Proud of the great work the team at Barnet have done to get the new design up and launched. Love it.

And to go with the new look corporate site is the sexy new look for the social site for Barnet. @littlelaura has worked some real magic on this one. Fantastic stuff with a few additional tweaks still to come!

“I have been delighted at the way so many councillors and others have contributed policy ideas via this site in 2008. Ideas for how our Councils could save money, improve services, raise school standards, fight crime, embrace enterprise. Some big, some small.”

Here’s a lot of what I’ve been listening to this last year, seeing as its new year and all…

Good effort and interesting stuff, although basically says “more of the same with knobs on plus semantic web (which we still don’t know how to define or know when it will be a reality”

While some of this chimes with me (I also left government out of frustration and the need for greater flexibility and influence and also agree the web needs to be taken more seriously in govenrment), it also frustrates the hell out me. There has to come a point when we stop moaning, accept the way things are and work around them. “Be the change you want to see”. Especially when almost all of us in this field have left only to return as better paid consultants to government. Biting the hand that feeds much?

“Do your best work at night? Take solace as new research suggests that night owls are more likely to be creative thinkers.” Phew! Gives me an excuse now…

Nice way of cutting up the web

Great looking line up. Shame its so darn expensive, as ever.

Now that’s participation…

An honourable mention from Dave for being “helpful”. Appreciated, thanks Dave. Here’s hoping I can live up to it! : )

“Israel was provoked, but as in Lebanon in 2006 it may find this war a hard one to end, or to justify”. One of the more thought provoking (and balanced?) takes on the conflict (via @darenbbc)

The economist take on the PWC report

Leaves me feeling sceptical of the spin, but the general findings (if not the actual numbers) hold meaning (although 86% of milennials saying they would leave an employer if corporate social responsibility values no longer reflected their own??? Give me a break. And even less so in a recession) via @jangles