1. Open, direct conversations between the public and their leaders and representatives

2. A set of tools for the public

3. A set of tools for leaders and organisations to engage

4. A set of tools for digital inclusion

5. Questions also gathered via print and mobile phone

6. A very innovative methodology:
questions from the people, put by the people
Watch a video of how it works. [Starts automatically when you click through to next page. Click twice more to skip it and move on to the next slide]....

8. Who has used Yoosk?
12 Ministers and scores of MPs and Councillors
Council Chief Execs, Authors, Academics, Experts
10 sites and projects so far
1000 plus answers across all sites
Partnerships with C4, BBC, Netmums, ARRSE, and hyper-local’s like Lichfield Blog

9. What our clients say: Ministry of Justice
“Yoosk is a brilliant example of the innovative ways people
can now engage with local and central decision making online.”
Michael Wills, Minister for Democratic Engagement
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
“great...another demonstration that Yoosk can deliver
on big cross government campaigns”
Stephen Hale, Head of Engagement, Digital Diplomacy Team.

10. Benefits of using Yoosk: more precise targeting of audiences
Yoosk’s widgets are placed on third party websites gather questions .   

11. Benefits: improved user experience through advanced participative media functionality
Yoosk Features can be easily integrated into a client’s corporate site and embedded into media partner sites to gather questions, display answers and collect feedback.

12. Benefits: reputation for openness is enhanced by inviting feedback on
answers.
“Yoosk...tests us in public as to the
quality of our answers - and I believe
it is important (particularly in these
times when we politicians are somewhat unloved) to be out there to
show everyone that we do care and
care passionately.”
Lynne Featherstone MP
speaking about the Yoosk League Table
[pictured right]

13. Benefits: Better management of content: public ask questions which are ranked and voted on by users Leaders’ answers are tagged to each individual question and then evaluated by users

14. Benefits: grass roots appeal and a more empowered audience
"Asking this question means that we are
on Siôn's [Sion Simon, the Minister for
Creative Industries] radar and he has been
in touch to meet with us.
This will enable us to influence, campaign,
demand and highlight the digital injustice
and discrimination we face.“
Alison Smith, Campaigner for Pesky People
[right: a Jordanian blogger puts users’ questions, which
were posted on Yoosk in Arabic, to Foreign Minister David Miliband]

15. Benefits: wider engagement- a panel of leaders can engage
with multiple audiences
Yoosk Features can be set up by our team, a client’s staff or a partner’s journalists

16. Tried and tested -Over 60 Ministers and MPs and scores of other leaders have given over 500 answers to users’ questions.

17. Organisations Yoosk has worked with:
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Ministry of Justice
Parliament
Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills
Department for International Development
Birmingham City Council
British Embassy Vietnam
National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

18. A growing and diverse list of partners
Yoosk is proud to have partnered with or have links with:
-The Student Room
-City University London
-University of Warwick Digital Laboratory
-The Army Rumour Service
-Netmums
-Talk about Local (the hyper local blog network)
-The Independent
-BBC Democracy Live
-Channel 4
-365 media (ethnic media new agency)
-Trinity Mirror
-Johnston Press

19. Lessons and challenges from using Yoosk 1
Lessons and challenges from using Yoosk 1. Human processes- public figures who don’t want to be personal [Reassurance and parameters] 2. Human processes- audience’s who can’t think of questions [Immediacy and relevance] 3. Competition and collaboration issues [give ownership to the people who bring you audiences] 4. Digital inclusion See case studies of Yoosk engagement projects

20. Yoosk has been supported by two stages of funding from 4IP and Screen West Midlands. Yoosk has also won the Building Democracy Innovation Award