When it comes to citizen-MP engagement, it takes two to tango. In my last post, I recounted the lessons learned from our colleagues at Politikercheck.lu and Providus.lv, and our fellow researcher at European University Institute, regarding effective approaches developed by PMOs to engage citizens online. The next question we discussed at #PDFPoland: what approaches are PMOs using to ensure that MPs respond in kind?

(For lessons learned from parliamentary efforts to engage citizens, check out the important work (in Spanish) of Miguel Ángel Gonzalo, webmaster for the Spanish Congress of Deputies. We’ll be providing an English version shortly at OpeningParliament.org.)

Before diving in, let me quickly point out that a number of the approaches described below are quite similar to those discussed in the previous post. Why? Because many of them invoke the same motivational tactics, including: competition; the desires for acknowledgement, victory, constructive dialogue; to win the support of others, etc. Appealing to these various motives can help PMOs attract and retain MP participation in their websites. Here are 6 approaches that PMOs are using to do so:

1. Stimulating a “competition to the top”: MPs often want to appear open and engaging. Providing awards or rewards for the most participatory MPs can help spur their competitive drive. Providus, at GudrasGalvas, gives “activity badges” to those MPs with the greatest participation records and features their photo on the website’s homepage. Website users can vote for an “MP of the week” (see image below), who is featured on the homepage along with a video interview. Politikercheck conducts an annual review of MP engagement, lauding those who participate most. Rewarding good behavior can help drive positive engagement better than punishing non-participation.

2. Applying pressure: A common way to make MPs feel pressure to answer citizens’ questions is to make sure they understand just how important it is to answer those questions. Providing voting or “+1” features that allow other website users to indicate support for a question helps MPs realize that it’s not just one citizen who wants to know the answer, but 300 or 3,000. This pressure is only helpful if MPs know it exists. If MPs do not use email using faxes or contacting personal or party staff may help ensure that MPs know that constituents are asking questions.

3. Provide special features for MPs: Aside from the opportunity to engage constituents, PMO websites can provide other perks for MPs that help retain their interest. Media monitoring, calendars of MP activities, and surveys of constituents are some of the tools Providus provides to encourage MP participation.

4. Reducing the noise: Many MPs are turning to social media to meet their communication goals (at least, during elections in the US context). One distinct advantage of PMO communication tools is that they offer a more structured environment that prioritizes constructive engagement. ParliamentWatch members moderate citizen questions according to a strict code of conduct. MPs appreciate being able to engage citizens without having to face insults and slander, or being set up by a political operative for their competitor. But PMO websites must be seen as being fair and independent if their moderation is going to be successful, which leads us to the next point.

5. Building trust: MPs are more likely to participate in a platform that is seen as non-partisan and trustworthy. Codes of conduct can be helpful in setting forth expectations for PMO communication tools. To help demonstrate their impartiality, ParliamentWatch organizations forward all communications sent to a particular MP, even those that website moderators choose not to post. Being transparent with MPs can help forge stronger relationships.

6. Taking advantage of elections: Elections are the time that MPs recommit to their electorates, so it’s a great time to get them to answer citizens’ questions. Since elections also mark an occasion for many citizens to reconnect to the political process, elections provide a great opportunity to tango.

How do PMOs stimulate constructive citizen-MP engagement online? This was the main question (of several) that a group of PMOs took up at #PDFPoland last weekend thanks to the Personal Democracy Forum and our gracious hosts at ePF.

In this post, we’ll focus on good practices identified for getting citizens to engage in parliamentary work online. In a couple days we can turn to effective practices for encouraging MP participation. Our discussants included:

• Jerry Weyer of Politikercheck.lu (Luxembourg), representing the ParliamentWatch posse.
• Iveta Kazoka of Providus.lv (Latvia), who focussed on their e-communication platform (but has also worked on an idea crowdsourcing platform and a popular Latvian e-petition website).
• Alina Ostling of the European University Institute, who has authored this paper on PMO websites.

Here are 7 points - along with a number of practical ideas and tools - that were discussed:

1. Timing matters: Citizens are more likely to be engaged as they ponder which candidate(s) will receive their vote(s). Rolling out voter-advice tools during the pre-election period can help drive engagement, as can bringing hot issues to your website’s homepage.

2. Convenience is key: The added value of PMO websites is typically that they make participation easier; whether by enhancing access to information or analysis, or even MPs themselves. MP communication websites reduce barriers to engagement by allowing citizens to address a question to their MP by clicking “send.” One way that Providus has sought to make it even easier for citizens to contact their MP is by developing a widget that can be embedded at the end of a blog or article on another website that allows citizens to pose questions to their MP that are automatically sent to the MP and posted on the MP communication website.

3. Gamification: Everyone likes games. Giving citizens points for participating and acknowledging the most active website users can stimulate competition and provide reasons (such as fun) beyond political concern or frustration to participate. For instance, Providus gives “Diplomas” to citizens who enhance political engagement.

4. Understanding why citizens engage: Meeting citizens’ expectations for use of PMO websites is important to attracting repeat users. Ostling identified some reasons citizens use PMO websites, including: they receive answers from MPs; they believe PMO information to be trustworthy and neutral; they desire to build support for their priorities/beliefs. As Paul Lenz of mySociety noted in a panel the previous day, citizen engagement is only worthwhile if they get something back.

5. Using social media: Social media can help drive website trafffic. Of the 100,000 visitors per month to CRTA (Serbia) websites, including their popular truth-o-meter and recently launched Open Parliament site, 15-20% if traffic is driven by social media, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

6. Targeting potential users: One of the most interesting outcomes of Ostling’s research of TheyWorkForYou, NosDeputes, and OpenParlamento is that the vast majority of the audiences of these websites are men. Although it’s not entirely clear why women are not participating with the same gusto as their male counterparts, women represent a great opportunity for increasing the reach of PMO websites (at least in these countries). Developing partnerships and enhancing outreach to organizations that help drive women’s participation is one potential solution.

7. Forging partnerships: A PMO’s ability to drive engagement on its communication website is enhanced by the partnerships it forges with other stakeholders. Marsad, a ParliamentWatch website, has developed partnerships with a variety of journalists. ParliamentWatch partners with Spiegel Online, making the PMO’s data available directly to users of the media outlet’s website, as well as with lawyers who have helped website users contribute to an anti-corruption law. Partners may include other civil society organizations, the media, or even MPs themselves. Regardless, “getting partners” can be a valuable proposition.