Engaging a Community to Solve Its Own Acute Needs

MiXT Media Strategies — in conjunction with iStrategyLabs and MindFarm — is currently working on a client project with a group in Alexandria, VA that is interested in utilizing social media tools and Web 2.0 technologies to more efficiently and effectively solve the acute needs — think: hunger, homelessness, etc. — of its community by increasing the breadth and depth of citizen participation.

We’ve interviewed non-profits, citizen groups and social entrepreneurs in Alexandria and researched innovative ways in which other communities around the country and around the world are utilizing social media to engage citizens.

From our research, we’ve learned that we’re really at the forefront of building successful Web 2.0 models for geographically-based community engagement.  In the spirit of crowdsourcing, we wanted to throw our ”strawman” out to you — the myriad social media experts — for feedback, suggestions and ideas.   We look forward to your comments. Thanks!

Concept

Build a compelling online community engagement platform that is comprised of:

• news and information pulled from traditional news sources
• user-generated content: blogs, photos, wikis entries, etc.
• local event listings
• a directory of local non-profits
• social networking components
• best practices knowledge repository
• idea-sourcing functionality — **this is really the key to the whole thing…. read on…..

1. A traditional and social media marketing campaign encourages individuals, non-profits and corporations to submit community problems through the idea-sourcing tool
2. Citizens vote on the problems to create community priorities
3. The platform’s Community Manager pulls out specific problems to be solved by contest: he/she provides timeframe, requirements and prize information
4. The Community Manager builds buzz and excitement through online community engagement as well as by hosting live, in-person “meetups” that encourage the community’s brightest thinkers and most savvy “do-ers” to connect
5. Individuals come together and form groups that submit their best solutions to win the contest
6. Solutions can either be voted upon by the community or winners can be selected by Community Manager, the platforms’ “Board of Directors,” etc.
7. Winning team executes its solution — another community problem is solved!
8. Solution is well documented and included in the “best practices knowledge repository” that can be leveraged to solve future problems in this and in other communities

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