Nation's Capital City Tackles Rezoning with Neighborhood America's Technology Solution

As our political climate continues to evolve, people have begun to demand a greater level of input and involvement in government policy-making at all levels.

The advent of the Internet in the last decade has raised public awareness of a greater variety of topics, allowing individuals to explore the issues that affect their communities in greater depth and to actively participate in discussions. However, up until now, public comments could not typically be provided in an organized or meaningful way.

Web 2.0 technologies can facilitate all aspects of communication involving government and citizens. And still important to government is the need for attribution to minimize or eliminate anonymity and imposing necessary structure and standards to meaningful discussions.

The District of Columbia Office of Planning is among the latest government organizations across the country to utilize Neighborhood America's collaborative solutions to facilitate public dialogue around rezoning the district's nine wards - something that has not happened there in 50 years.

"From the start of the project, the D.C. Office of Planning has been overwhelmed with requests from builders, special interest groups, government agencies, and other stakeholders, regarding issues of green space, affordable housing, and more," says Anita Clark, Neighborhood America Director of Business Development in the Public Sector.

Travis Parker, Development Review Specialist of the D.C. Office of Planning, implemented the solution to develop specific topics for discussion.

"We wanted to enable the public and stakeholders the option to provide public comment and join discussions around the key issues," says Travis. "Those comments and conversations are being facilitated in both public and private online discussions and will be part of an easily accessible public record," he added. "The system has really met all of our public communication needs."

Neighborhood America's award-winning solution ELAvate provides effective means of allowing many individuals to collaborate and share ideas using the Internet. Other benefits include greater government transparency and multiple levels of interaction, while allowing respondents to save time, money, gas and other resources required to attend public meetings in person.

Take a look at how the D.C. Office of Planning is engaging citizens, visit: http://www.dczoningupdate.org/.

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Capturing the Pulse of America's Future Voters

Would the outcome of the 2008 presidential election be the same if teens under the age of 18 had the chance to voice their opinions?

This summer, Neighborhood America joined forces with Grand Central Marketing, an agency whose client list includes General Growth Properties, owner/developer of shopping centers worldwide, to launch a nationwide campaign targeting the youth market.

UR Votes Count is a one-of-a-kind experience that educates and engages teens on timely, relevant issues facing the nation and the world. It also allows teens to cast their vote for who they would elect as president of the United States. The campaign took place at 150 malls across America in 42 states over six weeks.

Teens could cast their vote on-site, online, or through their mobile phones. Neighborhood America's MOVO Mobile solution powered the mobile campaign, which allowed teens to text the last name of their choice for president of the U.S. to 77812. Grand Central Marketing conducted an online advertising campaign, promoting UR Votes Count on teen-oriented websites and more.

"This is Grand Central Marketing's second initiative with Neighborhood America," says Jennifer Guillette, Vice President of Grand Central Marketing. "We have been very happy with the client service and flexibility in working with our agency to develop each of these campaigns. We look forward to creating more innovative campaigns in the future with Neighborhood America."

The innovative campaign featured Disney star Selena Gomez as the national spokesperson.

"Being a teen myself, I think it's really important we are educated on the issues that affect us all so when we're eligible, we're fully prepared to take on one of our greatest privileges and responsibilities - voting," says Selena Gomez, UR Votes Count national spokesperson and actress/singer.

Movement for the Sake of Movement? by Jason Breed, Senior Director of Business Development for Media

Many corporations struggle with whether they are adding value by following the social networking movement, but of course many are moving for the sake of movement, which has no value whatsoever. The actual thought of building a social network, or online community, seems absurd for any corporation with an established brand and enterprise.

Consider that companies spend tens-if-not-hundreds of millions of dollars to build networks with customers, partners, distributors, and employees, all of which have influence and could also be stewards of the company's brand in a sense. These networks are already in place and simply need to be leveraged to enable a deeper value.

