Last week I wrote about how twitter is like taking a nap, going to the water cooler or having a smoke and yesterday I posted on 25 creative Twitter uses. Here are some very different uses. Many cities are starting to use social media. In my town, Boston, police are using Twitter and Facebook to track down bike thieves. As Mashable reports, The Stolen Bikes Boston Community Alert initiative provides a simple way to let you report your stolen bike. The site notifies the police, bike shops, and local security, plus posts to the Twitter and Facebook accounts that have been setup within a matter of minutes. Citizens at-large can then follow the accounts and report sightings of the stolen bikes. I wish this was around when my bike was stolen a number of years ago.
The Boston police also tweet about incidents on the streets of Boston using @Boston_Police. Here is a sample tweet: “INJURED OFFICER: Officer from district 4 transported to Beth Israel Hospital, human bite to arm, suspect in custody.“ As Mashable wrote, Twitter is the ideal channel for the Boston Police dept. to show its human face.
In addition, Boston has an iPhone app that helps you get around its pubic transit system. Select a departure station and destination on your iPhone and find the best routes in Boston including:?- Fastest Route: based on minimum time estimation.?- Easiest Route: based on minimum connections. It is useful if you have luggage, or just prefer an easier route.?- Handicap accessible: makes all connections at stations with handicap access.
What is your city doing with social media?
Last year the city of Seattle suffered a terrible snowstorm, and the local state and city transportation departments began two twitter feeds (one is http://twitter.com/sdotsnow). It didn't take off, but I expect it will this coming winter, with Twitter's growing numbers. I found it a great insight into the work the state and city departments do in times of bad weather.
I've since moved to Portland, where I follow the mayor (http://twitter.com/MayorSamAdams). It's a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of a public figure, a better understanding of what he does on behalf of the city.
As you mention above, these both represent a great opportunity for public figures to put on a human face, and get a little better interaction. I'm interested to see what else can be done in this vein.
Thanks for the article!
Posted by: twitter.com/Arboreality | September 15, 2009 at 02:17 PM
Megan Thanks for sharing these stories about twitter and city gov. Seattle is one of my favorite cities and Portland is a place I have always wanted to visit. Bill
Posted by: bill Ives | September 15, 2009 at 09:15 PM