It might be temporary and drop cold again soon but there’s been lovely spring-like days this week. A hopeful time of year.
Connection conversations
A rest week for conversations this week but still buzzing from recent chats and finding lots of ideas sparking.
3 things this week
To affinity and beyond
I’ve always really enjoyed affinity mapping as a way to find patterns in research or content, and familiarise yourself with the breadth and depth of something at once. Even better when it’s done as a group and you can see thoughts connecting between people as they go.
It was really fun this week to be able to facilitate some virtual affinity mapping with the team. Some where familiar with the method and for others they were learning the thing as we did the thing. There were great questions about how to use the technique and good challenges too.
And it was a practical task as well as an opportunity to try something out. We mapped real things and as a result of the session have our next steps. Such a good energy to generate and looking forward to now moving a piece of work forward too.
How did you find us?
Search optimisation in local government is an interesting thing.
Historically there was reliance on being the sole provider of most services for a given geographic location, the power of the domain, and the authority generated by a large site well linked.
Behaviour shows that Google is still the homepage for most of our users and while over time we’ve started building journeys up to take this in to account there are still few local government organisations really thinking about how to create an IA and navigation of the site which really supports the behaviour.
And while some council tasks it’s likely a user will put in something related to their location in the search, for information and advice which isn’t geo-related it’s far less likely. Yet we have so much of this information in local government, some of it published because we have it and we can (which isn’t in itself a great reason) but other bits are mandated as a requirement of funding etc.
I wonder how much work is going in to understanding and optimising for search with information and advice content, and then how often councils are unintentionally competing with each other (and other organisations) for the traffic.
First signs of spring
We may be in a Fool’s Spring where cold weather will return and drag us back in to the gloom but for now there is crisp air, sunshine, and the emerging shoots of a new season.
I love this time of year as early blossom is so beautiful (Blackthorn is a favourite tree). I also love the bowed heads of snowdrops and the spots of colour as crocus emerge and hellebores continue to bloom. It all feels so hopeful and reassuring.
We made the most as my eldest had an inset day and the weather was dry so we took a walk around Kedleston Hall and felt all the better for birdsong, buds, and an opportunity to chatter away while stretching our legs.
Alongside his main studies he’s taken an interest in philosophy and is doing some self-directed learning around this. It makes for fascinating conversation as he explores different strands, his own beliefs, and his world view. A wonderful walking companion on a beautiful early spring day.
Shall we connect?
I’m looking for conversations and opening my calendar for opportunities to connect across 2024.
My February is fairly packed with personal commitments alongside work so I’ve not got slots in Calendly open at the moment. Do drop me a message if you’d like to chat though and we can find something that works I’m sure!
If you’re a vendor please check out the latest news on my employer before grabbing a slot – these conversations are not an opportunity to try and sell to me. And if you do work at the same organisation as I do reach out on Teams so we can say hello!
You can also get in touch through the ways on my get in touch page so let’s see what we can arrange.