Nominations - Innovation

The Community Carbon Network is an innovative use of web 2.0 technology to support community groups. Through its website any community group can have an online presence supported by the technical expertise of the ruralnet|uk IT team. Here like minded communities can meet and share ideas. The Community Carbon network also offers services specifically for rural communities including access to its Experts Online service (a question and answer resource) in addition to training and support. My own organisation has found their expertise and approachable style an invaluable resource. To my knowledge there is no other online resource to equal its service to low carbon communities.

Nominated by Tracey Todhunter, 12 May 2008

The blog post below describes the innovative nature of this initiative - turning the concepts of forums and groups on their heads:

http://tinyurl.com/6s2gue

This approach came out of an open, co-design exercise conducted at http://www.ruralnetonline.org.uk from Jan to Apr 2008.

Submitted by Simon Berry, 01 June 2008

Great!!!

Submitted by Cyanide, 01 June 2008

TheNag.net is a "cheeky little motor for social change" (The Metro), a lovable hive of innovation and impact.

The Nag does things like:

Making a user-generated guide to 'Horizontal Holidays' (thenag.net/holiday/holiday_guide), that makes no-fly holidays more normal and desirable

Running a Make Planes Cheaper Than Planes campaign (thenag.net/holiday)

Helping people switch to green energy, (thenag.net/energy/impact), throw less stuff away (thenag.net/lunch/gmap), and give their loved ones the most romantic valentines day flowers around(thenag.net/valentines).

With 6700 members and over 100 crowds (see, for example, thenag.net/crowds/otesha)

The Nag is stimulating debate (newstatesman.com/life-and-society/2008/02/valentine-kenya-clear-ethical), learning (thenag.net/lunch/facts) and Change.

All in all

Nominated by Briony Greenhill, 31 May 2008

TheNag.net is a "cheeky little motor for social change" (The Metro), a lovable hive of innovation and impact.

The Nag does things like:

Making a user-generated guide to 'Horizontal Holidays' (thenag.net/holiday/holiday_guide), that makes no-fly holidays more normal and desirable

Running a Make Planes Cheaper Than Planes campaign (thenag.net/holiday)

Helping people switch to green energy, (thenag.net/energy/impact), throw less stuff away (thenag.net/lunch/gmap), and give their loved ones the most romantic valentines day flowers around(thenag.net/valentines).

With 6700 members and over 100 crowds (see, for example, thenag.net/crowds/otesha)

The Nag is stimulating debate (newstatesman.com/life-and-society/2008/02/valentine-kenya-clear-ethical), learning (thenag.net/lunch/facts) and change.

Nominated by Briony Greenhill, 31 May 2008

A site about Anti-Apathy deserves at least one comment.

The fat and lazy are always the easiest to govern!

Submitted by Business Sensei, 27 June 2008

Your Game is much more than just a football tournament. There are many opportunities on offer in coaching, qualifications and accessing funding.

At each festival, participants get the chance to take part in creative workshops.On offer at each of the locations include a Street Dancing Workshop, 1Xtra DJ Taster Sessions, A Reporter Workshop and a MC Masterclass.. They can also access free coaching opportunities through the FA and chartstage. The Football Foundation will also be present at every Your Game event to provide advice, guidance and support about the funding opportunities they offer.

Less than 2 years ago I was officially homeless now I have future and not just any future but one that allows me to do what I am good at, what I am passionate about. This isn’t because someone had a good idea about how to engage loads of young people through football and the media (although they did) This is because the people who work for Your Game permantly go above and beyond what's necessary to create opportunities, they have made it harder for me to fail than to succeed.

Nominated by Kate Wilson, 03 May 2008

crowdSPRING should win the New Media Award because after only publicly launching their site in April 2008 they have received a fantastic reception amongst the design and creative community. The service has a number of innovative features and is constantly being updated with new and sparkly features.

Nominated by Kai, 31 May 2008

This programme used internet technology – Elluminte - to enhance the skills of individual organisations in trading, as well as for those advising others about to embark on this journey. The emphasis was on supporting organisations throughout the UK through the process of engaging in developing income streams. Technology was a critical tool in facilitating this process.

Organisations were able to undertake a virtual workshop to explore a mixture of ‘worked examples’ from development trusts and others who have taken the trading route to sustainability. The forum enabled participants’ own trading ideas to be explored.

The technology / programme enabled those with great ideas but little experience to learn from those who had experience and could make explicit what the challenges would likely be. This supported everyone’s learning,expertise and confidence.

Nominated by Liz Jewell, 04 April 2008

Thousands of volunteering opportunities are added to do-it.org.uk each month, by major charities such as the National Trust and Oxfam, public sector organisations and over 300 volunteer centres. These opportunities are uploaded via two bespoke products, both developed by YouthNet: the Online Poster System (which allows organisations to add/edit their opportunities online) and V-Base (a volunteering management software product, which also facilitates uploading opportunities). Both of these products continue to be updated and improved in response to feedback from partners.

In 2008, do-it.org.uk launched an alerting service which allows registered users to receive new opportunities direct to their inbox. Website users also have the option to subscribe to a monthly email newsletter which keeps them up-to-date with volunteering news and opportunities.

