Craig Thomler on Gov 2.0 in Australia

On Friday 29 October 2010 well known eGov AU blogger and Commonwealth public servant Craig Thomler spoke to a crowd of roughly 200 Victorian public sector employees, covering the basics of Government 2.0 as well as examining several case studies. His slideshow can be viewed at http://www.slideshare.net/Gov2Vic/craig-thomler-on-government-20-in-australia.

Mr Thomler also attended a smaller roundtable discussion to explore trends and issues in government use of social media. Key discussion points raised in that roundtable included:

· The benefits of Gov 2.0 are difficult to measure upfront but the investment is worth it. Like the internet, it is almost impossible to predict the benefits of Gov 2.0 but they are likely to be powerful.

· Gov 2.0 entails a shift from periodic to ongoing engagement with the community. Public attention turns into a government asset that should be cultivated and maintained.