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Ask Forgiveness Not Permission

When you do something interesting (especially with government), it's sometimes better to act first and get permission later.
Boldly Go Where No Government Has Gone

Think about the limitations of what a government (especially public servants) can do, then do what they cannot.
Fuck It Ship It

Publish your prototype as soon as possible, instead of trying to build a full product.
Give Something Back

Whenever you invite your user to contribute their time or information, make sure to give them something back - like a customized interface.

CivicPatterns.org is a collection of patterns and tools that help Civic Technology projects succeed.

Making civic technology is not about technology, it’s about finding new patterns of interacting with government and with each other. CivicPatterns collects lessons that we’ve learned about what we can do to enagage citizens using the web, to help governments and other institutions to open up, and to provide great services that people can use every day.

Pattern Catalog