However, the impact of do-it.org.uk is not limited to a single URL. Syndication of the do-it.org.uk volunteering database means the opportunities now appear on almost 30 other websites, including the National Trust, Directgov, DEFRA and vinspired. Syndication allows do-it.org.uk to bring volunteering to greater numbers of people than ever before.

Website visitors also are encouraged to discuss their volunteering experiences with each other, through the on-site volunteering blogs and via the do-it.org.uk profiles on MySpace and Facebook.

Every year, do-it.org.uk users participate in their Volunteer Satisfaction Survey. According to the latest results, 41% of those who registered their interest on do-it.org.uk went on to start a volunteering opportunity. Furthermore, four in ten (38%) respondents - and 51% of 16 to 25-year-olds - said they would have been unlikely to volunteer if it hadn’t been for do-it.org.uk.

Through technical innovation and working in partnership, do-it.org.uk has become the gateway to volunteering for a diverse and ever-increasing online audience - an audience who will, as a result of using do-it.org.uk, continue to make an impact and improve our society.

Nominated by Natasha Judd, 29 May 2008

The biggest challenge when someone wants to volunteer was deciding how to find WHAT to volunteer for- that is of their choosing, convenient to them and on their terms. In other words it makes it easy. This is exactly what do-it.org.uk does. It is brilliant

Submitted by Sarah Shillito, 30 May 2008

YouthNet's do-it.org.uk website has transformed the volunteering infrastructure in England over the last few years. Now anyone, anywhere, can access a list of volunteering opportunities relevent to their interests and in the geographical area they want to volunteer in.

do-it.org.uk has been introduced and developed with a partnership approach, something that YouthNet excel at.

Submitted by Rob Jackson, 30 May 2008

Great / user friendly site with easy navigation and functionality - provides unrivalled access to info on a wide range of volunteering opportunities as well as inspiring young people to go on to the next step of actually volunteering. Invaluable.

Submitted by Ian Trafford, 30 May 2008

WOW, fresh,modern and creative with a real feel good sense and energy about it. What a great site with an incredible amount of information and content.

The features will really encourage individuals to look further into the site and seek out opportunities. It certainly does what it says on the tin and has clear signposting to the topics within it.

Well done to all involved!!

Submitted by Ruth Sear, 30 May 2008

At a stroke, as an individual you can find out what opportunities there are in your area, or if you are an organisation you can find out what volunteers others locally are looking for. It is a treasure trove and only because YouthNet's do-it.org.uk is a unique resource and has made it all possible.

Submitted by Elaine Willis, 30 May 2008

This is an exciting and creative site which brings a fresh approach to volunteering.It is grounded and reflective of young people's aspirations - and makes volunteering both real and attainable. great work!

Submitted by vera martins, 30 May 2008

I thought the website was great. Easy and encouraging to use. I found a charity near where I live and volunteered for 6 months. I'll definitely use the site again.

Submitted by Laura Billings, 30 May 2008

I wish I'd had access to this website when I started out as a young volunteer over 25 years ago! Todays young people still want to make a difference, do-it.org helps them get connected and has embraced the latest internet technology to produce a resource thats effective and fun - check out thosed dancers!

Submitted by James Cathcart, 30 May 2008

do-it.org is a great site. well done to youthnet for making it such an important part of the volunteering landscape

Submitted by Graham Allcott, 30 May 2008

do-it.org is a fabulous example of what can be achieved at the confluence of a worthwhile cause, enterprising and innovative minds and cool technology. It gets my vote!!

Submitted by William Hoyle, 30 May 2008

I recommend the do-it.org site all the time to my 18 year old daughter and her friends. It's really opened their eyes to what's possible in volunteering.

Submitted by Brenda Roberts, 30 May 2008

Do-IT is a well run organisation and they have made a real impact on how charities can engage with new volunteers. They have led the way for the voluntary sector and have mch to be proud of.

Submitted by Amanda Delew, 30 May 2008

do-it.org is an innovative, positive force -- it's on the cutting edge, leading the way for other online registries of volunteer opportunities around the world. They always present an upbeat, fun, energetic image of volunteering -- something badly needed to counteract old stereotypes. Not only does do-it serve the Web-savvy volunteer, they also are sohowing nonprofits how to compete effectively in the cyber-marketplace. Bravo to do-it.org and its excellent parent agency, YouthNet!

Submitted by Susan J. Ellis, 30 May 2008

do-it.org.uk has transformed the way people volunteer in this country, making is so easy and accessible that now there is is no excuse not to do-it! They have provided a lifeline for thousands of small charities that could not survive without volunteer help, connecting them with people willing to give their time.

It's almost impossible to imagine volunteering in the UK without do-it and long may it continue!

Submitted by Jamie Thomas, 31 May 2008

This site helped me to secure a voluntary role mentoring with a national charity. It's so easy to use and loads of brilliant opportunities. Cheers!

Submitted by Abby Kegg, 02 June 2008

As someone who has found a volunteering role by using the do-it website, I think it is a fantastic resource. It is extremely easy to search, and I think is most useful in demonstrating the variety of different roles you can undertake as a volunteer. A fantastic resource!

Submitted by Russell Brooks, 02 June 2008

Terrific site. Easy to use, great information available, and very helpful people to work with.

Submitted by Peter Cross, 02 June 2008

What a great site to help educate people on the value you can bring to charities by offering to become a volunteer, so much choice and variety and with all the information you need to pick the charity that is right for you! Such a refreshing approach.

