DC Government Looks to Social Media

I saw a really interesting post this morning about a local DC Government agency that is reaching out and starting to use social media to reach its audience.

The DC Department of Community and Regulatory Affairs has started a blog called thisshouldbeillegal.com to address Collegiate Off Campus Housing Safety while students attend school in the District.  The site is looking to

provide a central location where you can request free services that can make your life safer if you live off-campus. We also want to make the information available where you are. We have created a Facebook group so you can get immediate online and mobile updates. We’re also on Twitter so you can ask questions and post links from wherever you are.

It is a great service they are providing to the off campus student population and what is even better is their desire to reach them where they are at.  I have been talking to some people in the DC Office of Technology recently and I was shocked to see and hear at some of the initiatives they are working on.  (Stay tuned for a post on this).  So Iw as not terribly surprised to see this iniative take off.

It does not seem like we should be surprised.  To reach college students go where they are, right?  But that is not always so obvious in some circles, especially government ones.

The post on Shannon Paul’s blog included a great interview with Mike Rupert, communications director for the DCRA.  I wanted to highlight a few points he made

Q: What is the goal of the D.C. Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) social media outreach with ThisShouldBeIllegal.com?

Mike Rupert: The goal of ThisShouldBeIllegal.com is to ensure all off-campus housing in the District of Columbia is licensed and has received a recent city safety inspection.

Q: How did the idea evolve to use social media to raise awareness about off-campus living conditions in D.C.?

Mike Rupert: My boss, DCRA Director, Linda Argo was quick to recognize, and become enthusiastic about, the potential of social media to reach students directly. One of the great things about socialmedia is that a true conversation can happen on many levels.

You should really head over and see the full text of the interview, I enjoyed the insight. Hopefully this idea can spill over into some of the other departments to use to reach out to the city residents.