How does a government communicate to a complex community like Lakewood?

The candid answer to the above question is “with great difficulty and varying degrees of effectiveness. When I arrived in the Mayor’s office in January 2011, I quickly identified 18 different sources that our citizens are likely to use to obtain information of interest to them. Since then, a few new ones have come about. The traditional strategies of government have been mainstream media. This year, I started this blog in an attempt to provide more background information of important issues in Lakewood.

Of equal importance and challenge, is how the Lakewood community tells its story to those who do not know us. This is every bit a challenge because there are many communities within Lakewood and each has their own story.

Fortunately, social media and search engine technology can be our ally in this important effort.  because we are "many communities- one home", The big idea that we need to embrace is the use of the Hash tag of #1LKWD

What Is a Hashtag?
The hashtag was invented as a label for groups and topics using internet chat technology.  By adding the '#' sign before a string of text, users made that string easy to find in a search. But the hash tag went mainstream thanks to Twitter.

Lakewood, all of Lakewood’s communities, can enhance being found and viewed by placing the #1LKWD hash tag in their online material: web sites, pictures, YouTube videos, blogs, face book sites, twitter, etc.

Check out this technology. Google #1LKWD. You will see those places using this tag.

We cannot own or license a hash tag. We can, however, dominate one.

I especially like the idea that who better to tell a particular community’s story that the community itself. My hope is that anyone in the world inquiring about our city and a community within our city (biking, housing, culture, etc.) will get to know us.
 
Please start using #1LKWD in your community’s social media.

#1LKWD  www.onelakewood.com