Raise the Hammer

"Even though the Social Media Policy has only been in existence for just over a year, it has already been revised by the Strategic Communications Team and is expected to be reviewed by Senior Management Team this summer."~ Chris Murray

Before a meaningful 'Social Media Policy' is finalized, here are some excellent examples of a few tools in action; and a unique approach to poverty reduction, which should be used as a benchmark for developing a new issues focused and solutions driven 'Social Media Strategy' for Hamilton:

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1. Simplicity NYC -- New York City has launched an ambitious internal “crowdsourcing” project, aimed at getting ideas from city employees to help the giant metropolis function more efficiently. The program, called Simplicity, is being powered by Spigit, which makes a Software-as-a-Service platform that companies and governments can use to crowdsource ideas.

2. 311 NYC -- 311 is New York City's Web site and phone number for government information and non-emergency services. Whether you're a resident, business owner, or visitor, help is just a click or a call away.

3. NYC BigApps -- For the second year, the City of New York is improving the way it provides information and transparency to citizens. But delivering great information requires great tools. The NYC BigApps Competition will reward the developers of the most creative, best implemented, and impactful applications for delivering information from the City of New York's NYC.gov Data Mine to interested users. Software developers will compete for $20,000 in cash, wide exposure for their work, and a meeting with the Mayor. Submissions may be any kind of software application, be it for the web, a personal computer, a mobile handheld device, SMS, or any software platform broadly available to the public.

4. Save NYC Money -- Many of the best ideas for improving City government come from the public. In October 2010, the City launched the Save NYC Money Suggestion Box with the goal of finding innovative ways to save New York City money. Since then, the City has received over 2,400 submissions.

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CEO -- The Center for Economic Opportunity identifies and implements innovative and evidence-based poverty-reduction initiatives in New York City. The CEO is supported by a combination of public and private funding and rigorously evaluates which initiatives are successfully reducing poverty and increasing self sufficiency among New Yorkers. The CEO also manages an Innovation Fund that supports anti-poverty initiatives. Other American cities are seeking to replicate the CEO’s success. CEO programs help New Yorkers gain employment, earn GEDs or college degrees, obtain certifications that lead to good jobs, open bank accounts, access healthier food, and get tax credits that increase their household income. These are just some of the numerous accomplishments of CEO programs. CEO develops new anti-poverty initiatives out of the New York City Mayor’s Office. This small innovation unit works with other City agencies to develop new initiatives and measure results. -- (This centre was established in/around the same year as Hamilton's Jobs Prosperity Collaborative/Poverty Roundtable) - read about CEO's impact on Poverty reduction here.

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Implementing such tools and approaches in Hamilton, would take us where we all want to go--much faster--without having to sweat the details of unwieldy static policies which invariably ends up micro-managing the do's and don't of information dispersal, in what is essentially a rapidly changing and unpredictable social media landscape.

-Mahesh P. Butani