Citizen-to-Citizen engagement

Citizen360 provides opportunities for

web-savvy citizens to participate in civic

matters even if they don't have the time

(or patience) to sit in meetings or read

through Council packets

Citizen360 approach is designed to

promote meaningful, constructive,

INCLUSIVE civic participation

process is complex; opportunities for meaningful input not clear

public meetings inconvenient; often dominated by “squeaky wheels”

requests for public input perceived to be perfunctory because officials only listen to *elites*

Citizens become discouraged from

participating in civic matters because

of common structural problems --

engagement *by design*

Citizen360 provides a “safe, well-

lighted place” for sharing questions,

ideas and information online

Citizen360 projects work with

officials/ governing authorities to

identify opportunities where citizen

input can make a difference

“Show your work” model – contributors provide

links to background material/ supporting evidence

suggestions often contradictory with no consideration of trade-offs

problems with many online forums

no accountability; easy to initiate – or perpetuate – misinformation, rumors,

personal attacks

random comments are accumulated but never build toward anything

questions are posed but never answered

Citizen360 approach

each forum topic/ activity is designed to be worthwhile; in-synch with official decision-making process

“info outpost” provides venue where contributors can clarify assumptions, address trade-offs

forum initially moderated by volunteers to help participants stay on topic; system of rewards will promote “social monitoring”

frame questions

provide context

manage

expectations

• relevant

• in synch with official actions

• tie-in with info outpost

• “show your work”

• rationale

• time frame

• follow-up

Citizen360 approach:

participation opportunities designed to be worthwhile

online Participation forum

is NOT about opinions or a

platform to air grievances

or launch attacks on public

officials or fellow citizens

Citizen360 plans to incorporate

social incentives and rewards

to encourage constructive

contributions on project platforms

Citizen360 project-related

authority points &/or

social rewards

just as it is common for departmental “silos” to arise in large organizations, so too

“citizen silos” have a narrow focus

Each group promotes their own

interests; directs demands toward

central authorities

special interest factions in a community can result in “citizen silos”

placed

hand-picked committees often rely on “usual suspects”

Centralized, top-down control over citizen

outreach tends to reinforce

citizen silos, and

constrain the

flow of

information

interest

skills

Beyond “citizen silos”

monitor social media,

identify potential participants,

make connections

Citizen360 reaches out

social media monitoring + outreach Cal Ave

example

Citizen360 approach includes

on-going connections Cal Ave

example

Citizen360 outreach provides

Each project has a

unique SMS keyword.

Everyone who

subscribes to the

keyword receives

timely project-

related updates.

City staff receive many questions from the

public via email which are answered

one by one.

Citizen360 values the untapped potential for

good ideas and insights

that can arise from

shared knowledge

When citizen input is directed only at

City Hall, citizens lose the benefit of

seeing what's been asked

and how their own questions

might shed light on

otherwise overlooked areas

ask questions out loud

help build shared knowledge base

individuals can post

ideas, questions, and

topics they would like

to have discussed

“info outpost” provides a shared

venue where contributors can

post background information, link to

official documents; clarify assumptions

greater transparency

can reduce redundancy

not all questions are created equal

participants can build on the ideas of others by adding comments

and/or voting for a question or idea

Citizen360 approach recognizes that

online participation forum

provides convenient way

not only to ask questions,

but to indicate which questions/ ideas are

considered most important

what questions would you ask design candidates (+ link to RFP)

question re bike station linked to relevant “info outpost” entry

instructions included info re who would receive input + question/ voting end-date

manage expectations

frame questions

provide context

participation opportunities designed to be worthwhile – Cal Ave example

Cal Ave

example participation forum

Citizen360: Each project has its own

Citizen360 uses a “toolkit” approach -- meaning that

different forum programs/ platforms may be used

depending on the needs of a particular project.

The Cal Ave pilot project used Google Moderator to

gather and rank citizen-submitted questions.

Cal Ave

example “show your work”

each item can include a link to an

“info outpost” entry where visitors

can find background information +

supporting references

Constructive input vs. opinion-fest

anyone can view forum activity

another form of transparency

elected representatives and city officials

have the authority -- and ultimate

responsibility -- to set policy,

allocate resources, and

implement decisions

crowd-

sourcing

decisions

Citizen360’s online

participation forum helps

bring forward questions

and ideas for consideration

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identify opportunities/

frame questions

contributors *show work*

public participation

summarize input/ share with city

input incorporated into process

in-synch with official process

authority

points/

social

rewards

constructive citizen input incorporated into official process

Cal Ave

example

“no excuses” approach toward citizen engagement

• limited ways to participate; in-person meetings inconvenient

•top-down control over outreach tends to rely on “usual suspects”

•centralized input does not promote sharing, or build knowledge base

Structural problems

•online forum + “show your work” model

•social media monitoring + active outreach

•citizens ask questions “out loud”; build on the ideas of others

C360 approach •more people can participate

•new voices; broader based acceptance

•greater transparency, more manageable input, more efficient use of time

benefits

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Local government can’t *bestow*

engagement upon its citizens.

If we expect more from local government,

we should

expect more from ourselves

local government can adopt policies to

encourage and support transparency

and citizen involvement, but

it’s up to individuals to become

informed

and participate