Nice to see somebody at City Hall's reading this little blog. The mayor's website caught up with the news a bit and no longer talks about the demise of the mall as something still to come.
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Showing posts with label websites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label websites. Show all posts
June 12, 2008
November 9, 2007
No more HornyMatches while on the job at City Hall
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November 8, 2007
Why city is blocking websites
While urging me to call the city's personnel director for "the real story," Mayor William Stortz nonetheless told me quite a bit today about the reason for the crackdown on internet use by city workers.
"Simply put, there's a legitimate use of the internet," the mayor said, but there's also a misuse of the web.
Stortz said there's "a subtle impact" on the entire municipal network when employees are using the web to check on purely personal matters, shoving up the volume of overall use and forcing the city to pay for extra bandwith.
He said that workers have used the web in recent months to access such sites as eBay, PayPal, and Stop and Shop.
Stortz said that in the days leading up to the Sept. 11 primary between two Democratic mayoral contenders, the city's system registered 450 "hits" from municipal computers to this very blog.
The problem is that "a huge amount of activity" that's not necessary to do the public's work slows the system down and pushes up costs, the mayor said.
More than that, though, is that it's not reasonable to expect supervisors alone to control the problem, Stortz said.
In public works, for example, should Director Walter Veselka "walk around checking the screens" of the people who work for him?, the mayor asked.
"People should not have to be able to look over shoulders" to ensure that city employees are doing city business, Stortz said.
So blocking sites that don't appear to have any legitimate governmental use makes the process simpler.
Even on this blog, the mayor said, "not too often does the news change during the day" so workers who check it out often aren't seeing new posts, they're just reading comments left by others. Is that critical? Stortz asked.
"An occasional deviation can be tolerated," the mayor said, but when the problem gets huge, there's a real impact.
He said the computer department is unblocking sites for workers who have a need to see them, Stortz said. For instance, he said, it turned out the police need to see the NADA used car site for their work so it's been unblocked.
I think the mayor can read my blog from City Hall, so I guess it's important for at least him.
Anyway, the personnel director is in meetings all afternoon so we'll have to wait for Friday to find out what she can add to this whole story. Stay tuned -- unless you work for the city.
More information, from the mayor (who, by the way, said he doesn't read this blog at work):
Yes, the city does have an Internet policy, and no, it hadn't been enforced. The logistics of enforcement are difficult: prevention is easier with the same or better result.
My computer is no different than any other, and I do not use it for personal use or "surfing the web".
There is a policy that all employees are required to sign.
After the barrage of accesses to the web blog during the primary, the policy was again forwarded to department heads for distribution.
Subsequent analysis indicated that blocking of inappropriate sites would be more effective. A follow up memo was sent out, indicating that blocking would take place, BUT, if use of any site was justified, calling Personnel or IS would probably result in unblocking, if only for that computer or department.
So far the response has been good. Additional review will take place and I hope that this approach continues in place. Like me or not, this is just good business practise, and the taxpayers deserve no less.
William T. Stortz
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
"Simply put, there's a legitimate use of the internet," the mayor said, but there's also a misuse of the web.
Stortz said there's "a subtle impact" on the entire municipal network when employees are using the web to check on purely personal matters, shoving up the volume of overall use and forcing the city to pay for extra bandwith.
He said that workers have used the web in recent months to access such sites as eBay, PayPal, and Stop and Shop.
Stortz said that in the days leading up to the Sept. 11 primary between two Democratic mayoral contenders, the city's system registered 450 "hits" from municipal computers to this very blog.
The problem is that "a huge amount of activity" that's not necessary to do the public's work slows the system down and pushes up costs, the mayor said.
More than that, though, is that it's not reasonable to expect supervisors alone to control the problem, Stortz said.
In public works, for example, should Director Walter Veselka "walk around checking the screens" of the people who work for him?, the mayor asked.
"People should not have to be able to look over shoulders" to ensure that city employees are doing city business, Stortz said.
So blocking sites that don't appear to have any legitimate governmental use makes the process simpler.
Even on this blog, the mayor said, "not too often does the news change during the day" so workers who check it out often aren't seeing new posts, they're just reading comments left by others. Is that critical? Stortz asked.
