Civic Engagement 2.0

Social networks and mobile technologies appear to reduce face to face interaction when it seems more acceptable to tweet about the long line at the post office rather than engage with others in the line. It is easier to post a story you read to your facebook page and have a thread of comments rather than discussing the current event around the water cooler. While these technologies might keep us from interacting in person, it does not, however, keep us from engaging with the market place of ideas. This has been capitalized by many local governments who are engaging their citizens through these networks to make government more participatory. It empowers people to interact with government in a way that is more efficient and transparent.

Some of the examples of how governments are using new web 2.0 tools can be seen by the plethora of twitter accounts from politicians to government agencies. Many cities have come out with mobile apps to make it easier to communicate with city hall. Some examples include SeeClickFix, CitizensConnect, and DC311. These tools sure beat calling in every time I see a problem and figuring out exactly where I am. It also provides efficiency by automatically logging complaints into a database. The hope here is that by making it easier to connect with city hall, more people will be engaged in their community. Instead of walking by the graffiti laden alley everyday, you'll actually do something about it.

The use of facebook and twitter allows not only residents to interact with government officials, it provides a way for community members to come together and create institutional knowledge. It's a way to keep everyone involved and engaged. It is by no means a substitute for interaction in town hall meetings but it can help with collaboration and exchange of ideas with people right next door or thousands of miles away. It's a way to engage everyone in ideas of making our lives better. These are simple tools to make government actually work for the people.

These tools also provide transparency. One of my favorite examples is how Mayor Cory Booker posts a week in review on youtube to highlight some of the achievements in the city of Newark for the week. While this may be time consuming it documents progress and setbacks made as well as provide a forum to discuss what is going on. Web 2.0 has changed how we interact with information that is sent out by giving us tools to create content.

Now we can't always wait around for government to embrace such ideas. These tools increase civic engagement by creating low barriers of entry for publishing content. I wanted to put together a list of free tools that I have found to be useful that might help you:

blogtalkradio - This turns your mobile device into your very own radio station! Want to interview someone but forgot your recorder? No worries, just call in and start recording and the file will be waiting for you when you are done! The Cinch service makes it even simpler to create and share.

Tokbox - Need to have a meeting but can't get together? You can use this free video chat service which lets you conference with up to 20 people. The echo cancellation is not very good but you can still see everyone!

Streetswiki - One of my favorite spots on the web to go for info on transportation and public space innovation. The content is community driven and the topics discussed are ones that people in the city care about. The Streetfilms and Streetblog also provide rich content on urban issues.

NowPublic - This is citizen journalism, taking CNN's iReport to the next level. Not only is the content generated by the NowPublic community so are the ideas for the news stories.

There are certainly many many more web 2.0 tools and a good collection can be found here. Go check them out and start creating and collaborating!

Taking a Bite out of Crime

When was the last time you interacted with a police officer? Was it a positive or negative experience? I guess that depends on the context of the interaction. I've definitely had both good and bad experiences with cops but above all else their job is to make us feel safe. My knowledge of an officer's duties were very limited until I met an incredible sergeant with the Boston Police Department who really opened my eyes to all the roles they play in our communities. They are definitely more than the folks who write citations. One of the programs I got to see in action was the Safe Street Teams. This initiative provides high crime Boston neighborhoods with a police presence on foot and bike. This not only makes officers more visible, it allows them to connect with the community. I was amazed when I went on one of these beats and saw the level of interaction the public had with their precinct officers. This type of community policing does wonders in reducing crime. It builds trust as well as accountability from everyone. Some cities use COMPSTAT to show numbers for crime reduction but "criminals" are not data points. Data points may drive policy and funding but not behavior modification. These types of community policing methods go beyond numbers to personal connection, or at least that is the hope.

Full disclosure, I'm a huge Cory Booker fan. If you get a chance, check out Brick City (mini-series) and/or Street Fight (documentary) both are about Newark and Cory Booker. Mayor Booker has really taken to heart the importance of community when it comes to public safety. Since late 2009, the mayor has been a part of a night patrol composed solely of volunteers in the evening hours to drive around areas of high violence in the city. What's amazing is that the Mayor goes on these patrols showing his commitment to his city not just as an elected official but also a resident.

Every city/town has a community watch program and the more you get involved the more you can take comfort in knowing that you are helping to keep your streets safe. Mark your calendars for National Night Out, an opportunity to meet your officers and neighbors to talk about crime prevention. Take action because crime prevention is a community effort. Instead of just getting the "bad guys" and locking them up, it would be far more efficient to prevent crime before it happens by taking a stand on behavior we find unacceptable.

Check out this short video of Mayor Booker talking with volunteers before one of the night patrols:

If you are wondering what the title refers to, you apparently didn't grow up watching the same PSAs as I did. It's what Scruff McGruff would tell us to do after teaching us that drugs and bullying are bad and should be reported to an adult immediately.