Public Communications

1. Public Communications Notes for the El Dorado Irrigation District, appropriate to all public agencies by Paul Raveling April, 2012

2. Requirements & Opportunities Basic Need: Valid understanding by customers & constituents • Tooling to support communication (information transfer) • falls into three classes of media: • Broadcast media:Web, news, email, paper mailings, election campaigns • Conference media: Email, Meetings, conference calls, campaigns • Point-to-point: Email, phone, personal meetings

3. EID Broadcast Media • News -- via news releases -- via reporters • EID mailings • EID web site • Other web sites • Community Leaders

4. Customer/ConstituentBroadcast Media • News media -- via reporters -- via news releases • Independent web sites • Elections: Ballot Statements, Candidate Campaigns • Community groups (BLAC, 4S, …) • Community media (Neighborhoods)

5. Interactive Media • Agency board meetings • Special meetings • 1-on-1 meetings, calls, email: … customers & staff … customers & directors • Community Leaders Networks

6. Constituent Broadcast Media:Emphasis • News media • Independent web sites: • Elections:Ballot Statements, Candidate Campaigns • Community groups (BLAC, 4S, …) • Community media (Neighborhoods) • Need for factual and analytic validity assurance • Need for balance in values and opinions

7. Constituent Broadcast Media:Emphasis • News media • Independent web sites: • Elections: Ballots Statements, Candidate Campaigns • Community groups (BLAC, 4S, …) • Community media (Neighborhoods) • Need for factual and analytic validity assurance • Need for balance in values and opinions for all constituents • Need to represent a subset of values and opinions

8. Constituent Broadcast Media:Emphasis • News media • Independent web sites: • Elections: Ballots Statements, Candidate Campaigns • Community groups (BLAC, 4S, …) • Community media (Neighborhoods) • Need for factual and analytic validity assurance • Need to represent highly local values and opinions • Need for balance in values and opinions for all constituents

9. Constituent Broadcast Media:Emphasis • News media • Independent web sites: • Elections: Ballots Statements, Candidate Campaigns • Community groups (BLAC, 4S, …) • Community media (Neighborhoods) • Need for factual and analytic validity assurance • May need to represent highly local values and opinions:(Most media such as HOA newsletters only disseminate information)

10. Topologies to consider for aCommunity Leaders Network

11. Star Network Community Leader Community Leader EID Community Leader Community Leader Community Leader

12. Star Mesh Network Community Leader Community Leader EID Community Leader Community Leader Community Leader

13. Double Star Networks EID Community Leaders Group

14. Possible means for CLG internalCommunication • Email • Periodic or special CLG meetings • EID regular board meetings • Small meetings among individuals,often 1-on-1 • In general, EID should be “in the loop”, (as in “feedback loop”).

15. ANNOUNCEMENT: I have set up an extremely simple email distribution Mechanismas a prototype for use in a CLG network. • Sending an email to CLG-EID@sierrafoot.org automatically forwards the messageto the entire distribution list. • Email forwarding is limited to members of the CLG-EID group. Incoming email from other sources is filed in a sierrafoot.org mail account. A group administrator can decide what action, if any, to take for non-member emails. • The forwarding mechanism permits ability to define separate lists of email senders and receivers.

16. Options: The forwarding mechanism permits ability to define separate lists of email senders and receivers. If desired: -- Messages to CLG-EID can automatically be forwarded to people or organizations who are not part of the group. -- Messages can be accepted from people or organizations who do not receive automatically forwarded messages. • Administration uses only mail filters on one host, currently prototyped on sierrafoot.org.

17. About this being a prototype… The concept is not new, it’s decades old.An example is an email group that I’ve participated in for about 25 years, hosted by the Stanford Research Institute (SRI).That group deals with cockpit automation and software reliability. This is an international group: Its participants include recognized experts on aerospace and software engineering. It’s a good “meeting place” for cross-fertilization among multiple disciplines bearing especially on flight safety.

18. Membership in El_Dorado_Grassroots will initially be by invitation from me to known and appropriate local community leaders, followed by their acceptance. • If this email network proves successful, web-based support tools probably will be added to sierrafoot.org.Likely possibilities for the first web-based tools would support (1) recommending candidates for inclusion in the mail group, and (2) voting to sample group opinion or preferences on specific issues.

19. Question: Should we try out the CLG-EID list for real? It’s geared to go, I’m willing to serve as its initial administrator with the prototype on sierrafoot.org. History shows that such a mailing list should have a few policies and rules to assure that it can be of value for cooperative collaboration. Particular concerns are that individual members can overload the list, some could use it disruptively for just sounding off about what they think is wrong.

20. Suggested initial basic criteria for accepting a new member into the community leaders group: • Record of civility and ethics:Interaction demonstrating respect for others,history of cooperation instead of contention. • Record of competence:Ability to recognize all relevant facts, then to exercise valid reasoning and judgment. • Record of success in collaborative processes:Non-leadership roles are essential, leadership desirable. ALL of these criteria require good communication skills.