Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Broadband.Gov: The FCC turns to Social Media for Broadband Feedback

It would seem that the social-media savvy of our commander and chief is beginning to trickle down the government bureaucracies. Last week, the FCC jumped into social media with both feet as they seek to engage the public on issues regarding the nation's broadband coverage. And, this is no sterile so-called blog hosted on a government server. I half expected to see nothing more than a news feed with comments disabled, but instead found a web 2.0 blog design with comments enabled.

It gets even better. Broadband.Gov is turning, just as web 2.0 demands, to 3rd party social media venues as well. Their public feedback mechanism is powered by IdeaScale and allows the populus to vote and comment on what we feel should be the top priorities of any federal broadband plan. Go ahead, weigh in on the FCC's broadband plan... you can even add your own topics ad-hoc!

And, of course, no social media reach would be complete without a presence on Twitter and Facebook. The FCC has managed to secure a 3-character twitter user name "FCC"--which certainly required some cooperation from Biz Stone and the crew. Likewise, the FCC's Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/FCC.

So, what is all this buzz about. Well, to learn more about the Broadband Plan, I would direct you to (where else) the social-media video site, YouTube, where the FCC's own YouTube channel has been created.

In all seriousness, however, I want to first of all applaud the FCC for such a monumental step. To see a bureau of the Federal Government moving so enthusiastically into the realm of social media is a much greater advancement than many might realize. Second, I want to encourage readers to take this opportunity. Our leaders are reaching out. They're listening. So, be heard.

Labels: Broadband Plan, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, Social Media, Stimulus