Using Online Tools to Engage - and be Engaged by - The Public

"This resource provides links to, and information on, over forty online tools that are useful for public engagement. It identifies five scenarios for engagement: gathering opinions, creating consensus, obtaining ideas, making decisions, and educating citizens; followed by ten tactics that can be used to accomplish these goals. • Develop documents collaboratively via Wikis • Create shared work space for citizens • Facilitate large-scale deliberation online • Use “serious games” to generate interest, understanding, and input • Survey citizens • Aggregate opinions expressed on social media networks • Gather and rank ideas and solutions • Work with citizens to identify and prioritize problems that government can fix • Help citizens to visualize geographic data • Help citizens to balance budget and revenue options Each tactic is described in detail, is accompanied by two case studies, and has 2-6 associated online tools. "