In 30 locations around the world, 650 jammers gathered in a volunteer-led innovation session that mixed residents, public servants, and innovation specialists together and generated more than 120 projects that “rocked the world of public service - for the good of everyone!” LA’s GovJam was held at the HubLA in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. The mantra was “doing is believing”

This past weekend, as part of the National Day of Civic Hacking, Mayor-Elect Eric Garcetti joined the AT&T Developer Program and the i.am.angel Foundation in challenging residents, developers and students to use open government data to create new solutions to challenges facing Boyle Heights. More than 400 people attended, 40 apps were created, a Makersfaire entertained families on Saturday, and

National Day of Civic Hacking takes place on June 1 and 2, apparently too much day for one day! Civic Hacking is the process of bringing together citizens, software developers, and entrepreneurs to collaboratively create, build, and invent using publicly-released data, code, and technology to solve challenges relevant to our neighborhoods, our cities, our states, and our countries. This past week,

Neighborhood Councils exploring innovations in connectivity have asked how they can broadcast their meetings so that the public can watch from home. Some solutions are fast, some are high-quality, and some are inexpensive. In the tradition of Hollywood productions, it's tough to get all three at once. Here are some options: UStream - it's free, it only requires a cell phone and a UStream account,

The telephone is one of our most powerful and effective tools for communicating and they are everywhere. We carry them with us, they sit on our desks, they hang on our walls, and they are an important element in any Neighborhood Council communication strategy. For individuals, a cell phone keeps them constantly connected. People carry their personal and business phones with them, able to take calls,

EmpowerLA’s recent SlideShare posting of the "2012 Budget Day Presentation" went viral, prompting SlideShare to notify EmpowerLA that the PowerPoint deck “is being talked about on Facebook more than anything else on SlideShare right now.” EmpowerLA’s SlideShare page picked up followers from around the world as a result of being featured on the SlideShare homepage (in the "Hot on Facebook"

Did you know that email connects 85% of the world? And a May 2011 Pew Internet survey finds that amongst online adults, 92% use email, with 61% using it on an average day! Having an email address is a must nowadays and it is surprising to see that there are still people who don’t use email, or don’t want to give out their email address. For a Neighborhood Council volunteer though, it is crucial

We Angelenos value our privacy but when it comes to socializing online we often forget about our privacy and make everything public, from address, age, and home phone numbers, to listing family members and offering details about our children. This leaves the virtual front door open for everybody, without asking who it is, without looking through the peep-hole to check if that person is welcome, and

Once you have your domain name and your hosting account set up, you are ready to build your website. Here is the top 10 list for successfully building a website: Use HTML not Flash! Flash is not readable on iPads and iPhones and Flash also won’t load on slower computers. You want to reach all constituents, not just those who have the turbo speedy internet service, but also those who access websites

Having a website is a must nowadays. Without it, Neighborhood Councils are missing an opportunity to connect with a large percentage of constituents. In addition to keeping your community informed, a well maintained website serves as an archive for your governing documents, your agendas and minutes, and as a legacy of your accomplishments. Buying a domain and hosting  is just the first step in establishing