April 28, 2009 By Jim McKay, Editor
Microsoft today launched a new social media product called Microsoft Vine aimed at being a local means of communication even during emergencies.
It is aimed at the consumer and connecting people in the traditional social media way but with added functions, such as mapping and the ability to define a specific area of interest, neighborhood or community. It allows consumers to send out notifications to specific individuals, which could prove valuable during emergencies.
The product could help emergency managers connect with their local communities by:
Microsoft is beta-testing the product in select cities, such as Seattle, working with emergency management agencies to test the above concepts.
This Digital Communities white paper highlights discussions with IT officials in four counties that have adopted shared services models. Our aim was to learn about the obstacles these governments have faced when it comes to shared services and what it takes to overcome those roadblocks. We also spoke with several members of the IT industry who have thought long and hard about these issues. The paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.
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Digital Communities (DC) is e.Republic‘s local government program. The particular strength of DC is its focus on encouraging collaboration and creating productive relationships between and among cities, counties, regions and select private sector companies uniquely positioned to help improve the delivery of public services.
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