Submitted by Liz K-J, 02 June 2008

Do-it.org.uk Helped me find voluntary placements close to where i live and that were flexible so i could volunteer around my studying.

Its a brilliant web site and i can really see it making some huge changes to the UK and to individuals alike.

Submitted by Harry Padbury, 02 June 2008

do-it.org.uk is such a brilliant website and service. It had enabled me to find a brilliant placement with Shelter in Nottingham.

Submitted by Colette Morgan, 02 June 2008

I use do-it.org.uk daily in my job, and it is by far the most successful tool for finding and recruiting volunteers. Using do-it.org.uk has actually saved some of our youth groups from having to close, as we were able to find volunteers to run them when others had to leave.

It's so good and simple, it's a wonder no one thought of it before!

Submitted by Rob Moore, 02 June 2008

Do-it.org.uk has certainly made it easier for me to find the sort of voluntary work I want or just to see what volunteering opportunities are around. Some of my friends have asked me where I get all my information about volunteering from and I always direct them to do-it.org.uk!

Submitted by Lindsay, 02 June 2008

Its and easy to use reliable website. It simple but effective!

Submitted by Maria, 02 June 2008

Simple and effective...reliable and reaching all corners of communities. Positive website address as well...making everyone realise that they can each make a difference. Fabulous!

Submitted by Anja Williams, 02 June 2008

I guess there have always been lots of

potential volunteers out there - they just needed a really good site like this to put them in touch with what they wanted to do. Well done do-it.org!

Submitted by Carolyn Allcock, 02 June 2008

doit.org offers people who are not in schoo/college an opportunity to look for volunteering positions in the comfort of their own home without having to take time to visit a volunteer agency. I don't know anyone else who does what they do and so well.

Submitted by Lisa Peacock, 02 June 2008

do it.org is a great way of finding volunteering in your own area and helping to find opportunities to help others- its easy, simple, useful and fun to use, there is no better website out there for volunteering xxx

Submitted by christele Elkhoury, 02 June 2008

A great site that helped me to find work volunteering on a city farm. All I knew is I wanted work with animals with maybe a bit of gardening and getting my hands dirty thrown in. Doit.org had no trouble finding me exactly the position I never knew I wanted.

I had the time of my life and learned some great skills to boot.

Submitted by Mike, 02 June 2008

This website is amazing!

Submitted by Lisa, 02 June 2008

I have used it three times and i've always found somthing to suite my needs and my desires. working full time and wanting to volunteer is never easy, but do-it.org.uk has made my life easier. no need to search through thousands of charity websites. do-it.org.uk is alwasy up to date and very supportive. was a huge help. absolutely no. 1 in my book!

Submitted by do-it.org.uk - a winner!, 02 June 2008

do-it.org gave me so many ideas when thinking about a career change, and it's really easy and quick to use. Good luck in the awards!

Submitted by Leon Clowes, 03 June 2008

I find do-it.org website easy to use and very informative.

Submitted by ana de jesus, 03 June 2008

Lots of staff at BAA's airports are active volunteers - and many would like to be but need ideas and advice to inspire them - do-it.org is a great source of information for them. We also recommend the site to our network of community contacts as a really valuable resource

Submitted by Caroline Nicholls, BAA Communities Trust, 04 June 2008

The website has been fantastic in helping me gain contacts within the voluntary sector while studying for my degree over the past three years. I now have several voluntary positions which i am very much enjoying.

Submitted by Kerensa Roberts, 04 June 2008

do-it.org.uk is a fantastic resource for anyone wishin to find a voluntary placement and provides advice, guidance and links to local Volunteer Centres which can help the individual immensely.

Submitted by Swatee Deepak, Student Volunteering Team, Volunteering England, 05 June 2008

do-it.org.uk is living proof that the young people of this country are a force for tremendous good. A positive volunteering experience is both life-changing and developmental. do-it should be promoted by every agency dealing with young people, not only to help change communities but also to give participants the focus and rewards that only come from positive community involvement.

Hilary Hares, Business Development Director, Treloar Trust

Submitted by Hilary Hares, 05 June 2008

As i was able to access do-it.org.uk website , i found a voluntering position as a befriender for a Mental Health Charity which i enjoy.

Thanks

Keep up the good work.

Evelyn

Submitted by Evelyn, 05 June 2008

www.do-it.org.uk is an amazing, innovative website. It is incredibly valuable to both volunteers and the volunteering industry. I haveused do-it both to find my own volunteering opportunity, and to advertise for volunteers, so I can see its value from both sides. It truly deserves to be recognised in the New Statesman awards.

Submitted by Helen Ward, 06 June 2008

www.do-it.org.uk website is been a great help to find out about the volunteer opportunities. It has got a great database and helps a lot. It definitely deserves to get the award.

Submitted by Gaurav, 07 June 2008

Great site. I've come across links to it many times when visiting volunteer-involving organisations' sites for work purposes. It has inspired me to feel that when I am ready I will find just the sort of personal volunteering opportunity that will suit my interests.

Submitted by Carol Hicks, 09 June 2008

Great site which deserves even more attention to encourage volunteers.

Submitted by Natalie K, 09 June 2008

A well organised and informative site that makes it easy to find out about, and get involved in volunteering! Keep it up!

