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Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics: key differences
If you recognise this countdown clock, you’re probably familiar with the feelings it evokes. Fear, confusion, dread, panic… We feel a healthy mix of all four.Nevertheless, the communications and marketing team is arming itself for the switch from Universal Analytics …
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University Challenge 2023: Financial Literacy of Young People
It's time for our annual blog about the University Challenge project! For those of you not familiar with the calendar event of the year that is the University Challenge, it’s when we have the pleasure of working alongside students at …
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Join us for the first ever Green Skills Summit for Essex
Councillor Tony Ball, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, talks about the importance of the first Green Skills Summit for Essex.
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Three must-have audience insights for content writers
When writing a new piece of content it can be difficult to know where to start. Mapping your audience’s online behaviour is a good way to understand what you need to say and how best to say it. Insights like …
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What about the potholes?
“Will this form fix my pothole?” “I’ll pay my council tax when you fix the potholes.” “Maybe I can use masks to cover the potholes.” Such comments symbolise residents’ resistance and fatigue towards authority. They sum up the overarching challenge …
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AI, you and I; The start of a new chat…
I was delighted to be challenged by a new team member recently to pen a blog on Artificial intelligence (AI) and its impacts and implications for our profession. With a degree of mischievous delight, I simply tapped the following prompt …
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Celebrating our data success
What do Loreen, Ben Whishaw and Essex County Council’s Data and Analytics team have in common? That’s right, they’ve all won something big in the last week. While Loreen was delighting the world (probably) with her winning song at Eurovision, …
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Tales of the Private Beta Supertesters: User Research on the new intranet
Unleashing a suggestion of what the new intranet may look like, Claire Craig shows us how user testing has impacted the Intranet project.
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Mental Health Awareness Week 2023
Cllr John Spence shares his thoughts on the importance of looking after our emotional wellbeing this Mental Health Awareness Week.
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Testing essex.gov with blind and low vision users
Our User Research team detail the specifics on organising and conducting a round of study whilst developing an accessible website with individuals who are blind or partially sighted. They'll discuss some of the lessons learnt, the findings and what they signify for our digital services, and the Blue Badge that was prioritised during the study.
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Developing the Essex Armed Forces Needs Assessment
Essex County Council's Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Derrick Louis, on the creation of the new Essex Armed Forces Needs Assessment.
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Experience that works: Enabling students to experience the impactful work of Service Transformation
Service Transformation: Giving students practical opportunities during their week of work experience, here's how Lyra got on.
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Celebrating World Oral Health Day with a shiny new set (of data!)
Everyone knows when Pancake Day is, right? But do you know 20th of March is World Oral Health Day? Nearly 100 health conditions, like diabetes, cancer and HIV have symptoms that show up in the mouth. Oral health is an often-overlooked indicator of your health. It is a window to our health and provides us with valuable clues about our overall health and wellbeing.
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Essex Open Data needs you!
I am going to let you in on a little secret that is going to change your life. I hope you’re sitting down. You need open data. And, what’s more, open data needs you. Has your life changed yet? Ok, …
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Running a multidisciplinary Design Sprint to give agency to all users by tackling a decade old problem
Jessica Kiss and Thomas Oehrling take us through how organising a multidisciplinary Design Sprint to address a decade old problem gave agency to all users involved.
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Our commitment to the Essex SEND system
Cllr Tony Ball sets out upcoming plans for Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities support and how Essex County Council remains dedicated to listening to and improving outcomes for families.
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Launching an always-on marketing campaign for Adult Social Care
Delivering Adult Social Care (ASC) services is a core responsibility for Essex County Council (ECC). Over 35, 000 people in Essex are working in the care sector, making it one of the county’s biggest workforces. However, the media has recently …
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The invisible work that supports service success
The new SEND Local Offer online service was launched in December 2022. We’ve been working in the background to prepare the SEND team for the handover of the site, and to ensure they have the right knowledge and support to iterate and improve as things change.
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Cut your bills and carbon footprint with solar panels
Cllr Peter Schwier explains the benefits of the Solar Together Essex scheme for buying solar panels.
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Intranet Beta - Sprint Notes
Our regular blog readers may remember at the start of last year we shared our exciting plans to replace Essex County Council’s (ECC) Intranet. We’re delighted to say we’re now advancing through our Beta Phase which will lead us ultimately …
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How we use the PESO model for Fostering campaigns
Becoming a foster carer is a huge lifestyle change. Giving your home, time and attention to helping vulnerable children is one of the biggest decisions you can make. Recently, the Cost-of-Living crisis has made it harder for Essex County Council …
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A new approach to measuring website performance
Data insights form an essential role in understanding performance of our local government web estate. Laura Clifford explorers what website performance tool suit our data needs.
