July 22, 2009
Heather D. Browning
Community Relations Manager
(540) 961-1199
hbrowning@blacksburg.gov
www.blacksburg.gov
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG RECEIVES DIGITAL GOVERNANCE AWARD
Honored for Leadership in Digital Access
The town of Blacksburg has won the national 2009 Digital Governance Award for Leadership in Digital Access. The town distinguished itself in this category using webcasting technology as a critical, cost efficient vehicle for distributing public information. Blacksburg Web Administrator John McKenna will accept the award at the Digital Governance Awards Banquet on July 24 at the 2009 Granicus User Conference held July 22-24 in San Francisco.
The 2009 Digital Governance Awards program is presented by Granicus, Inc. It celebrates government agencies for using digital technology in innovative ways to confront today’s challenging economic times and to deliver organizational value. The winners represent best practices in creating competitive advantage, reducing operating costs, optimizing legislative processes, or improving government-to-citizen relationships.
“We’re very proud to be recognized on a national level for this accomplishment. We’ve worked and will continue to work hard to optimize digital media as a valuable resource for relaying public information and promoting town services.” said Chip Herman, WTOB Station Manager.
Blacksburg began using Granicus as a webcasting solution in 2006. Since then the town has grown a media library of over 100 videos ranging from public meetings, public service announcements, arts and historical content, to recreational activities and community events. Blacksburg continues to expand access and now offers podcasting and downloads through the popular iTunes music service.
"We are extremely proud to recognize our clients for displaying innovation, creativity, and leadership in using technology to achieve better results at lower costs,” says Tom Spengler, Granicus CEO and cofounder. “Blacksburg demonstrated an outstanding use of Granicus technology to deliver high levels of government transparency, citizen participation, and empowerment. This is an important accomplishment in today's difficult financial climate where governments have to work harder to deliver value to their citizens."
The highly competitive Digital Governance Awards seek to honor Granicus clients who display measurable outcomes with technological solutions that:
Improve efficiency in government and public services.
Enhance public communication.
Improve community engagement.
Facilitate government transparency.
A record number of applications were submitted. The competition was close. The winning jurisdictions demonstrated the most compelling use of Granicus technology. And they accomplished measurable and impressive results.
For Additional Information
Chip Herman, Town of Blacksburg, cherman@blacksburg.gov, 540-961-1199
Lauren Alexander, Granicus, Inc., lauren@granicus.com, 415-357-3618 x1788
