So, the BBC is changing its website. Maybe it’s a sign of advancing years that it seems to me that is only a short while since they last did this. But I’m sure it isn’t. The changes are part of the realignment of BBC services in line with plans to reorganise BBC online services. And they are not alone.
Angus Council agreed some while ago to provide funding for a new content management system to sit behind the council’s website. On the back of this we are looking to revamp the look and feel of the site, and ramp up the customer service potential of our online presence. At the same time, like many in Scottish local government, we are developing social network presence, and looking to use of web 2.0 tools in our approach to service delivery.
I am quite excited by the prospect of all this development. Council’s can’t be left behind in the use of technology to enable access to information and self-service opportunities. Hardly a day goes by without the news telling us that some online service or another has or will take the place of a more traditional business model. It’s not often that local government it heralded in that way. And no, IT can’t empty the bins or resurface the roads, but it can be applied to making almost everything we do more efficient and lower cost. And we now have more tools available to us to inform, engage and receive information from our service users. So let’s get on with it…
