How to map local election candidates using n0tice
Posted: April 9, 2013 Filed under: user-help | Tags: candidates, elections, local, mapping, may2, n0tice Comments OffFirst you’ll need a notice account and then set up a noticeboard to work on your project. There’s instructions on how to do that here.
I created this one: http://elections2013.n0tice.com.
The next stage is to decide what information you want to show. For the example here I chose the candidates name, their home address, which political party they represent and which division they are seeking to be elected to.
All of that information is contained in the ‘nomination of candidates’ documentation which the local authority you are reporting on is obliged to publish. These examples are from North Yorkshire County Council and were found in a specially created Elections section on its website but they might also be filed under ‘council and democracy’.
Now you’ve got the raw data, there’s a choice of ways to ingest it into your noticeboard. If you’ve a large number of candidates, using the spreadsheet function could be useful – instructions on that here. In this case with a relatively small number of candidates I simply typed them into the system as follows:
Click the blue ‘post’ button.
Click on the blue ‘new report’ button.
Complete the form as shown below.
Click the blue create report button.
Once you have all the data on the noticeboard, creating map is simple. On the right hand side of the noticeboard you’ll see a small preview of the map with the pins from the addresses you’ve created. Click to expand and you’ll be offered the choice to share or embed.
If you’d rather carry out some design work then the web link will take you a KML file to treat in the usual way. If you’d like something that looks like the map at the top of this page – give me a shout on sarahATn0tice.com and we’ll sort you out.
NHS Choices launches dementia events map with n0tice
Posted: March 26, 2013 Filed under: Features | Tags: care, dementia, events, local, nhs, nhschoices, support Comments OffAbout 750,000 people in the UK have dementia – and this number is expected to double in the next thirty years.
It is a major issue many of us are having to cope with and improving the care and experiences of people with dementia is a key commitment for the Department of Health.
Alongside the medical help and interventions, there are events for people with dementia and their carers going on around the country, helping to bring people together and keep those all important social connections alive.
As part of the Dementia Local initiative, a map created by local groups and individuals has been launched to show where those activities are taking place.
The team at NHS Choices have just started a map – which you can see on the support pages here – is powered by n0tice via this dedicated noticeboard: http://dementialocal.n0tice.com.
It allows anyone to post details of an event aimed at people with dementia or their carers to share it more widely. As well as appearing on the NHS Choices website, the n0tice technology means that it is also easily found via major search engines and can be easily shared.
Introducing the service, the website says:
“There are excellent information resources all around the country on dementia……
“People with dementia are best served if we all work to create dementia-friendly communities. That needs to start locally.”
Visit the map and help us spread word in your local area
View Larger Map
Useful links
- NHS Choices support pages.
- Alzheimer’s Society.
- Talking Point – Alzheimer’s Society’s online forum.
- Dementia Friends – launched by Prime Minister David Cameron to create a network of a million Dementia Friends across England by 2015.
- Carers Direct helpline free on 0808 802 0202
* If you’ve a group or organisation which needs a similar map for users, there’s more information available at n0tice.org or drop me an email at sarahATn0tice.com.
Welsh wizardry with n0tice and an events calendar
Posted: March 19, 2013 Filed under: Features | Tags: community, events, hyperlocal, n0tice, oohhyperlocal, tongwynlais, wales Comments Off
Welsh community site Tongwynlais is using n0tice in conjunction with WordPress plug-in Timely to curate user events listings.
Speaking at a recent Out of Hours Hyperlocal event hosted on Google +, the site’s publisher explained how the plug-in works with the contributions from the public, open space of the noticeboard at http://tongwynlais.n0tice.com.
The resulting selection of events shows at the site’s events section in this impressive calendar format which can also be filtered by categories and tags.
Learn more about how that was created with the video below which was archived from the event – the relevant section starts at 50 minutes.
There’s more about using n0tice for an events calendar here at the n0tice.org toolbox site which includes other ‘howto’ articles and ideas for publishers.
Using n0tice to track conference coverage
Posted: February 12, 2013 Filed under: Features, user-help | Tags: conference, delegate, hashgordon, n0tice, noticeboard, organise, storify, twitter Comments OffPicture the scenario – you’ve got the time agreed, bought your ticket, travelled across the country and, finally, you’re there, tweeting away from the conference. You know you’ll not forget that speaker/link/picture/reference because it resonated so well with you but then you return to the office to share it and……it’s nowhere to be seen. If you’d had the foresight to favourite some tweets then maybe you can gather your thoughts – or hope someone creates a Storify which happens to curate your choice of tweets – or alternatively, have everything automatically tracked in n0tice for later, leaving you the time to concentrate on post-conference socialising. We’ve already tracked several events using the n0tice tools so here’s how to set it up to capture everything from an event and give yourself a break.