"An occasional deviation can be tolerated," the mayor said, but when the problem gets huge, there's a real impact.
He said the computer department is unblocking sites for workers who have a need to see them, Stortz said. For instance, he said, it turned out the police need to see the NADA used car site for their work so it's been unblocked.
I think the mayor can read my blog from City Hall, so I guess it's important for at least him.
Anyway, the personnel director is in meetings all afternoon so we'll have to wait for Friday to find out what she can add to this whole story. Stay tuned -- unless you work for the city.
More information, from the mayor (who, by the way, said he doesn't read this blog at work):
Yes, the city does have an Internet policy, and no, it hadn't been enforced. The logistics of enforcement are difficult: prevention is easier with the same or better result.
My computer is no different than any other, and I do not use it for personal use or "surfing the web".
There is a policy that all employees are required to sign.
After the barrage of accesses to the web blog during the primary, the policy was again forwarded to department heads for distribution.
Subsequent analysis indicated that blocking of inappropriate sites would be more effective. A follow up memo was sent out, indicating that blocking would take place, BUT, if use of any site was justified, calling Personnel or IS would probably result in unblocking, if only for that computer or department.
So far the response has been good. Additional review will take place and I hope that this approach continues in place. Like me or not, this is just good business practise, and the taxpayers deserve no less.
William T. Stortz
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
August 23, 2007
Ward has a website -- and a blog
I'm not sure it's working quite right yet, but here's the new website for Democratic mayoral hopeful Art Ward's campaign: http://www.movingbristolforward.com/
and he has a blog, too! -- http://movingbristolforward.blogspot.com/
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
and he has a blog, too! -- http://movingbristolforward.blogspot.com/
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
August 15, 2007
Merrick calls for better communication
Republican City Council candidate Bob Merrick sent this out today:
It is unfortunate that a recent FOI complaint may distract us from downtown revitalization, but we should take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that we comply with both the letter and spirit of the law.
Better communication is one of my campaign focus points. The following is an excerpt from my campaign website www.bobforbristol.com:
We need to do a better job providing important information to our people. In an age where 70% of Americans use the internet, postings of all city meetings and changes should be readily available to the people of Bristol.
We need a better calendar. People need to know what events and activities are taking place in the city.
Better communication doesn’t have to be expensive. Bandwidth is becoming less expensive all the time and there are many available Content Management Systems (CMS) that would allow the posting of meetings, minutes, and other important information to be done in a quick, easy, and inexpensive manner. Residents could subscribe to email distribution lists of meetings and events that they may be interested in attending.
In my door-to-door visits with the residents of the 3rd District I have found that a large number of people do not have a computer or internet access. There are several voice-recorded bulletin board systems available where people could call in and find out about important meeting and event changes. Again these options are readily available and relatively inexpensive.
We need open government and communication to maintain the trust and support of the people. Bristol is one of the largest cities in the state. Bristol should be a leader in utilizing these technologies to inform and connect with all its residents.
*******
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
It is unfortunate that a recent FOI complaint may distract us from downtown revitalization, but we should take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that we comply with both the letter and spirit of the law.
Better communication is one of my campaign focus points. The following is an excerpt from my campaign website www.bobforbristol.com:
We need to do a better job providing important information to our people. In an age where 70% of Americans use the internet, postings of all city meetings and changes should be readily available to the people of Bristol.
We need a better calendar. People need to know what events and activities are taking place in the city.
Better communication doesn’t have to be expensive. Bandwidth is becoming less expensive all the time and there are many available Content Management Systems (CMS) that would allow the posting of meetings, minutes, and other important information to be done in a quick, easy, and inexpensive manner. Residents could subscribe to email distribution lists of meetings and events that they may be interested in attending.
In my door-to-door visits with the residents of the 3rd District I have found that a large number of people do not have a computer or internet access. There are several voice-recorded bulletin board systems available where people could call in and find out about important meeting and event changes. Again these options are readily available and relatively inexpensive.
We need open government and communication to maintain the trust and support of the people. Bristol is one of the largest cities in the state. Bristol should be a leader in utilizing these technologies to inform and connect with all its residents.
