The City of Boston is at it again, everybody. The Department of Innovation & Technology is undertaking another crowdsourcing effort for the betterment of Boston, less than a week after it debuted a new Tumblr page for BOStunes – a solicitation of local music to be played when City Hall transfers or puts puts a caller on hold. The latest endeavor aims to bedeck the City’s social media outlets with your best photos of summer in Boston, so get your cameras and smartphones ready.
Aptly called Snap Your Summer (#snapyoursummer, you know what to do), the DoIT is hoping your best pics of Boston will help beautify its bevy of digital spaces, including what might be the one with the most exposure – its Facebook cover photo. All one has to do for consideration is become an urban Ansel Adams and tweet the snapshot at @DoITBoston.
Or, if Twitter isn’t really your jam, upload it to Instagram using the aforementioned hashtag and boom, you’re in the running to have your work showcased all over the City’s social media channels.
By crowdsourcing these types of initiatives, the City engages on a more personal, albeit digital, level with Bostonians and allows everyday residents to leave their mark on the municipality. It also falls directly in line with Mayor Walsh’s theme of governmental transparency, affording citizens the opportunity to see how some offices work while simultaneously utilizing locals’ suggestions and ideas.
“I’m always looking for ways to make our digital experience in the city more participatory and inclusive,” Lindsay Crudele, the City’s digital strategist and social media maven told BostInno in an email. “Daily engagement, like this and through everything we do in this space, helps builds relationships and trust, so that digital communities are established and we’re ready for rapid response, two-way communication during emergencies, as well.”
It’s unclear at this point when the City will cease taking photo submissions to be put on display, but in the meantime be sure to read up on the social media terms of use. The only rule is that a submission has to be an original work, but it’s just as important to stay informed on conduct, copyright and privacy items – just in case.
Images via Shutterstock & City of Boston
