Government 2.0 is a recently coined term describing attempts to apply the social networking and integration advantages of Web 2.0 (wikis, blogs, rss feeds, etc.) to the practice of government. The term is also used to describe general non-technological efforts to make government more open, collaborative and cooperative, and more encouraging of open consultation, open data and knowledge sharing.
Alternate Definitions
"Government 2.0 is not about social networking or technology based approaches to anything. It is a fundamental shift in the implementation of government - toward an open, collaborative, cooperative arrangement where there is (wherever
possible) open consultation, open data, shared knowledge, mutual acknowledgment of expertise, mutual respect for shared values and an understanding of how to agree to disagree. Technology and social tools are merely an enabler in this process." - Gov2.0 Australia.
"Government 2.0 is neologism for attempts to apply the social networking and integration advantages of Web 2.0 to the practice of government. Government 2.0 is an attempt to provide more effective processes for government service delivery to individuals and businesses. Integration of tools such as wikis, development of government-specific social networking sites and the use of blogs, RSS feeds and Google Maps are all helping governments provide information to people in a manner that is more immediately useful to the people concerned." - Wikipedia
"The term Web 2.0 is used to refer to online collaboration and user-generated content and the tools that enable these – such as blogs and wikis. Government 2.0 refers to the application of these tools by government agencies." - Itbusiness.ca article
Related Terms
E-Government is short for Electronic Government. This term refers to the delivery of government services through electronic means without the exchange of paper-based documents. Delivery channels include, but are not limited to internet – for example, mobile technologies can be used to facilitate the delivery of selected services.
Local E-Government is used to refer to the electronic delivery of services by local government agencies.
