3-1-1

[pgh06.livejournal.com]

Has anyone here used the city's 3-1-1 line yet? If so, how was your experience with it? I'm working on a story about it.

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I don't know what it is....

3-1-1 redux

[pgh06.livejournal.com]

I was afraid there might not be much public awareness about this yet. Here's a brief I wrote about it last month:
Verizon customers in Somerville can now dial 311 to report any complaints on the automated service line to the Department of Public Works such as a pothole on the road, a missed trash pickup or a request for snow removal. On the day of the Dec. 9 snowstorm, the city reported receiving 92 calls on the line, its highest volume in one day to date. Upon making a 311 call, callers receive tracking numbers, and are then able to chart the progress of their complaint or request. The Mayor’s Office promises this service will eventually be integrated with its Web site.

Re: 3-1-1 redux

[ron_newman]

Hi. Do you write for a newspaper?

Re: 3-1-1 redux

[pgh06.livejournal.com]

Yes, I write for the City Weekly section of the Boston Globe, and I'm trying to find some people to interview who have used the 3-1-1 system. Have you? If so, drop me a line at PGH@Globe.com

[allli.livejournal.com]

nope, but...

yay! mainstream media using livejournal as a source for community feedback and information! i have often thought that the metro, the globe, the phoenix, etc. should have lurkers at least on livejournal communities, not so much for informal polls/information bait-setting, but just to hear what people are talking about.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

i havne't had a chance to use it yet, but as soon as county-sized sinkholes open up or i notice a traffic signal malfunctioning, i'll be all over that.

i knew they were planning it (i'd sent email to denise provost, an alderman at large, asking if the city had considered some kind of ombudsman/all-services phone number after reading about nyc's 311 system) and she replied that they were considering it.

it's a shame it doesn't use cellphones, but that would likely be prohibitively expensive to do, since it would involve getting lots of telco vendors to do different things.

i need to find out what the non-311 number for it is (if there is one - i assume there is one) and program it into my cellphone.

[ron_newman]

It's 617-666-3311 . Here's the official city web page about it. They eventually plan to have a web form to submit complaints or requests, but it isn't there yet. They do have a link labelled "Email 311" with this address: 311Updates@ci.somerville.ma.us , but I don't know how well that works either.

[pgh06.livejournal.com]

Hello Regis,
Please shoot me an e-mail and let me know if I can use your comment in my story. I also need your full name and the neighborhood in which you live.
Thanks.
-Pat
pgh@globe.com