Most of us feel we have a right to get official information in a form we can understand. But is a law necessary to enforce this? At PLAIN 2009 (just-finished conference in Sydney) the answer was a resounding "yes". Sweden...
Blog: Content writing and content strategy insights
Posts tagged "E-government"
Tip: Convert policy to instructions
Far too much policy is dumped straight on the web. Policy is often legitimately complex. Policy is always hard to write and usually hard to read. People need instructions or procedures more often than policy. Consultation policy documents need to...
Plain English Week: demand plain English!
14-18 September 2009 is plainly a great week to draw the world's attention to plain English. On Friday, it's the WriteMark New Zealand Plain English Awards—always a brilliant occasion. Alice and I will provide four prizes. The winners of the...
Plain language and the nuisance referendum
Today I ticked my answer to a ridiculous citizens initiated referendum. Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand? When I first saw the wording I gave a big sigh. We've been...
What e-government needs now
A McKinsey Quarterly article on E-government 2.0 concludes that government use of the internet is far from reaching its potential. Jason Baumgarten and Michael Chui look approvingly at early initiatives and coolly at what's happening now: Despite spending enormous amounts...