Lindsay Ould,

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Micro Business Gateway
Lindsay Ould, London Borough of Camden
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Agenda Background APLAWS LAWS Projects Micro
Business Gateway Data Syndication Language
Issues Building the Community Sustainability
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London Borough of Camden Population of 200,000
Metropolitan City with University
Presence 23,570 Business Units 73 less than 5
employees 27 Non-white groups 125 languages
spoken in local schools
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Micro Business Portal
Camdens new website
Data sharing (Syndication)
Business link
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APLAWS Pathfinder 1 year proof of concept
project Open source content management
system Standards Sharing good practice Currently
developing further within LAWS National Websites
Project
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MBG Partnership project
London Borough of Camden Inland Revenue HM
Customs and Excise Centa (Camden Enterprise)
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Micro Business Gateway
Consultation with micro business sector,
including ethnic community
Exploiting new technology XML/Syndication
Innovation
Signposting information in community languages
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Aims and objectives A local portal that addresses
Camdens specific small business needs
Micro businesses Advice workers Self employed
Broad objectives To provide a local, single
access gateway for Micro Businesses to a range of
central and local government regulatory and
support services To improve access to business
information, particularly to members of ethnic
communities To help prevent enforcement action
arising from non-regulatory compliance as a
result of ignorance, by highlighting
responsibility and sign posting regulatory and
support information.
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MBG structure
Starting your business Thinking about
it Starting out Already in business Maintaining
your business Growing your business Closing
your business Advice and support Training and
education Free website for your
business Business news
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A portal subsite to the main local authority
site Different Information Architecture Differen
t look and feel Same content where needed
APLAWS Content Management System
Information Creator / owner
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• Language Issues
• Information stored in UTF-8 format
• Focus is on mediated service
• Quality checks on translated information
• English translated title on links
• Maintenance of information

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• Data Syndication
• Identifying key information
• Wide range of information providers
• Technical options
• Data available to other portals
• Provenance of information

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Data Syndication

• Options to access information sources
• Deep site linking common URLs
• RSS Feeds display a lead on website with link
  to full content on information owners site
• XML feed Display full content with hosting site
  look and feel

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• Sustainability
• Integration with Council Website
• Owner for business information
• Review take-up of Free Websites
• Syndicated content Wider sources
• Council review of research report
  Entrepreneurial Camden Challenges
  opportunities for Micro Business Gateway

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Potential Syndication Sources
BBC Business
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• Building the Community
• Research Information Gathering
• Usability testing
• Demonstration Portal
• Syndication between local central government
• Free Business Websites

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Usability testing of Council website

• Focus groups
• cross section of users differing skills and
  familiarity
• specific information seeking tasks

• Some of the findings
• - Navigation difficult
• Information not up-to-date
• Citizens do not understand how a Local Authority
  is structured
• Too much text still too much jargon
• Unclear understanding of different menus used
• Search engine Improve return of results
• Unclear who would answer email enquiries to site
  
• - Positive about being consulted on the web

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User testing of demonstrator
Pre-start businesses New start-ups Intermediaries
Usability
Content
Design
Feedback from testers
General Good site covers everything Easy to
find information I never knew about the local
business link Specific Fact sheets/FAQs/tips
and pitfalls
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Demonstration Portal Examples of information
identified by research scoping phases.
Business rates fact sheet
Where to get business advice locally
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Micro Business Gateway
Lindsay Ould, London Borough of Camden