the public doesn’t believe it will ever happen. Government consultation does not always have a very good record for translating into measures that the public has asked for.

WebsEdge has just conducted a survey of 1,000 UK citizens to find out what they think local government’s top neighbourhood priorities should be. Not rubbish, as you might be forgiven for thinking if you read the acres of newsprint in the UK devoted to the subject (waste management came a mere fifth). It’s neighbourhood crime. And what’s interesting, is that there is a real appetite for helping to solve it – by using local government websites more, by posting photos or videos of the results of anti-social behaviour to speed up local government decision-making.

At the moment, there isn’t a lot of incentive to use the website – only 6% of people mostly get their information about local government from the council website. But imagine if you made these sites dynamic and interactive, using the combination of visual (photos and videos) and text content that they asked for in the survey. You could build real online communities, and use them to engage residents to participate in real decision-making. With that, you might just find citizens and local government working more closely together after all.

Read How Councils Communicate: Feedback from Stakeholders GfK NOP here.

As WebsEdge is an online video content provider I was interested to read about this recent study about where people go to watch video. As I predicted: more people are viewing videos at their computer screens than ever before.

The argument here is that whilst traditional tv is still dominant it’s market share is falling at the expense of people watching on a PC. This trend is particularly prevalent among 12-17 year olds. Personally I think whilst a lot of this is true what we’re actually seeing is something even more interesting as the total amount of content viewed – on whatever platform – continues to grow.

I think there are four key reasons why watching TV and video over the internet is so popular: content, navigation, location and community.

I’ve argued before (and will again) that content is the driving force behind online video: there is simply more of it and any viewer can find something relevant to their interests. Similarly, the navigation possible online is far superior to traditional television: you can search for things that you want so that anyone can find exactly what they want, when they want it- without having to wait for the “scheduled program”. And with all the new devices coming to market the ability to watch tv wherever you want to is also important.

Finally, possibly the biggest push behind growth is the community aspect of internet TV or online video. Having the ability to comment on videos, share them with friends, and connect with people about video makes it a social movement and more interesting for all users. Viewing video is no longer just a passive activity: this is a very compelling market proposition.

With such advantages over traditional TV the trend towards watching video on computers is only going to keep growing. I look forward to seeing next year’s data - let’s see if it doubles again by 2009.

If you’ve been reading our blog regularly, you’ll have noticed the recent swell of posts around our trip to Africa to work with The Global Health Council. If you are new to the site, please read the WebsEdge in Africa blog here.

We’ve recently created a video upload facility, From the Field on Global Health TV, an online video site used to help raise awareness of health issues in the developing world.

The concept behind Global Health TV is that online video is the perfect medium to connect those throughout the world who are in a position to help. Although distributing video through mainstream media can reach a massive audience, online distribution reaches a very finely targeted crowd, who are more likely to contribute to the cause.

Mainstream media is also great at telling the big story, but often misses some of the smaller, but equally important stories. One of the benefits of Global Health TV is that we have been able to reach out and capture many stories directly from the communities most affected.

Global Health TV will also benefit the cause because it is a multidirectional form of communication: once videos are uploaded, the community can comment and interact with each other. Utilizing the social aspect of online video will connect dedicated advocates, strengthen the overall support group, and grow the community dedicated to social change.

So go on then don’t be shy! Go on to www.globalhealthtv.com and comment on the work that’s there and share videos with your friends and colleagues. And encourage people working in the field to upload their videos to carry on the conversation.

Our penultimate day was spent at the Candlelight Memorial. It was memorable for meeting the former President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda. He was quite delightful and warmly greeted us every time we bumped into him. He was staying at the same hotel and allowed us to accompany him to the mausoleum of his friend and fellow freedom fighter, President Banda of Malawi.

Kenneth Kaunda has been one of the most out-spoken African leaders in the fight against Aids. When his son died of Aids related illnesses, he made this public and also went himself for Aids testing. Secrecy and stigma is a fundamental barrier to HIV/Aids prevention. It stops people wanting to know their status and when they do, from sharing that knowledge.
The morning started early when we, and the Global Health Council team bundled together into Gerald’s truck to travel to the CiVo stadium. There was great excitement surrounding the ceremony and in particular the arrival of Malawi’s President Mutharika, surrounded by men in black suits wearing dark glasses. The President toured the information booths, which sadly were not open to the general public.

After candle lighting, dancing and speeches, the stands were pulled down and everyone dispersed quickly.

The following morning we bade a sad farewell to Malawi. Back in Johannesburg, xenophobic rioting was taking hold of the townships. Safely tucked away at the airport, we waited for our flight back home reflecting on this life-changing experience.
A couple of weeks on and we thank all those that we met. The wonderful people of Ilinge seemed so grateful to us for visiting, but personally, they have given me far more than I could possibly offer them.
Thank you.