Government 2.0 Camp Dokumentation

Citizen wiki is an interactive way to engage people in information sharing and discussion. In general, citizen wikis fulfill several functions:

1 – they provide information on cities, regions, lands, thus offering first-hand information and space for creative input and discussion

2 – wikis stimulate communication through allowing citizen to edit, discuss and write wiki entries

3 – wikis allow people to network, being an alternative to well-known social networks. Since citizen wikis are offered by the government, they may seem more secure in terms of privacy policy to some individuals

4 – additional function of wikis is entertainment, because they inform on a variety of issues and can be an engaging pastime for citizens

Citizen wikis are a rather new issue on the governmental agenda, and the discourse around this issue needs to be fostered. Currently there are city wikis and regional wikis in Germany, like, for example, Stadtwiki Karlsruhe.

Being simple to use and offering open and transparent content, citizen wikis seem to possess considerable potential for citizen involvement in the public sphere.