Submitted by James Boyd & Avnish Savjani, 09 June 2008

do-it.org made it so easy for me to find the volunteering opportunities that suited me. I was able to start volunteering really quickly and I have recommended the site to everyone I know who is interested in volunteering. It's a brilliant site.

Submitted by Naomi Hope, 09 June 2008

do-it.org is a fantastic, easy to use database providing volunteers with up to the minute information about volunteering opportunities anywhere in the World. It also provides useful advice and information and links to other Volunteering organisations. To raise awareness of volunteering, we provided our employees with instant access to do-it via our intranet and the feedback received has been very good. I wish you all the very best in your application.

Submitted by Helen Nation, 10 June 2008

The do-it website and V-Base system has provided vital resources to Volunteer Centres across the UK to help them match volunteers and opportunities to help voluntary groups carry out vital services to the community.

do-it and Youthnet have always been extremely intelligent, practical and resourceful. As a result, a site designed to help thousands of young people discover volunteering has helped hundreds of thousands of people of all ages see the variety of things you can do to contribute and take part in society.

Submitted by Kerry Tweed, 10 June 2008

This is the very best website to get involved in volunteering. It is wonderfully simple and a pleasure to visit. It looks great and it really works. Perfect!

Submitted by Harri Harrison, 10 June 2008

Do-it.org has been commented on by many of the organisations we work with in Birmingham as one of the best examples of an accessible and easy to use website for volunteering. More recently we advertised over 400 opportunities that were advertised on this site at the Gradjobs fair at the NEC in Birmingham and hundreds of people who had never looked online for volunteering opportunities before will now experience it for the first time after seeing just how many great opportunities are posted on there.

Submitted by Tony Colville - Changemakers, 10 June 2008

About as easy as it gets to find suitable volunteering opportunities. The sites search feature allowed me to narrow down its comprehensive database by local area, interests, even times of the week I would be available, so it only took a matter of a couple of weeks from visiting the site to starting work. A fantastic facility that deserves a higher profile to encourage more to get involved.

Submitted by John Campbell, 10 June 2008

A practical and user-friendly website offering a cornucopia of volunteer opportunities to young people with a wealth of linkages to other resources and networks. Good stuff!

Submitted by Dave Johnston - 2qab, 11 June 2008

It will never catch on ;-)

Submitted by Tom Green, 13 June 2008

Do-it is an excellent and much-needed resource - which I know from my research to have been the springboard for many into volunteering and beyond

Submitted by Andrew Billington, 13 June 2008

Do-it is great when moving to a new area and looking for volunteering opportunities, I've got a lot of friends involved too. Also the charity I work for has benefited greatly by this easy to use web-site.

Submitted by Jane McCulloch, 16 June 2008

We have been using Do-It to encourage our staff to volunteer. It's full of ideas and now nearly half of our staff use their paid volunteering time every year.

It provides a great service which isn;t available anywhere else.

Submitted by Nick Hart, Head of CSR for Turner Broadcasting (CNN, Cartoon Net, 18 June 2008

ecancermedicalscience is more than a journal in encompassing video and audio elements including video interviews and press conferences providing the latest information on cancer research. The journal also encourages video submission from authors as surgery is often difficult to describe in print. Online journals allow for innovation and technology that is not possible in print. We have recently featured robotic surgery footage within an article and allow for authors to upload as many images as they like as we do not work within page restrictions. ecancermedicalscience is also developing educational resources including a partnership with Kings College, London to show footage from clinical symposia featuring the most recent and relevant clinical opinion and scientific evidence in the prevention, investigation and management of cancer.

ecancermedicalscience should win the innovation award as we are at the fore front of cancer communication, not only in Europe but the rest of the world. Being entirely online allows us to update news and research as it is happening. We aim to become the ‘one stop shop’ for cancer research in the EU and beyond. By creating a single online portal, we aim to disseminate research at an accelerated rate and avoid duplication of research across Europe. We are keen to publish both positive and negative results in an attempt to share knowledge amongst researchers. I feel ecancermedicalscience is eligible for the innovation award as we are embracing new media and technology and offering a resource that includes more than just a printed article and expands on printed research in offering comment, blogs, forums, footage and audio to accompany the text. I think the relevance of being open access is hugely important for cancer research across Europe and the rest of the world and should be actively encouraged between member states (we are in the process of applying for EU funding to conduct a research study across the EU and access flaws and suggest improvements).

Nominated by Hannah Redmond, 23 April 2008

On Gaia, you can be who you want without reality in the way. With thousands of items to choose from, your Gaia avatar can be classy, sexy, scary or ridiculous; or all of them. You're limited only by your imagination and your Gaia Gold;

which you can Earn [free] by browsing the site, posting on Gaia's forums, playing games or selling stuff in Gaia's marketplace. Gold practically grows on trees. Shake some trees in Gaia Towns to see for yourself.

Nominated by Cyanide, 01 June 2008

My favorite site! I LOVE IT!

I've met my BEST friends on there!

(Hopelessly_ill nominated Gaia!!!)

Submitted by Hopelessly_ill, 01 June 2008

Jaxtr™, the world’s leading social communications company, is helping people connect with friends and family abroad for the same cost, and with the same convenience, as placing a local call. The innovative product allows callers to bypass expensive international phone charges – on any mobile or landline phone – without the hassle of extra numbers, access codes or an Internet connection.

