DC Government Can Learn A Thing (Or Two) From Bloggers
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| This blogger has claws. |
I think as D.C. residents (and bloggers) we are in a unique position when it comes to city services. We deal with the bureaucracy, the red tape, and the initiatives on a daily basis. We experience firsthand, where D.C. laws and policies succeed and where they fall short. We see the gaps because we live in them. We may know a better way to streamline a process because we have either been bogged down by it or we have experience doing it better. We, the DC tax payer, are the ultimate consumer and judge.
Now I know the DC Council holds public hearings for the purpose of gathering input from the public on everything from parking passes to tax code but that forum comes with it's own limitations too.
The first, not everyone has the ability to testify in person in the middle of the work day, and while they can submit written testimony, it doesn't always pack the same punch. Lastly, when you get down to brass tacks, not everyone is comfortable with speaking up (and out) in a crowded room and on television no less -- especially about sensitive subjects like corruption, waste, and generally government sponsored tomfoolery. We have a lot of problems in D.C. and not everyone is comfortable putting them on blast and/or offering some much needed solutions in a room full of strangers (which might include your boss).
Yesterday on Twitter, in an almost joking fashion I said, "This is a totally self-serving comment, but if DC government would pay bloggers full-time to do what we do for free, we would have DC sorted ASAP."
Then I really thought about it and saw the logic in such an idea. Not that bloggers have all the answers to the city's issues (nor should we) but some bloggers have managed to do quite successful with what the DC government is still trying to get a handle on, educate and engage community stakeholders. And don't think the 'power of the blog' has gone unnoticed. D.C. residents, agency directors, council members, and even the Mayor himself has made public references to D.C. blogs in one way or another and the smart ones try to recruit them -- at least during campaign season. I knew the tipping point had come when politicians begin unveiling blogs of their own. (Word of advice: if you don't update it often just shut it down). As a neighborhood blogger, I may be biased but my fellow bloggers are some passionate folks, which makes sense because you have to be a passionate (and slightly insane) person to run a blog, especially a long running one, because it's like having an unpaid full-time job where your spelling and grammar are critiqued constantly. Many of us have given up lucrative careers to work in the communities that we love. We do it because we believe, even if our bankbook has given up a long time ago. As I was saying to a fellow blogger the other day, it would be nice to do this as a career and buy some name brand toilet tissue again! This is why I can never pay haters any mind - they don't pay. I know all that I have to do to keep this little ship afloat and I do it with the hope that others will be inspired to do the same -- get involved. Blogging can't do it all but it has definitely filled a gap.
Community engagement begins in the community and good community engagement is organic. It's not forced and it's not always politically correct. Sometimes it's personal, sometimes it's persuasive, and sometimes it's about getting mad as hell. As someone who writes a blog about the Congress Heights neighborhood and East of the River in general, I learned early on that it was nearly impossible to write dispassionately about something I am so passionate about, so I just stopped trying. I just write what I feel, when I feel it, and let the chips fall where they may. I think my readers can relate to that, even if they don't always agree with my position on particular issues.
But the dialogue goes both ways. Bloggers will always tell you that what inspires them to keep blogging are the comments. They are what keep things interesting and fresh and what frankly keeps us on our toes. If no one commented on CHotR I don't know how long I would continue writing it, but you do and so three years later I am still here.
I have read some really insightful comments on this blog (and many others) from D.C. residents with some really good ideas and observations. I've also read some comments that revealed corruption, waste and shenanigans in the DC government. A lot of times nothing happens but sometimes they do. You would be surprised what people are comfortable saying if they didn't have to put their name and/or job on the line. I just wish there was someone in D.C. government, in a position to make things happen, who could take some of this information and really innovative concepts and transform them into reality. Say what you want about former Mayor Fenty but he did have a talent for making things happen, and in an unique way. The moment I could reach DCRA on Twitter they quickly moved from my most dreaded agency to my most favorite.
I don't think D.C. necessarily needs more tax payer dollars to make things happen, but I do think we could use more innovative thinking to make things happen more efficiently and more user friendly. DC may have an Office of Engagement but really how engaging are they? It's not all about social media but you can't deny the benefits of the stuff - it's cheap and it's fast. The fact that not all DC agencies are on Twitter is discouraging, the fact that ANC commissions aren't blogging as a way to share their information is short sighted, and the fact that the DC Council hearings are not embeddable or viewable (easily anyway) on a Mac is just stupid. (See, there I go with my feelings again.)
I say all of this to ask, "How would you make DC government better?" because I really do believe that if D.C. could get a handle on this community engagement thing and start looking in new places for new ideas they could set a new standard of achievement. At the very least they can get some more eyes in the balcony.
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