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Minutes of Namur meeting, 19-20/10/2000
Attendees: Beatrice van Bastelaer, Leopoldina Fortunati, Pedro Gomez, ClaudeHenry


Général issues


We started by a brief reminding about what we were focusing on, generally in each COST group, and more precisely, in our working group.

We see the general purpose of COST activity as an intelligent mapping of the "state of art" of the research in Europe on a special issue. To do that it is necessary to build an adapted framework of thinking on this issue. And this operation is a very scientific one.

The Cost activity is also, an opportunity to mix differents cultures all over the european countries

And in doing so a good opportunity of networking with colleagues for later (or current…) research proposals.

Our working group have chosen, in the beginning of the year 2000,to explore the collective uses of ICTs. The name of Membership/Community gives a good looking image of what we want to focus on

(See the minutes of the Brussels meeting )

Whereas the main entry is the users'one, as in the whole Cost 269, each of us has a preferred orientation, coming from his (her) research domain and style. But all of us brings material and reflection on the three domains:

  • e-democracy, at the local level (Beatrice)
  • electronic networking in the political activity (Pedro)
  • associative life and activities (Claude)

In addition, Leopoldina seems to get a preference for a more conceptual entry (what we have called at Brussels the top-down way).

A- For "user" issues, we want to connect with the endeavour of Britt Ôstlund to define an insight definition and propose some modelling of the users (see her paper presented at Stockholm).

At Namur, we propose to enhance the knowledge of the users aspects on the three subsequent levels:

  • representations of the users, in a double sense; who are the representative of the users in all the attempt to catch their intentions , demands and desires; which sorts of images of the users are brought in the design by leaders of projects, as well computer scientists in the design as non-technician managers of the projects or representatives.
  • the way of implication of the users at each phase of the process of design and development of a networking action
  • effective practices of the users, beyond the "celebrative" literature

Nevertheless, have an additional analysis of who are the non-users, and why, seems also an interesting idea.

B- For our more conceptual approach, we had two points:

  • Beatrice presented her analysis on BangemannReport and e-Europe initiative. A paper is in progress and will be presented at London.
  • Leopoldina presented a working paper on the "Transparency", proposed by the institutions or the power side, or enjoined by the users. See a special paper.

C-Our working group decided to organise the gathering and management of the large knowledge on its domain by differenciating several entries, which could be taken as

C1-research programs and knowledge funding institutions on the domains (experiments, research and evaluations/observation setting)
  • existing networks of research on the domains of the group, and in the near neihbourhood (for instance, Cost A14 on Government and Democracy in Information Age"- with a sub-group on e-administration). Key centers and persons, research events.
  • significant research results C2-significant field activities and experiments on the three domains (be very selective)
C3-reflective and active institutions (non research ones)
C4-selective bibliography, with many links to significant sites (put on Virtual Library).

We are going to take the same structure of presentation on the web-site (this tool could be used, as soon as possible as well a cooperative one between the members of the working group as a dissemination one (see below):

This information could be set up in each country, with the opportunity for each member of the Cost269 to be an informant of what is going on in his (her) country.


Notes. We had a two hours discussion on dissemination. Cf notes of Polda.
Minutes written by C.H., the 28th of October 2000

 


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