Using jaxtr is fast, easy and convenient, and it’s as worry-free as using your local minutes to call a friend domestically. Plus, jaxtr works without a download or even a computer, so people are free to spontaneously place calls wherever, whenever.

Consider the difference. With jaxtr, if you’re sitting in your car at a red light, you won’t have to fumble with numbers or worry about international rates. You simply select your friend’s number on your mobile phone and push talk. That’s it. Immediately you’ll be talking with your cousin in South Korea just as if he or she was across town.

Since 2007, jaxtr has offered a wide-array of features to get in touch and stay in touch with people who share interests and activities or to explore the interests and activities of others, including the ability to:

• connect with friends worldwide through café jaxtr and widgets for blogs and social networking profiles;

• make free calls to other jaxtr members from any mobile or landline phone without downloads or computers, and send free international SMS;

• manage calls with call forwarding to any phone and keep your number private.

Nominated by Stacy Geagan Wagner, 23 May 2008

A unique aspect of Lasting Tribute is the pre-moderation and high level of customer service it delivers. Every tribute and message is read before publication and every image is viewed to ensure that nothing inappropriate is made public on the site. Every piece of feedback, or query, received gets a prompt and sensitive answer. It was this approach that encouraged the Police Roll of Honour Trust to give Lasting Tribute its database of officers killed on duty so we could create a page for each one – something they wanted to do but did not have the time or resource. The result can be seen at http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/police

Lasting Tribute also allows people to donate to charity – a feature that will be extended this year following a successful trial with the British Heart Foundation. Partnerships have been agreed with Marie Curie Cancer Care, the National Memorial Arboretum and ancestry.co.uk

Carefully sourced memorial gifts – including opportunities to plant a tree – are offered through the site as other ways of celebrating a life or paying tribute. Lasting Tribute set up a fund for people to donate in memory of Martin Beard – killed in Iraq while serving with the RAF - http://www.dedicatetrees.com/FundPage.aspx?id=100295 which is going to result in an acre of woodland being dedicated to his memory in summer 2008.

Testimonials from users speak for themselves: “Thank you so much for all your help…the site is a really good idea...it helps keep my daughter’s memory alive for her little girl as well as others....which is really important...thank you so much.”

“I think this site is a wonderful thing. I lost my brother in 2006 and am still grieving for him. It is a wonderful way of expressing my thoughts and helping in more than one way.”

Nominated by Elaine Pritchard, 31 March 2008

very help full site, wonderful idea for people to share memories of friends or family, their colaboration with the woodlands trust is a great idea and a wonderful tribute to a lost loved one.

Submitted by steve parkin, 24 June 2008

The Bow Street Runner flash site is one of the best examples of educational content presented online I have ever seen. Mixing video, sound and a real sense of adventure, Bow Street Runner pushes the boundaries of what Flash can do. The result is a thoroughly engaging experience that deserves to be awarded for it's originality and innovation.

Nominated by Tom Woolley, 27 May 2008

With the overwhelming accumulation of information on the internet it is

becoming increasingly hard to work out who you should trust and why. As a

society we need online tools that help people to navigate the forest of

information, and then to assess what they find. This is what journalisted

does for news. It enables people to assess the credibility of journalists

and provides context for what they write about. At the same time it makes

published writers more accountable to their readers, and gives people the

ability to build their own roster of writers they know and trust.

In the same way that if you want to know more about a book you now look it

up on Amazon. Or, if you want to know more about an MP you look him/her up

on TheyWorkForYou. So, if you want to know more about a journalist you'll

look them up on journalisted. Oh, and it's free, entirely independent and

not-for-profit.

Nominated by Francis Irving, 30 May 2008

Two reasons:

1. mySociety have created an innovative way of crowd-sourcing the effort needed to timestamp every speech in Hansard against the appropriate video clip. This new approach to timestamping of video clips will have great applicability beyond the UK parliament.

2. The new online video will open up coverage of debates in the House of Commons to a much wider audience. Video coverage of Commons debates is now available, on demand and in perpetuity, to anyone in the world with an Internet connection - not just people who watch BBC Parliament or those who can turn up to Westminster in person. Because these video clips are in Flash format (like YouTube) they can be embedded on other websites. MPs will be able to dislay video clips of recent appearances on their own website, while bloggers and other writers will be able to include clips of topical or historically significant debates alongside their written commentary.

Nominated by Etienne Pollard, 01 June 2008

Phase Two of National Rail Enquiries’ Online Journey Planner (OJP2) has been developed using the latest technology to provide rail users with live running time information on train services.

By displaying real time running information visitors to OJP2 can be informed can, before they travel, see on screen the current state of operations, disruptions and cancellations on specific trains and have the option of re-panning their journey to reduce the time spent waiting at the platform, or avoid arriving for a train that has been cancelled, all of which can be done at home, at work or at any location where a computer and the internet are available.

By providing a readily accessible, reliable and up to the minute train time information service, OJP2 is at the forefront of innovative technology playing a major role in reducing the inconvenience of delayed and disrupted rail services. By forewarning train travellers of problems on the network OJP2 is improving passengers’ rail experiences as well as benefiting the train operating companies. Fewer passengers arrive at stations unaware of disruptions. This results in less congestion on platforms and fewer angry exchanges when trains run late.

