Communications

Me, MrCh0mp3rs- Avatars, Branding and Us

Years ago when social media started to become a “thing” I wasn’t sure about how out in the open I wanted to be. Sound familiar? I went with the handle “MrCh0mp3rs” because in L33Tspeak it says “Mr. Chompers” which is my dog’s name. Going with that name, I could count on having that name whenRead… Read more »

Social media CoP roundup

The big news: Another Local by Social?: Stay tuned for exciting news about for a possible national Local by Social and a hack day in June or July. To register your interest and ensure you’re notified first if/when tickets become available, please sign up here. In the mean time, you’ll want to check out whatRead… Read more »

NG911: A national overview

INPUT’s final blog in a series dedicated to National Public Safety Telecommunications Week focuses on next generation 911 (NG911). According to the Federal Communications Commission, it is estimated that nearly 70 percent of all 911 calls are placed from wireless phones, and this number continues to rise. With the increase of cell phone usage andRead… Read more »

Reshaping public services online by getting the basics right

Frustration There is nothing more frustrating than being in government right now if you are looking for change or motivation in your work. With almost no funding available, fewer colleagues to carry the burden, feeling of loss and uncertainty, we are facing an all time low. Everyone knows that with fewer resources, it makes itRead… Read more »

Local Gov Website Redesign: Some questions for local gov webbers

Website Redesign Questionnaire Checklist Having been involved with Camden Council’s website redesign, I myself have had some lessons to be learnt like Kevin Brewer from Derby City Council. However, I’ve realized that after talking to several web development teams across local government here in the UK, we all operate or are structured very differently fromRead… Read more »

Putting German Municipalities on the Twitter Map

More and more German municipalities are using microblogging service Twitter.com – mainly as a complementary news outlet. A map provided by ifib (Institute for Information Management Bremen) displays more than 60 tweeting municipalities – Städte, Gemeinden & Kreise – in April 2011, highlighting total number of tweets and follower count. It looks like cities inRead… Read more »

Social Media Game Plan for Debts, Deficit and the Economy Conference

Dear friends, we know many of you can’t come to the conference or you’ve got ADD and will be fiddling with your phone/laptop. You can still join the conversation and do something with those twitchy fingers by amplifying our live tweeting. We will also be fielding questions from twitter to pose to the panelists inRead… Read more »

Open311, SeeClickFix, San Francisco and Estonia

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office (where I work on civil law investigations and social media initiatives) this week launched a local campaign to tackle illegal dumping and graffiti, using SeeClickFix and a range of 311 services to encourage smartphone and Web reporting of neighborhood blight. The “Let’s Do It SF!” initiative also has aRead… Read more »

How Can Social Media Help Governments Serve the Booming Hispanic Population?

The Hispanic Population in America is on the rise. The overall growth in the U.S. States of Hispanics (or Latinos) was 15,171,776 from the 2000 to 2010 Census (U.S. Census Bureau, only U.S. States). But the growth isn’t just happening where you might think it is. Take a look at this map. It shows theRead… Read more »