Someone secure the ideas.gov domain before a squatter does, because Uncle Sam is open for suggestions. While there are great ideas and engagement, there no doubt could be more activity. Whether it’s the White House or a major media firm wanting to do good, a solid PR effort would go a long way in getting more citizen interaction.
Here’s some ideas to get more open government ideas.
The City of Manor’s open innovation platform, Manor Labs, is featured on the White House’s Open Government Initiative blog (Open Government Laboratories of Democracy).
Innovation is possible even in small cities with very small budgets. I hope that we can work with more cities to innovate new solutions for the public-sector.
Excerpt:
Just as the federal government is using online brainstorming with government employees and the public to generate ideas for saving money or going green, state and local governments are also using new technology to tap people’s intelligence and expertise. The City of Manor, Texas (pop. 5800) has launched “Manor Labs,†an innovation marketplace for improving city services. A participant can sign up to suggest “ideas and solutions†for the police department, the municipal court, and everything in between. Each participant’s suggestion is ranked and rewarded with “innobucks.†These points can be redeemed for prizes: a million points wins “mayor for the day†while 400,000 points can be traded for a ride-along with the Chief of Police.
Tim O’Reilly, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, and White House Open Government Initiative lead Beth Noveck are interviewed on C-SPAN’s “The Communicators.”
