Although many Councils are tied into licensed products which they have invested heavily in, it's worth planning ahead. Open source software offers a great deal of flexibility.
I know Newcastle City Council are already toying with the idea, but I may have a way for monetising all that decent traffic such sites generate via a self-serve DIY ad system, www.addiply.com You can see it in beta trail mode on www.TheLichfieldBlog.co.uk where both the local Tory MP, Michael Fabricant, is digitally engaging with his constituents and where Lichfield DC itself is due to follow suit. Beauty of Addiply ...more »
I know Newcastle City Council are already toying with the idea, but I may have a way for monetising all that decent traffic such sites generate via a self-serve DIY ad system, www.addiply.com
You can see it in beta trail mode on www.TheLichfieldBlog.co.uk where both the local Tory MP, Michael Fabricant, is digitally engaging with his constituents and where Lichfield DC itself is due to follow suit.
Beauty of Addiply is - particularly in relation to the strained relations between local council publications and the local newspapers - is that the 'out-source' spend is minimal to the tax-payer... All you do is take Addiply 'off the shelf' for FREE and then drop a simple piece of JavaScript code into an appropriate white space...
... thereafter, it's all automated. Payment via PayPal so no invoice chasing; payment up front... and every publisher - be it local council or local newspaper - are guaranteed 90% of the revenue thus generated.
Simple, open, honest, transparent and wholly accountable.
Just an idea.
All the best,
Rick (Waghorn)
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It needs to be low cost so the council is happy to change things quickly. Big investments lead to sticking with solutions that are possibly outdated or inappropriate, simply because of the money sunk.
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