On-line Consultation Worth the Risk

If any lesson should be learnt from the recent experience of the campaigns for the Presidency of the United States of America it should be that a network of individuals is infinitely more powerful than an individual's networks - and that a network of networks is even more powerful again. In an era of global information and increasing access to that information across societies the power of networks - particularly information based networks - to inform debate and initiate action is immense. This is a frightening reality for those individuals and organisations that have relied upon historic hierarchies to establish methodologies of control and authority over access to information and decision making processes.

To recognise the power of information networks to reshape and reorder organisations is not to embrace in any way a belief in anarchy. To the contrary, just as the power of information rests in how it is utilised or deployed, so too an information network is sustained just as long as the individual members of that network find value in the connections and information the network creates and provides.

The 'power' of modern electronic information networks rests with individuals.

In addition, just as every opinion or judgement is not of equal value or merit, so too not every network contributes equally to individual benefit and growth. A network is organic to the extent that it changes and evolves over time based upon the contribution, composition and complexity of its constituent elements.

In the political world the power of networks and specifically information is well understood. It is therefore surprising that some political operatives seem still to believe that they can 'control' information networks or that they should draw upon limited sources of information in their decision making processes.

In my view the successful politicians of tomorrow will be those who learn to work with and through information networks - both to gain knowledge through information and to communicate with and align to those very same networks through an open process of information sharing.

TO THIS END it is heartening to see the Federal Government stepping out of the traditional comfort zone to embrace matrix-informed communication and collaboration with citizens. I remain a sceptic as to the capacity of political blogs to enhance knowledge and inform decision making processes. To date they have tended to be not much more than cliques of common interest and comfort that reaffirm partisan positions and denigrate alternative points of view.

Nevertheless I welcome the Government's trial of blogging as it is a recognition of the ever increasing volume of ideas, opinions and information that is being shared and communicated on-line.

It is likely that in the near term those already actively engaged in advocacy to government will embrace this opportunity. That is not a bad thing in itself however success will ultimately need to be judged on the extent to which others - those outside the current collective order - step into the on-line world to not only make known their points of view but to share the power of their experience and circumstance. In doing so it would be powerful and encouraging to see the anonymity of current political activists dropped in favour of open, transparent and respectful advocacy.

The challenge for politicians - and especially governments - will then be to learn how to govern for an active, communicative and networked population.

You can participate in the new government blog at www.dbcde.gov.au/digitaleconomyblog

Microsoft congratulates the Government and looks forward to vigorous discussion on the site and in information networks across Australia and across the world.

Simon Edwards, Head of Government and Industry Affairs