By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN — Social media die-hards couldn't wait to meet Rachel Sterne, the city’s new Chief Digital Officer, after her first formal appearance at Social Media Week Friday, lining up for more than half an hour to chat and pitch ideas.
Sterne, 27, who was once named one of America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs by the former BusinessWeek, told the eager group her goal is to create a better customer service experience for residents interacting with the city online.
Among the developments to come: a new 311 text messaging service and a host of new apps powered by reams of city data used in new ways.
Just three weeks on the job, Sterne said she's been tasked with completing a 90-day report on how the city can make better use of social media to connect with residents, provide more access to data, and make city sites like nyc.gov easier to use, she said.
"How can we make sure the public is aware of it? Is taking advantage of it? Is engaging with it?" she asked
Social Media Week is a bi-annual event, with dozens of talks and networking events organized in cities across the globe.
Sterne was joined in a panel at the Paley Center for Media in Midtown by Carole Post, the Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, and Seth Pinsky, and president of the city's Economic Development Corporation, who all touted their ramped-up efforts to partner with the private sector to develop interactive products.
One potential partner: media giant Facebook. But details are still vague.
"There is interest absolutely in the city in working with Facebook and they’re interested as well. It’s a great opportunity on both sides and we’re exploring what that could look like," was all Sterne would say.
As for 311, Post said that the idea of creating a text message version of 311, following an online version, is currently in the works.
Residents would be able to text in complaints or questions and receive immediate replies, she said, noting that text messaging has the potential to reach a larger audience than fancy apps, which require a connection online.
