I have often wondered why economic development agencies don’t use the Web more to engage the public about the key issues related to economic development. Besides the odd blogger or two, there is almost no where a New Brunswicker could go to get information on the issues that are defining our very future as we speak.
If they go to Canadaeast.com, they will get classified ads, personals, movies, contests, flyers, and even a little real news, but little on the economy. On the other hand, have a visit to Business New Brunswick’s website or one of the regional agencies. There is nothing for the average local citizen.
So, when I came across Pittsburgh’s web site called Pittsburgh’s Future, I was thoroughly impressed. Here is a site that is totally dedicated to educating the local public about the current economic state of Pittsburgh, warts and all, and what local economic developers and government officials are doing about it. There’s a blog to chat, studies, strategies, news all of it targeted at the public – to get their engagement and buy-in.
There’s even a “What you can do” section which encourages the average citizen to convey the importance of economic development to elected officials.
Good stuff.
Instead of doing everything in our power to keep New Brunswickers in the dark, some stakeholder (s) would be well advised to implement a “New Brunswick’s Future” web site as well.
Maybe even the mainstream media. Surely, if we can allocate barrels of ink to the Brad Pitt-Angelina-Jennifer love triange, we should be able to carve out a few pages in cyberspace for the masses to see information about our economy and what is being done/what could be done to make it better.