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Communications and Marketing Predictions for 2023
Way back at the start of 2022 I shared my predictions for what the year would hold for us in Communications and Marketing. Then, in my last post I noted what I got right and what I got wrong. Keeping …
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2022 - what I got right, and what I got wrong...
Last year, I posed a bunch of quickfire predictions about what would happen in communications and marketing during 2022. Here they are – and here is my review of how I did. We will become more diverse and more targeted …
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Reflecting on 2022
During 2022, we’ve never been far away from a crisis. From the ongoing war in Ukraine and the UK’s Cost of Living emergency to the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth, Essex County Council’s Communications and Marketing network has been kept busy …
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Bringing together Content Design and Service Design to improve our report a concern about a child pages
We hear from Dani Spinage and Hannah Chan, about their work on the Essex.gov report a concern about a child journey and how they combined their two specialties to find a solution.
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Why coding isn’t just for developers: how some coding skills can help, even when you don’t code every day
Keelan explorers how some coding abilities might be useful even if you don't code every day and why coding isn't just for developers on a team.
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The Pursuit of Knowledge
“Knowledge is having the right answers Intelligence is asking the right questions Wisdom is knowing when to ask the right questions” Professor Richard Feynman (American Physicist) The Pursuit of Knowledge was the title of the session we delivered …
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The BLUEPRINT Circular Economy Roadshow
Essex County Council (ECC) is the lead partner of the BLUEPRINT to a Circular Economy Project. Running April 2020 – March 2023, ECC and nine other project partners are helping local authorities to accelerate to the circular economy by upskilling …
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Gaia comes to Essex | What I learnt
During October 2022, Essex County Council (ECC) was delighted to welcome Gaia to Chelmsford City cathedral. Gaia is a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram, inspired by detailed imagery from NASA, offering a new perspective of Earth. Iulia Apostoiu, …
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Do you have what it takes to be a Social Media Advisor?
Anyone can post on Facebook, right? Wrong. Essex County Council (ECC) is hiring a Social Media Advisor (12-month FTC), and our team does a lot more than posting on Facebook. Going behind the scenes, these are just some of the …
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All the things She Said running through my head...
As part of our Women in data and Research group I recently had the chance to participate in a new professional, and personal, development programme She Said! Billed as ‘a guide for millennial women to speaking and being heard’, I …
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One solution to help them all: Why designing for disabilities benefits everyone
Why designing for disability benefits everyone, Emma, Louise, Dani and Keelan explore what the answers could be.
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3 tips for a local government social media campaign
Social media is an invaluable campaign tool, whether you’re looking to change behaviour, boost recruitment or increase survey responses. But, without a carefully planned approach, social media can risk reputation and relationships. Leah Bond, Social Media Advisor from our Corporate …
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Launching the second round of the Arts and Cultural Fund
Across Essex, we have an incredibly diverse cultural landscape of artists, creative practitioners and established/grass roots organisations. Also, creative industries are playing a fundamental role in our economy by employing more than 30, 000 people in over 7, 500 companies. …
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Making ends meet….
Michele Figg, BSc Geology (Bristol ’98) Listening to the radio a few weeks ago, over a cup of tea (and TBH a biscuit or two), as the government announced measures to alleviate fuel poverty over the winter months, I reflected …
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Procuring a new e-newsletter platform | What I learnt
Back in May 2021, I joined the Content team to work on a large procurement project, searching for a new e-newsletter platform. Our contract with email provider GovDelivery was ending, so the team were going out to market to find …
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Delving deeper to assess carers needs
In Essex there are estimated to be as many as 154,000 adults providing unpaid care. NLP is helping us to understand their needs in greater depth.
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Combatting food waste with Love Essex
Love Essex are on a mission to inspire residents to reduce their waste and to reuse, repair and recycle as much as possible. Cathryn Wood, Senior Circular Economy Officer has outlined how her team are combatting food waste. Why is …
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Why can't we just get the data?
Why can't we just get the data? Why are there so many problems? Why are you asking me so many questions??? These are three things that I get asked regularly by people throughout my organisation, from senior management to frontline …