This is a follow-up to the Social Networking and Milton post. I should clarify some differences between the old way of doing things and the new way of doing things.
Back in the day (1990s) companies (and municipalities) set up websites to broadcast information to their customers (and residents). Essentially people got same information they would have gotten in pre-web days, except now the information was online instead of in print. It worked, but there were issues with it. Mostly, it worked for the generation that was used to getting information via advertisement on TV, radio and print. The system broke when a more online-savvy population came of age. And then came Web 2.0 and social networking.
Most municipalities still have old-school websites. They maintain monologues instead of encouraging dialogues. The new web is about sharing information instead of presenting information. It is about being vibrant, agile and user-driven, rather than being organized and presenter driven.
Milton today has more Gen Y-ers than baby boomers, and its average age continues to go down fast as more and more young families move into the town. These people spend > 16 hours / week online with 96% of them active on at least one social networking site. Clearly public input sessions on a Monday night at 7:30pm sharp at a physical location is not the ideal forum to attract these residents. Heck many of these residents are not even used to live broadcast TV. These Tivo and DVR users are used to getting information according to their own schedule. Expecting them to change their behaviour is futile.
Milton needs to get pro-active about figuring out how to engage its residents in problem-solving. It can start small and go from there. It can start with a simple thing like an official town blog where Council members and the Mayor take turns blogging, with a comment section where residents can respond and have a public conversation with each other.
Seriously, when the staff recommends 9% tax increase, would it not be nice to know what different Councillors are thinking and doing about it? Not just rhetoric, but actual detailed thoughts and deep conversations online? Would it not be nice to go to the blog during elections and see what Councillors said throughout the year (not just during the election time)?