- You’ll need a user account – sign up at n0tice.com.
- Once logged in, go to the ‘my noticeboards’ link and click to ‘set up a new noticeboard’.
- The noticeboard will be the place where all your content is saved and published online – think of it as your workspace – but it is public on the internet so give it a name which will mean something to people searching for the event.
- Log into feedton0tice.com and follow the instructions to set up the feeds you require eg. twitter, flickr etc. using the guide here.
- Sign off, sit back and enjoy your conference.
Once your ‘bot’ (automated feed) has captured everything on the noticeboard, there several things you can do next. Check through the feed and easily create your own report of the events main points by selecting the ones you want and using the facility to embed the tweets into a story, like this from last week’s Virtual Community Summit in London. @CarolineRadar tweets: The offline world is a minefield – managing expectations of what moderators should manage is very difficult, esp parents #vircomm13
@AthikurRehman tweets: Online Strategies should be driven by #SocialMediaAnalytics Monitoring can help brands with great insights #vircomm13 @VirCommSummit
And you can write a commentary around the individual items in a similar way to Storify. @vdimauro tweets: fantastic storify board of #vircomm13 – proud to have been a part of this amazing day! http://t.co/SfwRxzjL via @emoderation
With pictures, you can use the HashGordon.com app to create a picture gallery like the one at the top of this blog poast. I created that by using the filter to only publish the few pictures I selected from the entire number by ‘n0ticing’ them. There’s full details about using this tool here.
Where will you be on Keep Cycling Day? Find out how to join in here
Posted: February 4, 2013 Filed under: Features, partnership | Tags: #keepcycling, chocolate, cycling, divine, n0tice, noticeboard 2 Comments »
From adapting safety googles for bad weather to continuing to commute on two wheels – it seems there’s nothing that will stop some of our n0tice-ers from keeping on cycling.
Stories and pictures of intrepid cycling have been coming into the dedicated Keep Cycling noticeboard over the winter months – so it’s time to celebrate your efforts.
Just check out these to get a flavour of what’s been going on:
Photo by detailista: “Cycling into the sunrise. Bring on nights of pushing home into sunsets.
#keepcycling”
Photo by alexwhittaker: “Beautiful morning in the park #keepcycling #eastlondon”
All that effort deserves some reward, so our delicious partners at Divine Chocolate have come up with something extra special this month.
As well as a prize for snapping and sharing the best view from wherever you’re cycling, all you London cyclists can also claim free chocolate on Keep Cycling Day which is Tuesday 5 March.
All you need to do is cycle up to the Divine pop up shop at Seven Dials in Covent Garden on day and chocolate rewards will be yours – just take your bike/helmet.
The pop up shop will be open for two weeks from the 25th of Feb but you’ll have to pedal there on the dedicated #keepcycling day to claim your prize.
But if you’re not near Covent Garden, don’t worry – there’s a lot of Divine goodies up for grabs wherever you are. To join in simply snap your favourite cycling view and help us to map the country’s top cycling route as follows:
Post it to the #keepcycling noticeboard at www.keepcycling.n0tice.com with Twitter or Instagram.
Make sure you turn location on and hashtag your post with #keepcycling, to see your pictures and reports pop up on this n0ticeboard, and feature in a guide that showcases the best of cycling this season.
Featured noticeboard: Stourbridge
Posted: January 8, 2013 Filed under: Features | Tags: abigailedge, hyperlocal, journalism, n0tice, news, noticeboard, stourbridge 1 Comment »
We kick off 2013 with news of a new local website on n0tice which seeks to cover the Stourbridge area in the Midlands. It’s creator Abigail Edge tells us more about why she’s set up Stourbridge.n0tice.com.
Firstly, I asked her to tell us a little about her passions and interests
I grew up in Stourbridge, in the Midlands, but only recently moved back to the area after more than ten years living away in London, Bristol, Plymouth and Leeds. I’m a journalist and web editor currently working at Midland News Association (though Stourbridge.n0tice.com is a personal project). Previously I was online editor of ThisisBristol.co.uk and also managed Northcliffe Digital’s Local People sites in the South West, which is what sparked my interest in hyperlocal news.
My favourite things are going to gigs and festivals, rambling around the countryside and exploring new places – last summer I spent three weeks backpacking around Sri Lanka. I’m a member of my local running club and am currently attempting to learn photography and Spanish, all to varying levels of success. I’m also a self-confessed social media fiend – you can find me on Twitter @abigailedge or WordPress www.abigailedge.co.uk.
