"RLF is providing comprehensive support for the Google Greensboro campaign by assisting with web-site design and development, development of a marketing campaign to engage the public and interest of Google and tracking of results from the effort."Google hosts blogs for free at Blogspot.com. Ed Cone created one for the City's Google pursuit. They've had the password for nearly two weeks. They declined to use it, waiting instead for a "web site" that is a blog -- and it is a Word Press blog to boot, not even a Google-powered blog.
More from the press release:
"There is interest in ensuring that the social media platforms remain open and accessible by the public wanting to engage in the Google Greensboro campaign efforts. Having the city engage RLF directly avoids any appearance of fettered access and hopefully alleys any such concerns."The City's blog allows people to make comments on posts. Other than that, it is unclear what kind of unfettered access it provides to social media or what kind of special experience in unfettered access public-meeting-boycotting RLF Communications brings to the table. The City's blog has nothing like the unfettered aggregation of blogs posts, videos and links at Google4Greensboro.com -- up and running since prior to the City's public meeting about the Google initiative ten days ago.
Also from the press release:
"In addition, considering there were only 4 weeks left for this effort (going on 3 weeks) we did not have time to write specs and issue a RFP for this purpose."Having been told by City Council Representative Danny Thompson that the city might hire someone to build a web site for this endeavor and having already built what I considered a significant portion of what it should include, I sent an email on Monday to the City that read, in part:
"[A]lthough time may be to pressing to compile a formal request for proposal, you might consider asking local web companies to offer you proposals for what they would do, the cost and turn around time. I'd be interested in offering such a proposal for your consideration. I could have it to you in half a day."Although the City orginally was saying that Action Greensboro would cover the cost of the PR agency, that has turned out not to be so. The itemized costs for the City from the press release:
Overall Strategy, Ideas & Action Plan Creation: $2,000
Website Design & Copywriting: $1,000
Website Management & Updating of Content in March: $2,000
Promotion & Management of Contests: $4,000
Reporting, Tracking & Strategy Meetings: $1000
TOTAL $10,000
Government sure knows how to burn up the taxpayers' money. When it comes to roadwork we all know it takes eight guys looking on while one guy is digging. I imagine one website builder requires as many support staff.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a generalized complaint against government inefficiencies, Mike. It is specific documentation of poor decision making.
ReplyDeleteHow are we supposed to post videos to the YouTube feed?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, if you are asking about the City's YouTube channel, I don't know. One would have to have the account ID and password to post to it, but I don't see that those are made available.
ReplyDeleteIf you are talking about the YouTube feed at Google4GSO.com nothing special is required. Just upload your video to YouTube as you normally would and tag it with the words "Google" and "Greensboro." It will appear automatically in the video feed.
Roch,
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid you just exposed Greensboro for the joke we are. On the other hand, because this is a direct to home effort, may be having government as idiots helps
FYI, $10K for a government website is chump change, There are federal website that cost millions of dollars and crash under high demand.
FYI, here's a government $18 Million Dollar website - recovery.gov
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/07/09/one-web-site-18000000/
It would appear that someone is set to make a handsome profit from the people's desires.
ReplyDeleteBut then isn't that what we've come to expect from the "movers and shakers" and their cronies in government.
"...I tip my hat to the new revolution, make a vow to the new constitution. Funny, things get changed all around... We don't get fooled again..."
Overall Strategy, Ideas & Action Plan Creation: $2,000
ReplyDeleteWebsite Design & Copywriting: $1,000
Website Management & Updating of Content in March: $2,000
Promotion & Management of Contests: $4,000
Reporting, Tracking & Strategy Meetings: $1000
TOTAL $10,000
Here goes what it should look like
overall strategy, ideas action plan = o
web site design = 0
blogspots are free
website management = 0
local bloggers have been doing the work for free up to this point
promotion and management of contest = 0
don't need contest it is a application not a contest
reporting , tracking, and strategy meetings =0
these are free
so in reality this $10,000 should = 0
so let's count this as a local candidate for a award from the citizens against government waste.
will also post this at ed's as well
Thanks for the comments, folks.
ReplyDelete