How do I begin Tonights lecture....today there was an article in the Stamford Times about Stamford Bloggers, I was called into the office of the Health Director. It was a good meeting, but I was told I really should be writing about personal issues, rather than City issues. Well said, so I am writing about me and what I will and will not post.
1) I am an environmentalist - I will write about Long Island Sound and the fiasco that the USEPA has created.
2) I will talk about simple PUBLIC INFORMATION that is available through many other channels that I am involved with -they will be my opinions, not the opinions of the Health Department as is stated on the blog main page and there will be links to the public news releases.
These are the things most close to my heart - and I will warn people in any way I can about ticks, mosquitoes, bats, the general water quality.
3) I will not disclose any proprietary info like what the score of my favorite restaurant was in its last inspection.
4) I will not make any specific reference to personnel where I work.
All that said - I will continue to blog, I live in Stamford, I own property in Stamford, I do not use my city position for any purpose than to provide the citizens of Stamford the info for which I am paid.
I have removed or changed any posts that I think have not met these guidelines.
Otherwise it still is open season.
I believe in transparent government, that policy and procedure and above all information should be readily available and I actually believe Stamford's current mayor has done a fair job with this bringing the city's IT Department from the stone ages to something that is accessible and with the open meetings the he holds in various parts of the city. There is always room for improvement.
I am even more fervent in my belief of open scientific data. Many of our research reports are available on the city's website and much of this has been used by other government agencies to formulate policy (USGS, USEPA)
tho sadly they didn't use us as a reference, but they called on us for info many times.
So we let the games begin!
One final addition, if I am involved in any form of intervention as a private citizen, whether it involves other departments or the one I work in, I will post, because they have to do with me being a private citizen in Stamford, stepping in to try to help someone who is bewildered by the system that is government.
I believe this helps others know what can and cannot be done at a government level to help people!
6 comments:
Don't let the man keep you down!
I am impressed with the firm stand you took. I like that this post lays out precisely what your blog will cover.
The info covered here is pretty much what any resident who called the hot line would hear on the phone or visited the website would read, so what's the big deal?
Good job. The world is changing and many employers' stances on blogs have to change to acknowledge the different media we all use today.
My employer has a draconian blogging policy, which is one reason why I try to keep a bright line of distinction between my online identity and my work life. For now, anyway.
God save Joey K's Place!
Joey K, we are in your corner!
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