SAN FRANCISCO, CA— With the pervasive use of technology in Americans’ daily lives, the expectation of how government interacts with residents is rapidly changing. Technology has dramatically shifted the way people do business with their banks, doctors, and employers. So, why is government lagging in using online tools to connect with residents? Today, the New America Foundation’s California Civic Innovation Project released a guide for local government staffers to support them in selecting online tools for public engagement strategies.
The report, “Public Pathways: A Guide to Online Engagement Tools for Local Governments,” examines twenty online tools currently deployed in local governments throughout the country, and proposes a framework for identifying and evaluating the effectiveness of online engagement platforms. Through interviews with government leaders and online tool creators, the report highlights successful online engagement programs and offers recommendations to government employees launching new online engagement tools.
“Our research has shown that knowledge sharing is essential in the spread of innovation, and this guide aims to share information and stories about online tools and engagement projects among local governments,” said Alissa Black, author of the report.
Among the report’s highlights are the following:
- Online Engagement Strategies: The report outlines four engagement strategies – inform, consult, cooperate, empower – to define the online engagement spectrum. Moving along the continuum, each strategy requires a deeper level of engagement.
- Getting Buy-In and Avoiding Pitfalls: Interviews with government leaders provide sage advice to government staffers launching new online engagement programs.
- Evaluating Success: The guide proposes success metrics to determine the impact and success of the four online engagement strategies. Included in these measurements are visibility metrics to support evaluating outreach and marketing efforts.
- Catalog of Online Tools: Over twenty tools are discussed and provided in a catalog appended to the report.