Empowering Communities Through Social Media
Social networking tools have changed the face of the World Wide Web. Governments of all sizes are finding it useful – even necessary – to establish Facebook profiles and Twitter accounts. Mayors, city council members and administrators are making use of personal blogs to share information and take the pulse of their constituencies, and citizen participation in government-proctored forums is encouraging feedback like never before.

What is Gov 2.0?
The term “Web 2.0” encompasses a second generation of web development wherein websites foster collaboration and community-building through a variety of innovative and exciting tools and applications. “Gov 2.0” is the idea that, through these tools, government at all levels can reach the growing community of social media users through a strong Web 2.0 presence by:

• Providing information through next-generation means such as social media sites. 
• Inviting community feedback and participation via blogs, wikis and other collaborative tools. 
• Advancing government transparency and accountability efforts through increased citizen communication and access.

Why Your Community Needs Gov 2.0 
Communities that embrace Gov 2.0 tools open their doors to hard-to-reach demographics with functionality makes information distribution faster, easier and more effective. Leaders that make it easy for citizens to obtain information and share concerns get high marks for transparency efforts and overall accountability; and that’s not just a good talking point – that’s good governance.

How CivicPlus Can Implement Gov 2.0 For Your Citizens – Today
CivicPlus understands the importance of Gov 2.0 and is actively engaged in providing collaborative products and services, including a variety of new functionality to be integrated into our content management system throughout 2009:

• Citizen outreach with blogs and forums 
• Real-time collaboration through wikis 
• “Share-This” social bookmarking functionality and enhanced RSS features

CivicPlus is also committed to helping municipalities establish a presence on the most popular social networking sites and advising governments on Web 2.0 management policies. From community-centric pages on Facebook to real-time Twitter feeds that can deliver emergency alerts, our production teams are dedicated to helping integrate your web content into the most dynamic social media sites that will leave your mark in the growing world of Gov 2.0. 

Want to learn how Gov 2.0 services can improve your organization's transparency and communication? Contact us for a complimentary price quote or 30-minute online demonstration!