Good news out of San Francisco. Entrepreneurial coders are getting together for a Bay Area Transit Camp next weekend to share ideas and develop even better unofficial web sites that disseminate transit information.
This San Francisco Chronicle news article on the Transit Camp lays it out.
I hope that more agencies will embrace unofficial websites, particularly with links, to encourage riders and other believers in transit to invest their time and energy into improving transit. The best companies are embracing evangelists to spread the word about their products and services. Transit, with public ownership and widely shared benefits from higher ridership, should be leading the private sector in harnessing the power of enthusiasts and supporters.
One quick thought: for those agencies that aren’t in the center of all things technical (like the Bay Area), have a promotion or contest to recognize the best volunteer-created website or other promotional piece for transit. Agency leaders can attract more attention if they promise to bestow recognition rather than act like a typical government bureaucracy and shut the doors to volunteers.
Thanks to Bernie Wagenblast, publisher of the Transportation Communications Newsletter, for the tip.
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