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Of all the subjects in all the world to write about on the internet, why on earth did 24dash.com choose the public sector?

Sex - yes, Star Trek - yes, celebrities - yes, crazy Jackass-inspired stunts involving a firework and a squirrel - yes, local government pensions - yawn.

It has been to our astonishment and delight, therefore, that 24dash has found an audience in its first 12 months and not only that but a far bigger one than we ever imagined.

And the reason for this it seems has been quite simple - nobody has bothered doing it before.

During the many discussions we have had with hundreds of different public sector organisations, the single biggest frustration has been their inability to get their news across to a wider audience.

In fact so used are they to the idea that no-one gives a hoot that Maude is still living independently in sheltered housing accommodation at the age of 104, they are absolutely astonished that we actually show an interest in the press releases they generate.

Some think there's a catch, that at some point we will charge them a fee for getting their news on our site, while a minority remain loyal to the traditional paper-based public sector trade press that is Local Government Chronicle and Inside Housing and are yet to trust the new kid on the block.

So what started as a trickle, with about a dozen councils and housing associations submitting their news to us at the beginning, has now turned into avalanche, with well over 400 organisations - including charities, pressure groups, unions and political parties - latching on to the fact that 24dash actually cares.

Yes, we may be dealing with the public sector but the need to generate publicity is just as important here as it is in the more 'business savvy' world of retail or personal finance.

And because 24dash is a free access site that also includes the national news through its contract with the Press Association and celebrity gossip just for the hell of it, we are able to provide a platform to organisations that would never have dreamed of getting their news any further than their local paper.

The point is, we actively seek out grass roots news and we positively encourage organisations to jump on board.

Yes, we may have been bonkers to go down the public sector news service route, but what 24dash is showing is that there is a thirst for knowledge about this sector that goes far beyond your average housing officer or finance manager.

If you make it interesting enough and accessible enough, the public at large do want to know about Maude and they will also show an interest in regeneration schemes, local government pensions and the sexual appetities of John Prescott - if they know where to go to find it.

Finally, I should give a personal mention to The Guardian Public Services Awards 2006, the winners of which will be announced at a ceremony in London on December 5.

This year I was fortunate enough to be one of the judges, rubbing shoulders alongside the great and the good including Lord Victor Adebowale, Bill Morris, numerous MPs and a glut of Guardian journalists.

What these awards show, is that public sector organisations are doing valuable and innovative work but their efforts go largely unrecognised because of the wider media's view that it's dull and uninspired.

If The Guardian Public Services Awards can help to raise the public sector's profile once a year then I like to think that 24dash is doing the same - every single day.

Jon Land,
Editor
24dash.com