*******
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
July 22, 2007
Merrick launches new campaign website
Press release that Republican council candidate Bob Merrick issued this afternoon:
I, Bob Merrick, am pleased to announce the official launch of my campaign website bobforbristol.com . In an age when an estimated 70% of Americans use the Internet it is important to demonstrate my commitment to utilizing 21st-century resources to deliver my message. In addition to standard text providing information relevant to my candidacy, bobforbristol.com includes a calendar, subscription to my newsletters, video, and links to other members of the Bristol First Team.
You will also find a link to my blog where people can follow my experiences throughout the campaign along with pictures, videos, and other multimedia information. There is also a comments section providing an opportunity for people to interact with me to share in the experience, an essential element in my desire to put the interests of the people of Bristol first.
By the way, Bob, Sunday afternoon is no time to issue press releases. Nobody's working.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
I, Bob Merrick, am pleased to announce the official launch of my campaign website bobforbristol.com . In an age when an estimated 70% of Americans use the Internet it is important to demonstrate my commitment to utilizing 21st-century resources to deliver my message. In addition to standard text providing information relevant to my candidacy, bobforbristol.com includes a calendar, subscription to my newsletters, video, and links to other members of the Bristol First Team.
You will also find a link to my blog where people can follow my experiences throughout the campaign along with pictures, videos, and other multimedia information. There is also a comments section providing an opportunity for people to interact with me to share in the experience, an essential element in my desire to put the interests of the people of Bristol first.
By the way, Bob, Sunday afternoon is no time to issue press releases. Nobody's working.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
July 18, 2007
Ken Johnson's new website
It's not going to displace Google, but here's GOP mayoral candidate Ken Johnson's new website: www.bristolfirst.org. It's still under construction, but it looks good.
So far, for those keeping track, we have professional-looking websites from mayoral hopefuls Johnson and Ellen Zoppo. Art Ward, as far as I know, doesn't have one. Yet.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
So far, for those keeping track, we have professional-looking websites from mayoral hopefuls Johnson and Ellen Zoppo. Art Ward, as far as I know, doesn't have one. Yet.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
June 19, 2007
Graduation? What graduation?
It's that time of year again, when seniors don caps and gowns so they can sweat together through a ceremony they can barely hear in order to get that little piece of paper that attests to the world that they are, sometimes against long odds, high school graduates.
But you wouldn't know it from Bristol's school websites.
On the Board of Education's website, there's apparently nothing at all to indicate when and where graduations take place this week. Ditto for Eastern and Central's websites.
The next upcoming event listed on the district's website is the July 11th Board of Education meeting, which will likely attract at most a half dozen people. But the events Tuesday that will bring out mobs? Not a word.
At Central, they even have a link for Graduation, but all it contains are photographs of past graduations, stopping in 2005. I kind of like the idea of the pictures, but why let these websites languish like this? They're meant to be a source of information, not just a meaningless gesture to show that, yes, we are living in a new technological era and the schools are right there on the web with Google and YouTube.
C'mon, folks, let's get it right. Update the sites. Fill them with information. Make it all USEFUL.
And, by the way, City Hall, someone can take down the upcoming June 9 auction at the mall from the city's home page. It's over.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
But you wouldn't know it from Bristol's school websites.
On the Board of Education's website, there's apparently nothing at all to indicate when and where graduations take place this week. Ditto for Eastern and Central's websites.
The next upcoming event listed on the district's website is the July 11th Board of Education meeting, which will likely attract at most a half dozen people. But the events Tuesday that will bring out mobs? Not a word.
At Central, they even have a link for Graduation, but all it contains are photographs of past graduations, stopping in 2005. I kind of like the idea of the pictures, but why let these websites languish like this? They're meant to be a source of information, not just a meaningless gesture to show that, yes, we are living in a new technological era and the schools are right there on the web with Google and YouTube.
C'mon, folks, let's get it right. Update the sites. Fill them with information. Make it all USEFUL.
And, by the way, City Hall, someone can take down the upcoming June 9 auction at the mall from the city's home page. It's over.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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