The Negative zone..
OK it has been pointed out to me by one or two people that my blog post yesterday might have been a little bit negative! I’m not going to pretend I haven’t been frustrated by elements of my new role but things are slowly improving and its just a case of trying to get in to a new mind-set I think.
The framework which all the e-gov activity works within is far more resistant to change than I have become used to working at JISC but it has well established reasons and procedures and is quite obviously dealing with a very different type of audience. Despite its own layers of bureacracy JISC and the wider area of ICT in Education (particularly HE) is far more open to innovation and taking risks, but then I guess thats kind of the point. Organisations like JISC and its many Services, programmes and projects are by their very nature early adopters and that willingness to push the boundaries gave my work in communications more space to roam.
While my interests continue to be mainly focussed on using the ideas and tools of Web 2.0 in enhancing (rather than replacing) more traditional communications models (blended communications?) the more disciplined approach required to take this current project forward is a timely reminder that some of my skillset has become rusty through underuse and it will be useful in the long run to get back into running a more standard web project. It will also give me an opportunity to polish up my diplomacy skills as well!
Later in the week I’m going to get back onto the topic of the amplified conference and more generally into my ideas about blended comms - you know, the more fun stuff!
New job - week 2..
Well life at my new job at HEFCE has certainly been eye-opening. As far as working environments go it couldn’t be much more different than I’m used to and the fact that I had to have a member of IT install Firefox for me after getting permission as it is not supported technology and it still comes minus Flash(!)
Still the project looks like it will finally start getting some momentum next week. I have a meeting with members of the DCSF - who run the Education and Learning Directgov franchise - and some of the Directgov team next Wednesday, am speaking to the Comms group for Aimhigher and other Widening Participation activities in Sheffield on Thursday and then continuing up to Newcastle on Friday to meeting with some of the team at HERO again (they currently manage the Aimhigher website) and also to Netskills who are going to do some user-testing work for the project (better the devil you know :] ).. In the weeks to come I also have meetings with the Student Loans Company and LSC to discuss their experience of running a sub franchise…
At the moment so much of what I am doing is educated guesswork really - as until I have met all the other players in this project I am not sure what direction things are going to go. Directgov is the real issue/opportunity - what direction they are going to take in the next couple of years is going to have a real impact on my work here…look forward to finding out!
Twitterin' away
- jukesie: @hayles yay mine as well - gone for the slightly dodgy graf theme..
- jukesie: @paulwalk the whole doc seems kind of pointless - doesn't ukoln have some kind of online/wiki version of a standards catalogue?
- jukesie: @stefangoodchild of that I had no doubt! is it live?
- jukesie: I am in the no gmail themes gang as well...but judging by some of the others left out so far they are obviously saving the best for last :]
- jukesie: @stefangoodchild to be fair even calling it a product is a stretch!