A message from Matthew Summy, Vice President, External and Government Affairs, Comcast Greater Chicago Region...
As part of our commitment to the communities we serve and to providing resources for sharing information locally, Comcast relaunched EveryBlock today in Chicago. First launched exactly six years ago to the day, EveryBlock.com is a virtual gathering place for local residents, businesses, elected officials, neighborhood organizations and others with a common interest – the desire to know what’s happening on their blocks and in their neighborhoods – and helping make them better places to live, work and visit. Since we relaunched at 12:01 a.m. this morning, literally thousands of past and new EveryBlock users have logged onto the site. We were heartened to see so many former users log on, reconnect and start conversations so quickly – literally starting as early as the wee hours of the morning right after the relaunch. And since news of the relaunch began to circulate in December, the news media, the social media response and the word on the street has been significant and very positive. The EveryBlock team is thrilled with the response and hopes more and more users will take advantage of all EveryBlock has to offer.
On that subject, EveryBlock offers a range of information – everything from what’s opening in the empty storefront down the block to local crime statistics; direct posts from people in the neighborhood and communications from Aldermen about ordinances under consideration to lists of business licenses that were recently approved; and from news feeds that can provide you important information about events at your kids’ schools to blogs and newspaper articles with stories about things happening in your zip code, in your neighborhood or even on your block.
The information posted on EveryBlock is decentralized – you, your neighbors and others in your community are the content providers. To this end, if you would like to add information from your blog or Website to the EveryBlock community, please visit the site and click on the link entitled “Become A Publisher,” complete the form and submit it. If you want to pull information from EveryBlock into your blog or Website, visit our new, innovative Widget Control at http://widgetcontrol.everyblock.com or grab feeds from any location.
An important of part of Comcast’s mission is to bring technology and information together. We want to create – and also encourage – innovations that will make EveryBlock even better and add to the quality of the dialog and interchange on the site. To this end, Comcast has been reaching out to the technology community to ask them to help us envision features that would make EveryBlock even more useful to users. In addition, we’re working with individuals and groups that are interested in making content, open data and inventive social media applications from government agencies and other entities, such as universities and community-based organizations, available to the public via EveryBlock.
Clearly, EveryBlock is an exciting platform that can have an impact on you and your neighborhood. I hope those of you who haven’t connected or reconnected yet will join the thousands of your fellow Chicagoans who have already visited EveryBlock.com. We welcome each and EVERY one of you with open information.