If there's one characteristic that defines Wusta's blogosphere: boring - boring people, boring content.Ever read the local blogs? Assuming one has the patience to follow the drivel about some stranger's personal life, there's nothing out there that keeps one's attention. Welcome to Wusta!
Talk about boring. Reading the Council minutes from October 5th, a local citizen came forward to support Councilor Luke’s petition requesting a report about the city’s social media presence. Coming from Lukes that idea seems completely out of character. Recalling a comment of her's on the T&G or WCCA a while back in which she expressed her disdain for local bloggers; calling them irrelevant. Geez, you pay her salary and she publicly disses you. So remember that when you vote in 2011.
So here we are a couple years later and Lukes is now sponsoring a crowdsourcing concept to promote efficiency and effectiveness by making government more transparent, participatory and collaborative. Here in Wusta? Now who really believes after decades of despotic rule that this crowdsourcing thing is gonna work.
So quoting Daily Worcesteria: … wants to talk about it too. She has a list on her blog about what city departments/affiliates have a social media presence. “There are a lot of communities that are starting to do crowdsourcing.” Someone submits an idea, it gets voted up or down, and other citizens comment on it. “There shouldn’t be a fear that there will be online trolls…the community will police itself…if people get a sense that someone is out there listening it will contribute in a positive way.”
Huh? “fear that… online trolls… police itself ” Whoa… what sorta fool makes a statement like that?
Well. Here’re a couple hints. Her lips flap before her brain kicks in. She babbles incessantly. Any idea yet? She’s Wusta’s cultural attaché - a poseur who thinks comic books is literature. Keep going? She’s Worcester’s most boring bloggerette. Got it yet? Okay, so ya give up. Here goes… she’s the one, the only - Nicole “I’m a rabble-rouser, no wait, make that, I’m really shy” Apostola. Wusta's intelligentsia's answer to Rosalie Tirella. Without the goofy glasses.
Nicole has been on our watch list for some time because of her proclivity for silliness and babbling on topics no one cares about or that she knows anything about. Nicole Apostola is typical Wusta – low on smarts and high on something. That’s why she’s our favorite for this week’s Blogging Fool Award.
So let’s delve into her remarks. Worcester needs a social media presence? What for? We got lots of bars with TV’s and crowded with locals. If ya see a councilor there ya rant on em, but they'll ignore you. That’s called collaboration - up close and personal. BTW. A councilor’s definition of collaboration is you standing on a street corner with their campaign sign.
So who decides who gets heard on a public open gov blog that incorporates numerous disparate city departments into one blog? Nicole Apostola? And who the heck is gonna pay for it? Sure as heck ain't gonna be me. But Nicole Apostola hasn’t done the financing thing; it’s not their strong point anyway. Keep in mind those departments have different missions & goals. So incorporating say, the police and the art council or library etc. on a blog is gonna be confusing for the locals. Hello WPD, I wanna report a crime. My neighbor has bad taste in art.
And that policing thing. Who the heck made Nicole Apostola the local blog cop? Geez, it’s not like the local blogosphere is overrun by trolls – not that we take offense - but leave it up to Nicole to ignore matters of constitutional law when trying to impress a skeptical and apathetic City Council. Did you know Nicole Apostola's mom is a lawyer - obviously nothing rubbed off - and that the majority of councilors don’t have a personal website or blog, Twitter or facebook accounts? So selling them on this thing is gonna be a pretty tough, especially if Councilor Konnie’s pushing it.
What about the idea thing. Taking our cue from the council, who really cares what the public thinks? Been that way for a while and a stupid software ain’t gonna change anything anyhow. If ya got an idea, email it to the City Manager, let him decide, that's why we pay him the big bucks. And interfering – that’s what it is - in a department's business with your so called idea ain’t gonna get you far. You know squat about running a municipal department – so butt out.
We think if silly Nicole Apostola and maybe some of her dim-witted friends should spend a lot more time on thinking this thing through before extolling its virtues. As for relevant experience, being on the Hope Cemetery Commission leaves something to be desired when it comes to matters of law and government. The fact is, she hasn’t made any rational arguments why Wusta needs this thing and what it can and can't do – messing with a 160 years of municipal government prerogative. Can't imagine the City giving up the reins of power.
But Nicole being Nicole, she’s determined to make her mark on the city by bonding the disparate worlds of Wusta’s pseudo-intelligentsia and City Hall. In any case, good luck girl. But keep in mind, change is a four letter word around here.
So if Nicole Apostola can pull herself away from her UMass job where she cruises the local blogs all day and do some real research instead of just dancing around the council chambers with pom poms, she just might be able to make a real contribution to the betterment of us all. Here's a suggestion - start a petition, do some costing and get folks to support the project.
So congratulations Nicole Apostola for being this week’s winner of the Blogging Fool Award.
Fine print: All recipients will receive a beautiful plastic trophy and a 1 week subscription to the T&G.