Why did you set it up and who is involved?
I set up the noticeboard to create an online community space for people living in and around Stourbridge – somewhere they can share news, events, photos and anything else of interest. It’s early days and at the moment it’s just me running it, but once the word spreads I’d like to see more people involved.
Tell us the three best things about Stourbridge
The noticeboard covers Stourbridge and the surrounding area, including Wordsley, Wollaston, Dudley, Hagley and Norton. It’s a relatively small town with a population of around 55,000 but there’s a lot that goes on. The best three things… ?
– Birmingham, the UK’s second city, is just 30 minutes away by train but Stourbridge is also surrounded by some really beautiful countryside, from the rolling Clent Hills to Kinver Edge with its rock houses carved into the woodland sandstone ridge.
– It’s got a deep-set arty, bohemian streak and a thriving local music scene. Cult bands The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin all hail from Stourbridge, making the town something of a Mecca for NME readers in the late eighties/early nighties!
– Stourbridge people are friendly and down to earth, while the town itself has some great real ale pubs and independent shops. My favourites are The Duke William on Coventry Street and Scary Canary Clothing in Victoria Passage (scarycanaryclothing.co.uk).
What do hope to achieve with the noticeboard?
I’d like to see people using Stourbridge.n0tice.com to highlight the best of Stourbridge, whether it’s to share a great photo or to let people know about events, offers and news in the town. I’d especially like to see local venues, clubs, businesses and community groups getting involved. And I’d like to get everyone using the #n0ticestourbridge hashtag on Twitter and Instagram! Essentially it’s a public space that’s open to everyone – how it develops really depends on how people decide to use it.
* Visit the Stourbridge noticeboard here. Are you doing something with n0tice that you’d like to share? Whether it’s a hyperlocal, a mapping project or maybe a photography challenge we’d love to hear about it. Contact me via the comments below or via the email Sarah@n0tice.com.
Canadian newspaper readers map their favourite sledge sites with n0tice
Posted: December 11, 2012 Filed under: Features | Tags: calgary, calgaryherald, canada, n0tice, noticeboard, sled. sledding, sledging Comments Off
One of Canada’s biggest city newspapers has turned to n0tice for help with a very Canadian issue – sledging. I asked features editor Tom Babin to tell us about the crowdmapping project that’s underway at http://calgarysledding.n0tice.com.
Q. First, could you tell us a little about the Calgary Herald?
A. The Calgary Herald is the major metro daily newspaper of Calgary, a city of a million people on the Canadian prairies. The paper has been around since 1883, and in the last number of years, our whole operation, like most newspapers, has been shifting its focus onto the Web. We’re the biggest media site in the city, and one of the biggest metro newspaper websites in Canada.
Q. You call it sledding, we call it sledging – just how important a pastime is it for people there?
A. A true Canadian would actually call it tobogganing. Technically a toboggan is a more traditional wooden sled with a rounded front end. If you buy a good one and use it for years, they can get suicidally fast – great fun! But we use the words sledding and tobogganing interchangeably.
We have long winters here, so sledding is a fun pastime for families, especially those with kids. And we’re a skiing city – the Rockies are only about an hour drive away – but that can be expensive, so tobogganing is a nice free alternative you can do in the city. However, finding the best hills in the city can be tough, especially for newcomers, so we thought we’d ask readers to share their favourites, and we’ve been plotting them on a map.
Q. How did you hear about n0tice and how are you using it?
A. We’re big on crowdsourcing, and we’re always looking for ways to improve the way we present reader information. Crowdsourced maps can be very labour intensive. We did a big project last year in which we crated dozens of maps with community data, and it was a huge amount of work, so when we came across n0tice being used on the Guardian website, we liked it’s potential. We’ve been asking people to either post their sledding hills directly onto the n0ticeboard, or just let us know by email and social media, after which we will post that data ourselves. Most of the response has come through social media, usually people tweeting us a location, but it hasn’t taken us long to post that into the n0ticeboard ourselves.
Q. What sort of response has there been to the sledding noticeboard?
A. It’s been really good. There were more sledding hills plotted in the first day than I expected, and many of them were unknown to me, so already it’s a good resource for Calgarians. Sometimes, a good toboggan hill is a bit like a good fishing hole in that people tend to keep them secret so they don’t get overrun with people, so we’re happy that people are sharing. We’re going to keep building on it through the winter.
Q. Any plans for the future?
A. We get a lot of reader response from social media, so we’re also looking forward to using some of the mapping capabilities directly from Twitter and Instagram. We’d love to get more reader photos in there.
