Chicago checks in for Foursquare city 'badge'

 Chicago, Sep 17 - Chicago will become the first major city with its own Foursquare city ÒbadgeÓ, earned after Òchecking inÓ at five of 20 designated neighbourhood attractions under a tech-savvy plan unveiled to coincide with Social Media Week.

 Mayor Rahm Emanuel kicked off Social Media Week here by announcing Chicago as the world's first city to have its own foursquare City Badge, in partnership with New York-based Foursquare, the social location-based service .

 The city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events selected 20 spots around Chicago. Foursquare users that check in to five of these locations will earn the ÒWindy City BadgeÓ.

 Emanuel while highlighting the innovative efforts in social media, said Chicago got its own first foursquare City badge, the ÒWindy CityÓ badge, in advance of Social Media Week (SMW) which kicks-off on Monday.

 ÒI am pleased that Chicago can be the first city to offer a foursquare City badge and participate in this innovative programme,Ó Emanuel was quoted as saying.

 ÒThis badge and partnership with foursquare will allow Chicagoans and our visitors to discover and share the City s neighborhood gems and diverse cultural attractions in a new way,Ó he added.

 Emanuel was joined by foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai to make the announcement about Chicago's foursquare City badge.

 ÒFoursquare was built to help people explore the world around them,Ó Selvadurai said adding, Chicago, with its rich diversity in culture and business is the ideal environment for that exploration.

 New York-based Foursqaure is a location-based social networking website that allows users with GPS-enabled mobile devices to Òcheck inÓ at venues and earn badges.

 Emanuel has advocated and promoted exploring the neighbourhoods of Chicago and we're excited to help Chicagoans and visitors check in to new places and enjoy the city.

 Foursquare users who Òcheck-inÓ at five of 20 designated cultural and small business attractions will receive the Windy City badge.

 These locations include The Oriental Institute Museum in Hyde Park, Garfield Park Conservatory in Garfield Park, Du Sable Museum in Washington Park, Chicago Velodrome in South Chicago, and Jane Addams Hull-House Museum in Little Italy.

 Social Media Week's mission is to find and discover how cultural, local and regional economies are becoming stronger through global communication networks.

Indian officials to be allowed to use social media soon

Ahmedabad (India), Sep 9 - The Centre is planning to put in place a framework for government officials that would allow them to leverage power of social media, a top official of Department of Information and Technology (DIT) said here today.

 ÒWe are creating a framework that would help all the GoI departments and officials to make use of social media like Facebook, Twitter etc effectively,Ó Additional Secretary, DIT, Shankar Aggarwal told PTI on the sidelines of an event.

 ÒWe expect to give final shape to it in next two-three months and notify it,Ó he said.

 ÒThe idea (behind the proposal) is that they can enter into dialogue with public more freely, take suggestions, feedbacks and provide updates. It shall be more of a two-way rather than being a one-way communication,Ó Aggarwal stated.

 ÒThe social media is being used extensively by the civil society, but unfortunately, at present we don't have any framework for central and state governments,Ó he said.

 ÒThe government officers are scared of using social media because they are not sure whether they are allowed to use it or not. Even if they are allowed, then they are not sure what are the dos and don'ts,Ó Aggarwal said.

Meanwhile, the Centre is planning to introduce 'The Right to Public Services Act' soon that would make it mandatory for government entities to deliver public services in electronic form too.

 ÒWe have already created a framework and for this (Act) the framework is to be converted into a law. We think we will be able to introduce it in the next session of Parliament,Ó he said.

 ÒUnder this, what we shall be trying, is to ask the government entities to deliver all the public services in electronic form also. And it has to be achieved over next five years,Ó he informed.

 ÒWe are also planning to develop a payment gateway for the entire country so that people could pay electronically for various services,Ó Aggarwal said.