Sorcinelli.net

Back in the “good ol’ days” of late 2000, I started writing regularly on the Internet. Back in those days, I was mostly writing software reviews for a relatively new gadget – the Pocket PC. There were a few web sites around that focused on the technology, but not a ton. In January 2002, I launched BostonPocketPC.com. The idea was to use the Internet to communicate about Pocket PC, then Smartphone, then Windows Mobile and now Windows Phone technologies. News and reviews was the name of the game.

BostonPocketPC.com has always been an enjoyable experience for me. It has given me the chance to meet new people and write about technology I love. A lot has changed in the last 8 years, but it is what has occurred in the last year that has really changed by interaction with the Internet – the emergence of social media.

I’ve always enjoyed writing. I’ve also enjoyed interacting. While traditional “blogging” on the Internet is a great way to speak to an audience, it’s never been a great way to “communicate”. Even longer than my Internet writing career, my professional career has been focused on dialog rather than monologue. Blogging does have it’s ability to invoke conversation, but it is not it’s default nature. The advent of technologies like RSS have moved traditional Internet writing even more towards a more uni-directional nature. That’s never really been my “cup of tea”. The emergence and acceptance of social media technologies has proven to be the media I truly crave.

Whether it be Twitter or Facebook, Yelp or FourSquare, social media is all about interaction. Tweets are replied to, either in replies, retweets or direct messages. Facebook posts result in comments or “likes'”. All very much and very easily in real time. Sure, we’ve had email, forums and newsgroups. None, though, have encouraged the widespread and rapid response to thoughts, opinions and statements than these social media tools do. For me, the result has been quite obvious – I’ve found myself spending far more time in the social media world. This has come at the expense of the traditional Internet mediums. I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently, and I’ve come to some conclusions.

I’ve come to realize that there still is a place for both the traditional and “new” ways of communicating on the ‘Net. I have come to realize I still find enjoyment in blogging. I’ve also come to realize that it is most enjoyable when I want to communicate a message that can’t be conveyed in 140 characters or a “quickie” paragraph. While social media has some strengths (as I described above), it does has it drawbacks. I also realized that by being a little too immersed in social media, I sort of rationalized myself  out of writing more. You have to admit it; Twitter and Facebook do make us a bit lazy when it comes to writing. That is going to change.

My plan moving forward is to try to start doing a healthier mixture of both social media and blogging. I really don’t need to change my social media habits to accomplish this; social media only takes a matter of seconds at a time to communicate. I will start to take the time to identify those things worthy of more complex communication (read - “more words”) and bring them to my blogs/sites. While I might not get the interaction I would like, I still hope that they can either inform or invoke thought. In the end, that is why I have always really enjoyed my writing on the Internet, and what I had somewhat lost sight of – until now.

In running for a seat on the Salem NH Town Charter Commission, I have been adamant in stating that the commission members open a maintain a dialog with those who will be most impacted by the commission – the citizens. With a resident population approaching 30,000 and numerous others who have a stake in the process, how do you have such a dialog?

I believe the Town Meeting form of government is in many ways the purest demonstrations of democracy – in spirit. It allows for all eligible members of a community to come together for discussion and debate and directly participate in the decision-making process of a community. This still works well for small communities, where dozens or hundreds of residents makes up the total population. However, how does the traditional Town Meeting format work as numbers grow to thousands, or tens of thousands? This is one of the difficult questions the Town Charter Commission will have to address after the May 19th special election. For Salem, an audience of 600 participants at a Town Meeting only represents a small fraction of the total resident base. When this occurs, the Town Meeting format runs the risk of being a less representative form of government than other structures, if for no other reason than there is no accountability for those voting. Think about it for a moment – those attending the meeting were not elected and are not bound by any legal rule to represent any constituency. If only 100 attend a Town Meeting and all agree on warrant articles that benefit themselves to the detriment of all others (regardless of intent), there is no recourse for the community as a whole. At least with elected officials, there are methods and means of accountability. But I digress…

We live in an age where technology provides us with ample means to communicate, participate and join the discussion. The Internet now provides us with so many ways to engage our friends, relatives and co-workers. There is even the concept of the “online community”, where people of common interest gather to discuss those things that matter. Those discussions can happen both in real time (using instant messaging, web conferencing or Voice over IP) and static forms (email and forums). Most recently, there has been the emergence of “Social Media”; basically, tools that effectively combine technologies to make for a friendlier and effective communication experience.

Recently, a great deal of media coverage has been given to tools like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. All 3 represent the emergence of social media to the general population. If you do not use one of these tools, ask around. I am certain it would not take long for you to find a relative, friend or co-worker who uses these tools to be a part of the discussion. If these tools and online communities can be used for personal discussions, then why can’t they be used for town discussions as well?

I believe the only way that I or any other candidate for the Salem Town Charter Commission can work towards solutions that meet our communities collective needs is communicate with its citizens. What better way to do this than to take the discussion online? This is why I, from Day One, have asked people to join me here. I want people to get to know me as a candidate, to ask me questions, and to tell me what they think and believe. I want the discussion to be just that – a dialog that is a true reflection of the community and its desires. I want you, the voter, to be able to look at my name on the May 19th ballot and recognize it not only for the unique spelling (not many Sorcinellis in New Hampshire, mind you); I want you to feel that you know me, where I come from and where I stand.

In the coming days and weeks, I will continue to write here regarding the election, the issues and the challenges. I will also encourage you to take part as well. You can make comments to any posting I make simply by clicking on the “Comment” link under the title. You can email me. You can follow me on Twitter if that is your preference. Please do not hesitate to suggest other ways for us to continue the dialog – I am always open to suggestion. And most importantly – feel free to ask questions.

Let’s make this election and subsequent commission the opportunity to take the Town Meeting concept into the 21st century. Let’s communicate in order to better understand our true collective needs. Let’s have a discussion of historic proportions.