This page describes a potential session to be held at the Government 2.0 Camp to be held in Washington DC on 28-29 March 2009. 

The session hosts are Bill Schrier, Chief Technology Officer (CIO) for the City of Seattle and Sabra Schneider, Webmaster for King County (Seattle) Government, plus Greg Licamele, Fairfax County Web Content Director  and Jennifer K. Smith, Arlington Communications Office, Video and Web Communications Director.

Anyone who wants to contribute to the session or has suggestions should simply edit this page or can contact Bill via bill@schrier.org .

Session Working Title:    Challenges and Opportunities for Using Web 2.0 and Social Media in Local Government

Session Description:  The power of social media and web 2.0 technologies have application in City and County government as much - or perhaps more so - than at the fedgov and State Government levels.   Cities and Counties deliver services and information which touch people every day - clean parks, water, emergency medical (911), law enforcement, homeless sheltering, streets and transportation and so forth.   Many constituents of city and county governments have direct interest in participation in government and a thirst for data and information about their government.   What challenges confront employees and management of local government in using web 2.0 tools for opening their government?   What are the opportunities for local government which a robust set of social networking applications will enable?    We are looking for a set of local government innovators to share their working web 2.0 applications.   Then we'll brainstorm other possible uses and discuss the challenges to further adoption.   Finally we'll try to chart a way forward to make local government truly "2.0".

Here is a set of working applications which might demonstrate local government 2.0 (feel free to add or edit this list, or e-mail bill your ideas, or add comments at the bottom of the page):

• Real-time 911 calls displayed on a map - My Neighborhood Map on seattle.gov
• Elected officials who twitter or blog, e.g. Ron Sims, King County Executive nominated to be Deputy Director of HUD (twitter.com/ronsims), Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess
• Senior appointed officials who twitter or blog, e.g. Bill Schrier on twitter.com/billschrier or at chiefseattlegeek.com
• Mash-ups of crime data and other information (e.g. chicago.everblock.com or seattle.everyblock.com)
• Twittering public transportation schedules outages and problems (Metro Transit part of kingcounty.gov, San Francisco BART)
• Direct democracy portal, such as Washington DC's Digital Public Square

Here is a set of brainstorming ideas for future applications (again add/edit/e-mail me):

• What Local Government needs from the Twitters, Facebooks etc. of the world before web 2.0 tools can be useful - see also http://schrier.wordpress.com/2009/03/22/twitter-facebook-govt-20/
• Facebook or similar social networking tools to create stronger blockwatches or small neighborhood disaster preparedness teams
• Using YouTube or Flickr to allow people to send information to their government for action, e.g. potholes, crimes in progress etc.   Will this overwhelm government agencies so they cannot respond?   How does this link to new technologies such as "next generation 911"
• Is there a way we can conduct statistically valid polling of a large number of constituents using web 2.0 tools and tools such as Zoomerang or Survey Monkey?   Or is "statisically valid" hopeless?
• Can we use video conferencing or YouTube to improve the way we gain input from constituents on proposed new policies and programs, or proposed cuts in existing ones?

Here is a set of challenges we need to overcome (add/edit/email):

• How do we keep social network "feeds" to the "official" message of the government, approved by officials elected to run that government?

Here are some ideas on the way forward:

• Create a portion of the Government 2.0 Club which is specific to local government