The WordPress community has core tenets that naturally mean some of its members want to create tools and platforms for civic good. With WordPress powering nearly 30% of the web, the potential its community has to impact democratic engagement is enormous.

But how much do these members understand the dynamic between citizens and their public bodies in order to build things that are useful and used? How aware are they of the ways in which our institutions work and their cultures in order to be able to affect real change?

I’d like to talk about my decade (and a bit!) working with government, local government, civil society and citizens in Scotland first as a digital engagement agitator and now as a digital engagement specialist.

Using the headlines under WordPress’s philosophy, I want to share stories and give advice about approaching creating civic tech in a way that mirrors the language and ethos of the WordPress community.

The hope is that I can give people some information that means they take a more considered approach to civic tech as opposed to thinking everything can be fixed with an app or a website.