NetVolunteers

About the Program

Category: Volunteers (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Oakland County NetVolunteers is a technology-based community outreach program that enables trained volunteers to perform citizen-to-citizen customer service. Volunteers use social media and other Web-based public forums to share information about County programs and services, promote accurate and up-to-date information about Oakland County government, and assist in the growth of social networking as a viable tool for local community building. NetVolunteers enlists people from the local government to conduct various online activities including researching, writing/sharing their opinions, taking/uploading photos or videos, moderating online discussions, managing blogs, and helping to facilitate online community-building around specific topics. Through this program, NetVolunteers helps the local and regional community by building a bridge between the government and the people it serves, while creating a community-based network of information and support beyond the government so that people can help each other. Benefits to Oakland County include reduced support costs through increased opportunities for citizen self-service and peer-to-peer support.