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Update, 22 March 2013: the new Hvidovre website is here – I’m pretty underwhelmed. Looks optimised for mobile. Clearly a lot better than it was, but so dull. Plus no mention of social media at all, or reason to come back. See the list of subsites for a prime example of the utilitarian approach. Velkommen til et nyt Hvidovre.dk puts the emphasis firmly on service, highlighting a new feedback function, which I can’t actually find. It’s not in the A-Z index either. FWIW can’t see anything in languages other than Danish.
My local council/kommune is getting a new website. I’m going to use this as an opportunity to take a closer look at localgov and hyperlocal in the UK and Denmark.
I follow a bunch of UK localgov blogs and tweeps. Some key sources:
- #lgovsm chat, discussing the use of social media in localgov. Takes place at 8:30 pm on Tuesdays – see @lgovsm and the #lgovsm website. Chats not routinely archived or curated at the moment, but here’s a summary of the chat on unconferences (17 July).
- LocalGovCamp and other unconferences – most recent one on 14 July
- WeLoveLocalGov - no more, but a blog demonstrating the potential of localgov blogging
- ably carried on by Weekly Blog Club, now going strong for 30 weeks
Less action in Denmark – for now I can only really come up with Manden fra Kommunen (The Man from the Council), a blog by Rune Mejlvang who works at Frederiksberg Kommune.
Hvidovre Rådhus © www.mysona.dk