• silicon.com
• Management
• Public Sector

By silicon.com, 22 August 2006 13:40

In the past we've been rightly critical of the UK government for its failure to adopt or even understand technology.

And while a widespread culture of ignorance still persists, the rare glimpses of understanding are all the more remarkable.

Yesterday we reported that the government has started posting public service videos on YouTube in an attempt to engage the public. The videos are considerably less entertaining (and less frivolous) than the majority of YouTube clips - which in the main are focused on providing evidence of what happens when you drop a tube of Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke, or what happens when you spin two girls on a roundabout using a moped's back wheel.

But the government is at least trying this new channel, having realised in this day and age you have to take your message to the people - and the people are most definitely watching clips on YouTube.

As such when somebody receives a YouTube link along with the suggestion they should follow it to understand more about the government's online services, it's a very accessible, understandable medium for that person to use.

For those of us familiar with technology and accustomed to accessing all manner of information online it's perhaps easy to be cynical about something which at first glance sounded a laughable notion. But services such as Flickr and YouTube are teaching people who otherwise may not care much for accessing online content how to do so.

Of course the government's content isn't the most exciting and it's unlikely to make a dent in YouTube's popularity charts - but for the government to recognise the benefits of tailoring its supply of information to a format that people are familiar with is laudable and should be applauded.