Of the many uses of the CivicPlus Government Content Management System (GCMS), sometimes it's the little things that can make the biggest difference.

For many, the idea of blogging conjures up images of kitschy, templated websites that are just a stream-of-consciousness of people who have too much time on their hands. Most of them going on and on about food, or photography, or their cats.

Tom Russo used to think like that.

Before stepping into his role as Town Manager of Newton, N.J., Russo saw little use for - and believed he had very little time for - blogging, whether it be for personal or professional reasons.

Developing a new website sounds like a hassle. There are so many new things to learn and remember - tools, software, processes. 

The truth is, developing a new website can make your job easier. Tasks will be simplified and streamlined, leaving more time for the projects you want to work on. 

Let's talk about community engagement. And before you even ask, it doesn't involve rings, couples or elaborate proposals.

More specifically, let's talk about digital community engagement.

It's all about local governments providing ways for citizens - everyday, ordinary folks like you and me - to interact with their government through their websites. And here's the crazy part - getting people to actually use those online tools!

Surely everyone has either read about or has heard various buzzwords circulating around the eGovernment Industry over the past year.

While many of us have likely tossed a few of these catchy phrases and acronyms around ourselves, how many of those times were we actually certain of the buzzword's true meaning?

What is Digital Community Engagement?

In this blog we’ve shared advice on crafting a local government social media plan, practical tips for developing an internal social media policy, and some of the risks that come with social media. If you’ve been keeping up with social media issues and are wondering if social media is really worth all the work and planning involved, here are some reasons why municipalities should be using social media to engage and interact with their community.

Engage your citizens in the community; make them part of the political process. It's an ever-growing expectation that many governments are struggling to keep up with, and social media is the emerging trend to accomplish digital citizen engagement.

For the most part, local governments understand the need to be transparent - in their processes, their tasks, and their intentions- even if they don't necessarily want to participate in being transparent.

There are many communities and municipalities that aren't afraid of taking the plunge; however, many governments at the local level have a hard time grasping is just how powerful a tool their website can be in actually engaging their citizens and answering questions.