The difference between having networks and reaping their value is somewhat complex to execute against because it's an ongoing effort and not just a point in time.However, we can all agree that it's an invaluable resource worth exploring.

Corporate structures are set up in a way that one department creates networks for all of the other departments to push products, messaging, values, and brands into those networks. Creating impressions and exposure are metrics used when a company's focus is on pushing their messaging.

Where the seismic shift needs to happen is in the ability to communicate from within your existing networks. It is the difference between delivering messaging vs. participating in the conversation.

Delivering messaging to your networks instills a level of trust and it's not until you can have a dialogue with your networks that you can develop a sense of ownership with that network. When those networks feel there is some result from participation and they can have some influence, they will become closer to new product ideas or new organizational changes, but again if they feel that sense of ownership through a tighter bond.

Almost no company will argue against the ability to deepen investor, consumer, employee or partner relationships especially when it can translate to an increase in company transactions. Most businesses just don't know where to start. 'Building community' is a naive way to express this and results in throwing technology at the problem, mindless motion.

Companies need to start with digging into their existing networks to unearth the real value that exists.

New CFO, Brenda Agius Sets Her Sights

"The environment here is absolutely electric," says Brenda Agius, on her new role as CFO of Neighborhood America. "It's truly wonderful to work in a place where every one is so cooperative and excited to be a part of what is going on. The team here is highly intelligent and creative and I am proud to join them. Their knowledge and enthusiasm are inspiring."

Brenda came on board only a few short weeks ago, bringing with her vast experience as a Senior Auditor for Deloitte Touche and Price Waterhouse Cooper. She has also served as CFO for publicly traded and private companies in a variety of industries, directing IPO's, private placements and secondary offerings.

When asked how she fit into Neighborhood America's broader, long-term plans she remarked, "I believe that the company is targeting some very large deals now and is on the verge of some very significant growth. They are putting all of the pieces in place to support it."

Brenda brings clear objectives to her new role, for herself and for the company.

"For me, I am happy for the opportunity to develop professionally, and to be a part of something so industry-changing and important. In terms of the company, I would personally like to see Neighborhood America's international presence grow in the near term, and ultimately, for the company to become a global leader in online social engagement. We have the business solutions, the people, and the commitment necessary and I would like to play a role in making that happen."

Brenda came to Southwest Florida 13 years ago from Long Island, where she was born and raised. "I was the youngest of six kids," she says. "It was great, but it was crazy." Her two daughters both attend college within the state of Florida, and she has plenty of other family here as well, since most of her brothers and sisters followed her down when she first came. "I'm lucky to have them here," said Brenda, "and to have a professional opportunity that is so satisfying and enjoyable."

And the WebAward goes to...

When Terry McKyton came onboard as Neighborhood America's Interactive Marketing Strategist, he was eager to roll up his sleeves and get to work redesigning our corporate website.

"We wanted to deliver a web experience that was customer-focused, based on meeting their needs rather than our own," says Terry.

How often do you visit websites that are filled with marketing gobbledygook, or that make you feel like you're searching through an encyclopedia for something you end up never finding?

The company re-launched a new and improved version of the corporate website mid-year, and for its efforts, the Web Marketing Association honored Neighborhood America with a 2008 WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development. The award recognizes Neighborhood America's 'Standard of Excellence' in both the computer software and technology categories.

The 2008 WebAwards recognize the best website in 96 industry categories, with nominations spanning more than 47 countries from around the world. Nominees are evaluated by a panel of judges highly regarded as experts in relevant fields such as advertising, web designers, content providers and web masters. Neighborhood America's entry consistently rated above the 2008 WebAward average in all categories including design, ease of use, copywriting, interactivity, use of technology, innovation and content.

"It was important for us to project a corporate image that conveyed who we are, which is both professional and cutting-edge, and to optimize our website as a distinct sales channel," said Terry. "The judges' feedback let us know we accomplished these goals."

Since the re-launch of the corporate website, web traffic has nearly doubled while the number of sales leads generated from the site has jumped 44%.