Developed using the latest technology, completed nearly three weeks ahead of schedule and to budget OJP2 has, since its March 2009 launch, received more than eight million visits from passengers who have used the service to successfully plan train journeys.

Providing real time information to passengers represents a huge leap in rail information provision and this truly innovative service is the first anywhere in the world to give passengers such an accurate minute-by-minute picture of what is happening on the railways.

We submit therefore that National Rail Enquiries’ OJP2 would be a worthy winner of the Innovation category of the New Media Awards 2008.

Nominated by Andrea Geeson, 30 May 2008

The internet plays an increasingly important part in our daily lives, yet for some of those that could benefit from it the most, it can still be a difficult and frustrating place to get around.

It is estimated that as many as 90% of websites present barriers to the 19 million people in the UK alone with visual impairments, mobility issues, learning difficulties and other disabilities that can impact on web usage.

Since being launched in 2004, net-guide has been helping thousands of users to find the information that they need in a way that is accessible to them. In 2007 alone, more than 70,000 people used net-guide more than 250,000 times to search the web.

Nominated by CR McCartney, 08 April 2008

The internet plays an increasingly important part in our daily lives, yet for some of those that could benefit from it the most, it can still be a difficult and frustrating place to get around.

It is estimated that as many as 90% of websites present barriers to the 19 million people in the UK alone with visual impairments, mobility issues, learning difficulties and other disabilities that can impact on web usage.

Since being launched in 2004, net-guide has been helping thousands of users to find the information that they need in a way that is accessible to them. In 2007 alone, more than 70,000 people used net-guide more than 250,000 times to search the web.

Nominated by c r mccartney, 21 May 2008

Patient Opinion has grown from start up (Jan 05) into an organisation that is 100% supported by subscriptions from NHS and other organisations. There are now over 100 organisations participating in Patient Opinion and over the next few months we will begin accetping postings about mental health trusts, ambulance trusts, and directly provided PCT services (District Nurses etc) across England.

Patient Opinion is also exploring how patient feedback can be used by a wide range of groups including over 30 national patient organisations, a small groups of MPs, Scrutiny Commitees and emerging LINks organisations.

We believe Patient Opinion's on-going commitment to learning how best to use the new tools fo the web to further local engagement and discussion around health is unique and likley to yield significant results and some deep insights into how best to use these new techniques to expand civil society.

Patient Opinion's innovative track record has been the main topic discussed in articles in both the Guardian and the Economist.

Nominated by Paul Hodgkin, 18 February 2008

The independent service that Patient Opinion provides is unique. This is a much needed social service for patients to feedback their experiences of care in the NHS. This is a fantastic example of the simple but effective uses of new internet technologies, to let the public begin to dictate change. Patients feel heard, the NHS is able to take this feedback on board and there is a structured internet dialogue between the two.

Nominated by Kate Ebbutt, 18 February 2008

They deserve the award because the service is truly independent of the health care system (and commercial interests) and seeks to bring users and providers closer together with the aim of ensuring the experience of the ordinary patient is validated.

Nominated by John Knights, 18 February 2008

It's set up in an exemplary spirit of public service. It does something that simply was not possible before the advent of the contempory internet, and it does it in an exemplary way. It has no ego and no agenda of its own. The purpose is to improve our NHS with raw stories of user experience. It therefore has an authentic "voice" which has been lacking in all discussion of the NHS and strategic planning about the NHS. Also, what Patient Opinion does is a forerunner of what we need for other public services: local government, welfare, social services, immigration, policing etc

Nominated by wmheath, 18 February 2008

It has a really useful purpose and extremely dedicated and ethical staff. It is particularly useful because it is independent of the NHS, which regards it as a competitor, and is valued by its clients for the professional objectivity of its staff. Hospitals often find it difficult to respond positively to patient feedback, because it is often couched in the form of complaints, with possible legal implications. Patient Opoinion finds ways of getting around this problem and is valued because many odf its staff are medically trained and they have no axes to grind.

Nominated by don young, 18 February 2008

It is the best example I know of using technology to empower patients.

Nominated by Martin Rathfelder, 20 February 2008

It is a brilliant example of the gift economy and if promoted by the NHS and supported by them would be a far more effective and patient friendly way of collecting qualitative data about patient experience and needsd than any of the managerial devised questionnaires, surveys and projects so beloved of the NHS.

this really does put the patient at the centre by offering a free confidential website where patients and their carers can emphasise what matters to them, and also give praise as well as thoughtful comments and criticisms.

it is in the public domain so that local people can monitor and see how responsive their local services really are

Nominated by Christina Funnell, 04 March 2008

Patient Opinion, the independent web service where patients, carers and staff can share stories of care at any acute hospital across England, continues to make innovations. This year it has:

• Begun covering a much wider the range of services (mental health users, hospices, and some community services).

• Achieved a four fold increase in NHS organisations subscribing to our services

• Begun supplying more than 30 patient groups, some MPs and a few of the new LINks with email alerts so that they too can monitor what patients are saying by condition, constituency or Local Authority area.

• Started rating every posting for ‘criticality’ so helping busy staff listen to select the postings most in need of further action.

As hospitals and PCTs learn how to use this new from of web-based feedback, so the number of responses rises and with it the number of service improvements made as a direct result of patient suggestion.

