Oct 14
citizens' good ideas. "I think that's were seeing some real
transformation in government across the country, particularly at the
local level," Craig Newmark led off in a creative discussion with
iStaregy Labs CEO Peter Corbett. Newmark continued, "I want to get the word out...so that people can
get together in some kind of nationwide espirit de corps. My fellow
nerds are getting stuff done." "What can the government do to give citizens a 'break' like CraigsList
gives people a break?" Corbett asked. Things that matter on a daily,
mundane basis are where it's at - and local initiatives like Open 311
are a part of that. "I'm most excited about the most boring stuff,"
said Newmark. Newmark believes that government practitioners now feel more empowered
from senior leadership to do their jobs better - and that's a sea
change in the last two years, as Corbett put it. The discussion also turned to the San Francisco / Silicon Valley
culture versus the Washington DC culture. Entrepreneurs unafraids to
fail, working togwther for mutual benefit, the unofficial left-coast
ethos, would be a valuable thing to have more of in the District,
according to Newmark. Corbett and Newmark also talked about social media for social good.
Newmark noted that his CraigsList platform was very useful for helping
people coordinate after Hurricane Katrina - to find places to stay and
so forth (side note: Corbett's family is in New Orleans). When asked by Corbett about the topic of a "CraigsList for service,"
Newmark said that people are generally trustworthy and often would
like to "give each other a break" (check out AllForGood.org). Newmark: "Most of the stuff I do here in town is about gently nudging
people - sometimes to the point of annoyance. Much of it you won't
hear about, some of it you will." Final quote: "The problem with being on the record all the time - like
on Twitter - is that people sometimes take you seriously." Some
classic nerd humor from Craig Newmark.
Discussion Between Peter Corbett and Craig Newmark #FedScoop #Gov20
How can technology influence democracy, and how can we leveragecitizens' good ideas. "I think that's were seeing some real
transformation in government across the country, particularly at the
local level," Craig Newmark led off in a creative discussion with
iStaregy Labs CEO Peter Corbett. Newmark continued, "I want to get the word out...so that people can
get together in some kind of nationwide espirit de corps. My fellow
nerds are getting stuff done." "What can the government do to give citizens a 'break' like CraigsList
gives people a break?" Corbett asked. Things that matter on a daily,
mundane basis are where it's at - and local initiatives like Open 311
are a part of that. "I'm most excited about the most boring stuff,"
said Newmark. Newmark believes that government practitioners now feel more empowered
from senior leadership to do their jobs better - and that's a sea
change in the last two years, as Corbett put it. The discussion also turned to the San Francisco / Silicon Valley
culture versus the Washington DC culture. Entrepreneurs unafraids to
fail, working togwther for mutual benefit, the unofficial left-coast
ethos, would be a valuable thing to have more of in the District,
according to Newmark. Corbett and Newmark also talked about social media for social good.
Newmark noted that his CraigsList platform was very useful for helping
people coordinate after Hurricane Katrina - to find places to stay and
so forth (side note: Corbett's family is in New Orleans). When asked by Corbett about the topic of a "CraigsList for service,"
Newmark said that people are generally trustworthy and often would
like to "give each other a break" (check out AllForGood.org). Newmark: "Most of the stuff I do here in town is about gently nudging
people - sometimes to the point of annoyance. Much of it you won't
hear about, some of it you will." Final quote: "The problem with being on the record all the time - like
on Twitter - is that people sometimes take you seriously." Some
classic nerd humor from Craig Newmark.
