As first reported by Technically Philly early Thursday, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order Thursday afternoon that establishes open data and internal social media policies for the city.
Basically, it should provide residents increased access and transparency to city data sets.
“Transparency is a cornerstone of good governance, and it is vital for the City to be open and available to our citizens,” said Nutter. “Philadelphia was recently named as the seventh most social media savvy city in the nation. The Open Data policy furthers many of the policies and initiatives already put in place by the City.”
The announcement comes during the second-annual Philly Tech Week, a series of 80 events over nine days with the goal of making technology better in the City of Brotherly Love. The policy allows the city to publicly publish data online and “expands opportunities for the public to participate in the city agency decision-making process by creating the Open Government portal,” stated the official release.
“The Executive Order had long been rumored and follows the more than year-long growth of a public-private coalition pushing for a clearer strategy on using data to make government more transparent and efficient,” Technically Philly co-founder Christopher Wink wrote.
In addition to the open data initiative, the order establishes the city’s internal social media policy, which outlines the acceptable use of social media by city employees overseen by Nutter and his team.
"Social Media is an important tool for municipal government," says Desiree Peterkin Bell, the city's director of communications. It's been an asset to engage with citizens and stakeholders. This policy while defining the appropriate uses will help to guide the city's strategy.
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We don't expect the Mayor to cut back on his own tweeting.
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