If you’re using n0tice for an interesting project. We’d love to hear from you and pass your experience on here at the blog – contact sarah@n0tice.com or leave your details via the comments below.
n0tice helps champion live music with #gdngigs
Posted: November 27, 2012 Filed under: Features | Tags: gdngigs, guardian, live, music, n0tice, noticeboard, venues Comments Off
The Guardian Music team is using n0tice’s crowdmapping capabilities to great effect to help its readers share live gig reports and pictures from across the country.
Launching the project at the weekend, Adam Boult explained that it’s “an attempt to capture unforgettable moments at gigs for people to share and enjoy.”
“Our hope is that the Guardian’s live music map will help people discover local venues and artists and go out and see them more. And those who know about great local music will have a better platform for sharing their passion.”
The initiative to champion gigs comes at an interesting point in time for live venues – rules governing the licensing of venues have been significantly relaxed and, as The Observer reported on Sunday, the music industry has never been so reliant on revenue from live performance.
Tom Lamont writes: “If bands in 2012 make any money for themselves and for their labels they are likely to do so from the dogged touring of rooms big and small.”
Here’s how you can join in
Report on your favourite venue and encourage others to go there more often. Tell everyone in the area about an up and coming local band worth checking out.
If you’re in a band, you could use it to share behind-the-scenes gig pictures, and ask your fans to post about your shows. The Vaccines, Band of Horses, Dry the River, Tegan and Sara, and Aluna George are among those who have already been using the #gdngig hashtag – see their posts here.
While not every post will find its way to the map, the full stream of activity can be found on the #gdngig noticeboard here, including forthcoming events near you.
Bands and artists can list their gigs on the noticeboard, and venues can post events they are hosting.
As with all our n0tice developments, developers can reuse the Guardian Live Gig Map code or tap into the n0tice APIs directly. All that is documented here on n0tice.org.
Hash Gordon: Social picture galleries in a flash
Posted: November 20, 2012 Filed under: announcements, company | Tags: gallery, hashgordon, hashtags, instagram, n0tice, pictures, tags Comments Off
Our latest n0tice app has already been making the news. Only launched this month, several journalists have already found the embeddable picture gallery maker a useful way to visualise picture sharing around an Instagram hashtag.
HashGordon can create picture galleries from any hashtagged images shared on Instagram. It’s available for any journalist, blog, picture editor etc. to use – just like the other n0tice.org open journalism tools, it isn’t restricted to the Guardian’s newsroom.
HashGordon means that multiple users at events can contribute or a journalist or blogger can crowdsourced images from across the wider web. All images retain their original attribution in the final image gallery.
Here’s a few examples of it in action.
Crowdsourcing: Best Band Tees
The Guardian’s Music team was the first to spot the potential and invited their readers to contribute snaps of their favourite band t- shirts. Friday night fun followed and this gallery of images (which any music blog can also now share) was born.
Live news: November 14 anti-austerity action
Community co-ordinator at The Guardian, Hannah Waldram wanted to track the activity happening oversees for this news story about the day of action to protest against savage public spending cuts. The gallery picked up on the existing hashtag already in circulation on Twitter #n14.
Event coverage: Manchester Hackathon
I thought it would be interesting to invite anyone interested in helping to chronicle this open data event for developers to contribute to this gallery which captured Instagram pictures for the hashtag #McrHack.
Instruction on how to create the galleries have now been added to the n0tice.org website along with the other documentation for use by developers and journalists.
If you do create one, don’t forget to let us know – we’d love to see it here. Contact sarah@ n0tice.com, drop the link in the comments here or @n0tice on Twitter.
Live! Updates to both the android and iPhone apps
Posted: November 13, 2012 Filed under: announcements, company | Tags: android, app, iphone, mentallyfriendly, n0tice, tyrell, upgrade Comments Off
Looks like Christmas has come early for our app users – the latest upgrades to the n0tice mobile apps have just gone live (and we guarantee there’s not a lovelorn snowman anywhere in sight).
We’ve been listening to your feedback and have a host of new features for you to explore which we’re delighted to be able to get out to you before the party season descends.
So what’s there in the stores to download?
For all you android users, the very first exploring app we released last month is now fully functioning for posting direct to n0tice.com on the move.
The new version also features:
- upload photos from Camera or Gallery
- improved user interface throughout
- enhanced mapview
And for iPhone users, we’ve solved that annoying squished photo bug you’ve told us about as well as catching up with all you early adopters with support for iPhone 5.
Plus:
- view other users’ profiles
- updated report view design
- #hastags & URL links in reports
- ability to follow noticeboards as well as postings
- account view upgraded
There’s links direct to both stores at www.n0tice.com/apps
