Yep, seems the BRA is planning to spend $1 million on that Boston alumni networky thing.
City Councilor and mayoral wannabe Michael Flaherty is aghast, saying the city should simply set up a free Facebook account, just like he has (the councilor is down with the Black Eyed Peas, who knew?), and spend the money on, oh, gosh, police officers or teachers.
The BRA snorts back that there's more to the network than just a Facebook page. The idea is to create a Boston "brand" on numerous social networks like Facebook and, um, LinkedIn, and is part of "a complete media package."
Which makes perfect sense, because, as Harry Mattison notes, if the BRA weren't spending $1 million to attract Hub "alumni" in Europe, it might just waste the money doing crazy stuff like giving residents easy online access to copies of documents, deadlines and forms related to development in their neighborhoods.
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Comments
Doomed to repeat....
By steve@pioneer
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 1:04pm
I'd also note that our fair City's recent track record on creating its own in-house version of the latest technology is not good. Anyone remember the Boston Wireless Task Force?
http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/blog/news/the-oppo...
Question 1
By liveinvt
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 1:04pm
It's articles like this that make me think Question1 isn't such a bad idea.
if we were talking about only defunding the BRA
By Joe
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 1:22pm
then we'd be getting somewhere.
Defunding the BRA
By Michael
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 1:37pm
would cause a major loss of support in the community.
(I CAN'T be the only one who still giggles every time he sees that acronym)
Facebook and LinedIN links. Twitter too!
By stevegarfield
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 1:23pm
Boston World Partnerships Community.
They are on twitter too.
OMG
By zbert
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 1:59pm
it's so 1996.
All that's missing:
[img]http://www.donotenter.com/cool/ucgraphics/animated...
1 million dollars would fund
By ShadyMilkMan
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 10:10pm
1 million dollars would fund a 55,000 a year (plus benefits) position at city hall for 15 years. That person could just update the cities online presence on EVERY social networking site known to man. Im assuming this project has other expenses as well, so take all of that too. You could have a small department in city hall dedicated strictly to social networking and online presence for the money they are talking about spending on this website. Those employees could work under public relations and maintain staffing time in half life or whatever that virtual world is called, myspace, facebook, linked in, twitter ect and still have time and money to spare so they could spend time on livejournal listening to complaints and questions from the public. Sure you could have a single site to pull all of those sites toghether but who says that cant just be a launcing page on the main city of Boston website?