I-Open Analytics Offer a Framework for Building Civic Networks

This conversation and e-mail Matrix, designed by Betsey Merkel, Co-Founder and Director, The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), is an example of how I-Open Civic Forum conversations were organized in Northeast Ohio from 2006 through 2009.

Conversations are informed by interviews contributed to I-Open by leaders in civic, academic, government and business. Interviews reveal new insights and innovation opportunities in both social and economic industry that can not only be shared, but improved upon in guided I-Open Civic Forum discussions.

Matrices are helpful to guide the intent and focus of new conversations in Open Source Economic Development exploring investment categories of the Innovation Framework, and topics representing citizen priorities affecting education, economic, and workforce development.

In the past, we most often associated "analytics" to mean measuring what we got out of any effort, in terms of profit. Today we still need to measure output, but we also need to organize how and where we are adding to change the results of our activities.

Conversations in the "Civic Space" - the space outside the four walls of any organization - build trust, and trust builds networks. These are the important starting points to build transformative initiatives and ultimately, new businesses.

This matrix points to the need for communities and regions to participate at higher levels of organization, process, and tools to identify, connect, and align creativity and resources for transformative, sustainable innovation.

The result of the efforts outlined in this matrix are described in the I-Open Press Release 01-18-10 posted to this blog at http://i-open.posterous.com/civic-networks-prepare-people-and-communities

You can learn more about I-Open at http://i-open-2.strategy-nets.net

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel http://www.betseymerkel.extendr.com/ and I-Open http://i-open.org/. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 4415 Euclid Ave 3rd Fl Cleveland, Ohio 44103 USA