Patient Opinion does not carry any advertising and so is free from pressure to drive site stats up at all cost. Instead Patient Opinion’s subscription based service concentrates on organic growth, working with each subscribing community to generate a balanced stream of postings and helping busy staff turn suggestions into improvements. The result is more postings from deprived post codes and from people without internet access plus a steady growing stream of service improvements documented on site.

Nominated by Paul Hodgkin, 29 April 2008

The web has democratised voice – anyone can blog, or post a picture of a dirty NHS toilet on the web. But having a voice is not the same as being heard. To turn this cacophony into better services ‘voice’ must mesh with the needs of busy managers and hard pressed Trusts. Patient Opinion is a national web platform where patients can have public structured conversations with hospitals about micro aspects of services. This gives a new power to the patient voice and new transparency to how services respond.

This year Patient Opinion has continued to innovate by:

• Covering a much wider the range of services (mental health users, hospices, and some community services).

• Achieving a four fold increase in NHS organisations subscribing to our services

• Supplying more than 30 patient groups, some MPs and a few of the new LINks with email alerts so that they too can monitor what patients are saying by condition, constituency or Local Authority area.

• Starting to rate every posting for ‘criticality’ so helping busy staff listen to select the postings most in need of further action.

As hospitals and PCTs learn how to use this new from of web-based feedback, so the number of responses rises and with it the number of service improvements made as a direct result of patient suggestion.

Patient Opinion does not carry any advertising and so is free from pressure to drive site stats up at all cost. Instead Patient Opinion’s subscription based service concentrates on organic growth, working with each subscribing community to generate a balanced stream of postings and helping busy staff turn suggestions into improvements. The result is more postings from deprived post codes and from people without internet access plus a steady growing stream of service improvements documented on site.

Nominated by Paul Hodgkin, 29 April 2008

Its a smart use of technology to give patients a voice, and they are pioneers in this arena in the UK.

It is constantly evolving to provide the best service for the many different groups connected to the health service, as well as patients.

The fact that it remains independent means that it sustains its credible identity as its network gets bigger.

Submitted by Rebecca King, 04 March 2008

Congratulations to the Patient Opinion team!

Submitted by Stuart G Hall, 03 July 2008

Being one of the lucky innovators invited to take part in the recent Social Innovation (SI) Camp, I can honestly say that it has been one of the best experiences I've ever had! It was fantastic to meet like minded people who were so supportive and passionate about making my idea a reality.

Over the course of the weekend my project, Enabled by Design, was transformed from a kernel of an idea into a promising social start-up. Our team was awarded first prize at the closing 'Show and Tell' session, but this was not the end of the story. As part of the prize, we were invited to pitch our idea at ‘MiniBar’, a great opportunity in itself.

Since being chosen to attend SI Camp, I’ve received an amazing amount of feedback and support from the SI Network. All of which has given Enabled by Design the best chance possible to develop further and become a successful venture. We are currently in the process of putting together a web strategy and business plan, so that we can secure further funding.

It would be great if SI Camp could become a regular fixture. There’s massive potential for social technology to make a difference to people’s lives. However, it can be extremely difficult as an innovator to know where to start, without well established contacts. SI Camp provided the perfect environment to develop each project to the next stage in the space of a weekend. I’d highly recommend it!

Thank you to everyone who supported/took part in SI Camp, without you it wouldn’t have been possible!

Nominated by Denise Stephens, 22 May 2008

There's a lot talked about innovation at the moment, and a lot of 'buzz' around social technology - but there are actually very few opportunities for very early stage ideas to gather feedback, gain technical and business support, attract publicity and produce a proof-of-concept. And in a field which is full of ideas and interesting conversations, it's critical to champion initiatives which value getting your hands dirty and getting on with it. By bringing together the right people and creating the right spirit, SI Camp achieved an impressive level of acceleration in all the projects, several of which look set to get further funding and become serious social web enterprises.

Social Innovation Camp has the potential to create not one but dozens of social innovation projects from one distributed network. By supporting the innovators themselves, it provides a framework for applying the skills of a hugely diverse group of people to addressing a huge range of social problems. The model is simple enough to be replicable on a large scale, and since the event the SI Camp network has become an excellent source of ideas and contacts for the supporters and mentors themselves as much as for the project leaders.

It's vital for the development of social start-ups that the people who have these ideas are properly supported to become investable, otherwise they never make it as far as the funders. To do this well takes an organisation with strong networks and a healthy attitude to risk, and I believe that Social Innovation Camp is the best I've seen. I hope it will become a regular event in the future.

Nominated by Andy Gibson, 20 May 2008

Being one of the lucky innovators invited to take part in the recent Social Innovation (SI) Camp, I can honestly say that it has been one of the best experiences I've ever had! It was fantastic to meet like minded people who were so supportive and passionate about making my idea a reality.

Over the course of the weekend my project, Enabled by Design, was transformed from a kernel of an idea into a promising social start-up. Our team was awarded first prize at the closing 'Show and Tell' session, but this was not the end of the story. As part of the prize, we were invited to pitch our idea at ‘MiniBar’, a great opportunity in itself.

Since being chosen to attend SI Camp, I’ve received an amazing amount of feedback and support from the SI Network. All of which has given Enabled by Design the best chance possible to develop further and become a successful venture. We are currently in the process of putting together a web strategy and business plan, so that we can secure further funding.