Some Like It Hot

What could be better than a big bowl of piping hot, homemade chili? How about a table filled with over a dozen delicious varieties of the dish - and a chance to help local families in need, simply by enjoying them.

That was the idea behind Neighborhood America's first ever Chili Cook-off held at the company's headquarters in Naples, Florida on Sept 26 to benefit the Guadalupe Center of Immokalee Soup Kitchen. The event was sponsored by N.A.M.E.S., Neighborhood America's in-house community service organization. Our Accounting Manager, Erin Farah, has served as a Soup Kitchen volunteer for more than four years and contributed the idea of supporting the Guadalupe Center. Since the early 1980's, the Center has provided more than a million hot meals to the community's migrant workers and their families.

Our employees submitted 17 mouthwatering chili concoctions for the contest for both scarfing and judging by a panel of three "professional" chili judges: CTO David Bankston, Director of Operations Lori Bacon and Technical Support Representative Gil Carrandi - as well as by the employees themselves, for the equally coveted People's Choice award. Selecting a winner from among all of the savory entries was no simple task, but in the end, the winner was Lisa Paoletta, Administrative Support Coordinator - who also won the People's Choice award.

"We have a lot of amazing chefs here," said Gil, who arrived to perform his judging duties armed with both Pepto Bismol and extra strong breath mints. "Any time you give these folks a chance to be creative you can bet that something great is going to happen."

Gil, who admits that he is not an officially licensed chili judge, remarked that he did his best to make up for his lack of formal credentials with enthusiasm.

"The group is only about seven months old, but we are truly dedicated to expanding the positive impact that we're able to have on the community," says Neighborhood America's Marketing Manager, Nicola Weston, who heads up the charitable efforts of N.A.M.E.S. "The terrific response to the Cook-off shows how much our employees enjoy a chance to help others... and how much they like chili."

In addition to sponsoring the event, N.A.M.E.S. will match the funds earned by the Cook-off, with a separate donation. Oh, and the prize for the Cook-off title... a gift certificate to Chilis, of course. Bon Appetite, Lisa!

Besides the Chili Cook-off, N.A.M.E.S. and several employees contributed to a charity drive held by a local radio station to support families affected by Hurricane Ike along the Gulf Coast. In true Neighborhood America spirit, the company donated over 3,000 diapers and over 5,000 wipes for babies in the area.

Up next for N.A.M.E.S - it's the "Ve Vant to Suck Your Blood" October Blood Drive.

Helping Readers Talk Back

What if readers could chat directly with the publishers of their favorite magazines, letting them know which specific topics interest them, and which don't; which stories they loved in months past and which they didn't like at all, and even the editorial content that they'd like to see in future issues?

Or even better yet, what if those readers could talk to one another as well, and create their own online communities of interest around the publication?

Of course, those bottom-line boosting scenarios are not only possible, but also highly practical today via Neighborhood America's award-winning ELAvate technology solution.

"With budgets tight and getting tighter, and customers more segmented than ever, publications that are not in tight step with their reader's evolving interests, risk losing them," says Neighborhood America Media Specialist, Kent Kirschner, who will be discussing the best practices for creating a strong, online presence at the upcoming American Magazine Conference, Oct 5-7 in San Francisco.

Kent will speak as part of the Day One panel titled, "Go Digital. Publicize Your Brand. Engage Your Readers." As part of his talk, he will encourage the use of these new tools as critical elements of an overall, well integrated brand-building strategy, and as a highly effective means to learn more about your readers. He will also present several successful Neighborhood America case studies to illustrate the best ways to monetize these systems across all platforms.

"My primary goal for the conference is to help brands find the best ways to maximize the impact of their relationships with their readers by developing an ongoing communications that are informative and meaningful," says Kent.

The conference will host a long list of the media industry's heaviest hitters, as well as other well known personalities, including House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, CEO and Director of DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Andy Serwer, Managing Editor of Fortune Magazine, and many others.