It would be great if SI Camp could become a regular fixture. There’s massive potential for social technology to make a difference to people’s lives. However, it can be extremely difficult as an innovator to know where to start, without well established contacts. SI Camp provided the perfect environment to develop each project to the next stage in the space of a weekend. I’d highly recommend it!

Thank you to everyone who supported/took part in SI Camp, without you it wouldn’t have been possible!

Submitted by Denise Stephens, 22 May 2008

Just found out about this and watched the video clip. It is exciting and inspiring and an example of true creativity where the sum of the parts are greater than the whole.

Submitted by Margaret Jones, 11 June 2008

Finding the right lawyer is often a frustrating and time-consuming process and getting information on how much a case is likely to cost can be extremely difficult.

TakeLegalAdvice.com matches individuals and businesses to the most appropriate law firm only within 48 hours. Even better, it’s FREE to use, there is NO OBLIGATION to instruct a lawyer that users find through the site and their details will remain CONFIDENTIAL.

The site is easy to use; filling the matching service questionnaire is straight forward.

Users said about us:

'Everyone who contacted me gave me an idea of what I could do about my problem, and they all offered a free quick chat. So I am very pleased with your site and will be recommending it to everyone I know!'

Nominated by Aliz Radek, 08 April 2008

the site gives a great deal of comfort and saves a load of hassle - good site

Submitted by guy clevely, 08 April 2008

Great idea - takes away the traditional stress and cost of finding the right lawyer - comparison sites like these are the future

Submitted by Seb Brown, 02 July 2008

Most social networks are built around relevance of contacts and on the view that "doing good" is a special interest. UnLtdWorld is about commonality of purpose and fostering new connections and matching information through the power of community and relevance of context and content. Above

all, UnLtdWorld is based on the principle that social entrepreneurship

is a defined market, and the platform aims to complement market dynamics and add value to the real world.

UnLtdWorld also aims to provide critical insight into social entrepreneurship. We do this mainly through the Research Lab, the world's largest focus group of social entrepreneurs, and the first mapping and graphing to directly and deeply integrate within a social network. All data in the Lab is

accessible through APIs, for comparative analysis and for dynamic use within external data-sets, mash ups and applications.

On UnLtdWorld members can connect with others, search and share resources and

opportunities, find and list services and products, share answers to key questions, create and join groups, promote and find events and lots more. The site also integrates a microblogging platform and differentiating functionality which intelligently matches members based on parameters of similarity such as location, interests and skills.

Established in March 2008, the site is now nearing 5,000 registered members in 80+ countries. One in three members logs in every day, and spends an average of 10 minutes on the site, viewing in

average 12 pages each day.

UnLtdWorld has received coverage on national, technology, SME and third sector press.

UnLtdWorld was runner-up in Startup 2.0 2008, a scheme which awards the most innovative startup in Europe.

Nominated by Alberto Nardelli, 25 May 2008

UnLtdWorld should win the award for Innovation as this is an online community which is centred around people, and generates real value for them. UnLtdWorld brings together people from all over the world and provides them with a platform to share resources, ideas, events and experiences to help find new collaborative ways to solve old problems. Its innovative Research Lab provides a targeted insight into the world of social entrepreneurship - a valuable tool for members and researchers alike.

Nominated by Nicola Jones, 27 May 2008

If you’re out to make deep social impact in this world, then you need this site! It’s a great research and resource workhorse.

Submitted by gary stewart, 27 May 2008

Unltdworld.com should win hands down as it has really opened up the world of social applications in a way that just screams innovation and good planning.

The whole site is clean, simple and fun to use, which is a big plus for myself and other users .....

Submitted by Mark Kelly, 27 May 2008

Many networking sites have claimed to be the 'facebook of . . .' and they all disappoint. UnLtdWorld doesn't claim to be the facebook of anything but it is! If you are a social entrepreneur or support social entrepreneurs you have to be on the site.

We were a launch partner of UnLtdWorld and look forward to taking advantage of the open architecture of the site to get closer to a key target group of ours.

Submitted by Simon Berry, 02 June 2008

This is one of the best and most comprehensive resources on social enterprise! It is one of those sites that is doing great things!

I'm looking forward to seeing where they go from here!

Submitted by Sarah Blow, 17 June 2008

Nowadays this website is just 3 months old, so this award would mean the site works, it's innovative and more companies would trust on it and more ideas would be added to the site.

Nominated by Aurora, 28 May 2008

We are conscious about the fact that many of you everyday have innovative, feasible and successful business ideas. However, many of us can’t make those ideas come true because we are not involved, we don’t know how to do it, or we haven’t got an entrepreneurial spirit. Worthidea is a platform in which users can sell and buy business ideas.

"In the well-known society of information and knowledge we are living in, we are convinced that everyone of us has the duty and the right of being an innovation and development promoter. How? Expressing our opinions, saying what we need and what we think it could be done to improve the world. But nowadays we don’t have the platform to make our ideas be heard. WorthIdea want to become that global platform to make all our dreams come true.

This platform will help people who need ideas to improve their business or even start new ones. With low cost they will be able to profit from the whole knowledge of WorthIdea users, being able even to suggest specific topics to the users"

Companies are waiting your original and innovative ideas. Are you ready for the challenge?

Submitted by Robert, 29 May 2008