• Promotion
• Transparency Talk
• Clerks' Corner
• Managers' Minute
• Superintendents' Section
• Word for the Wise

Promotion:

CLERKBASE WATER BOTTLE

Schedule a FREE online demo of ClerkBase and/or OpenGOVideo and receive a FREE ClerkBase water bottle. The air may be dry from the heater running, but you'll stay hydrated and comfortable.

Call Jay or Dennis at 401-727-1567 or email Jay at jay@clerkbase.com or Dennis at dennis@clerkbase.com.

WORD FOR THE WISE

AUTO-WRAP

Many of us who learned our keyboard skills on a typewriter learned to make a hard-return at the end of a line to move on to the next one. With the advent of word processing programs, that's no longer necessary. Both Microsoft Word and WordPerfect have "auto wrap," which means the text will automatically move to the next line, without hypenation. You don't have to press the "ENTER" button anymore!

If you're used to pressing "ENTER," it can be a hard habit to break, but it's worth it so your documents have the correct formatting. It will make your documents - and you - look great!

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

Welcome new members into ClerkBase's LinkedIn group for Municipal Clerks and Managers. Come share in the conversation!

Don't have a LinkedIn account? Signing up takes less than a minute. Just click here to get started. Or you can join the conversation on our Facebook page or on Twitter.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Social media really proved its worth in 2011. It expands your agency's ability to reach its consituents, and opens the lines of communication. If you or your agency use Facebook or Twitter, you can get the latest information on transparency, legislation and other useful news. Follow us on Twitter or on Facebook. We'd love to hear from you!

IS YOUR TOWN ON THE LIST?

GREEN CITY INDEX

Siemens has created an index of the greenest cities in North America. Even better, they explore what makes a city green and offer portraits of the top cities in making the move to green.

How does your community stack up?

ClerkBase supports the environmental movement. Our service helps reduce paper use and waste, and we recycle 90% of our waste. Our video servers and company bus are carbon-neutral. In 2012, we'll be furthering our commitment to the environment in new ways. Stay tuned!

2012, HERE WE COME!

ClerkBase is looking forward to a great 2012. We have lots of plans in the works, including:

• the launch of our redesigned website
• system upgrades (at no cost to our clients!)
• furthering our commitment to reducing paper waste
• helping clients to reduce costs through our greener, electronic hosting and sharing methods

We hope that you'll join in our commitment to reduce waste while improving transparency. For information on how we can help, contact Jay at jay@clerkbase.com or Dennis at dennis@clerkbase.com or call 401-727-1567.

TRANSPARENCY GONE RIGHT

Many of you may have seen the video of Fr. Nathan Monk being ejected from the open meeting of the Pensacola, Florida City Council Meeting on December 15. If not, a clip of the video is below.

In less than a week, the video has had more than 160,000 views via YouTube alone. The population of Penscola is approximately 54,169. Remember that a YouTube video can be viewed by more than one person at a time, so the viewership is probably much higher. Unsurprisingly, the event also made the news.

Only a week later, in the U.S. House of Representatives, the cameras were cut as a Representative tried to bring an issue before the body at the same time that the Speaker Pro Tem was trying to gavel the meeting closed.

This video received more than 27,000 views in 24 hours. While the issue has since gone to vote, the incident raised a ruckus in the online community.

Some would argue that these displays are why they don't want cameras in our council chambers - to avoid potential embarrassing situations. But the vast majority of citizens would say that this is the precise reason transparency is needed. Since the beginning of video transparency, the public has come to expect openness from their governing bodies. Even those who don't actually watch legislative meetings become outraged and suspicious when their access to them is denied or restricted.

The era of video transparency is here, and here to stay.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Please join ClerkBase in congratulating your colleagues on their important milestones:

• Congratulations to the Vermont Municipal Clerks' and Treasurers' Association, celebrating 75 years!
• Laurie Sica of Juneau, Alaska received the Clerk of the Year Award from the Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks (AAMC)
• Mrs. Peggy Woody of Siloam Springs was elected 2011 Arkansas Clerk of The Year by the Arkansas City Clerks, Recorders and Treasurers Association
• Margaret Long, Town Clerk of Scituate, RI, is the new president of the New England Association of City and Town Clerks (NEACTC)
• Donna Kelty of Barre Town, received both the Clerk of the Year award, and Treasurer of the Year award from the Vermont Municipal Clerks' and Treasurers' Association (VMCTA)

Do you know a clerk deserving of congratulations? Let Erika know at erika@clerkbase.com, and he or she can be featured in an upcoming newsletter!

OFFICE HEALTH

It's cold and flu season. How can you help to prevent the spread of cold and flu germs in your office? The Daily Infographic has come through again with a very useful graphic about tech germs. You'll want to have some disinfectant wipes handy.

PROGRAM EVALUATION

The School Administrator has an interesting article in the December 2011 issue, titled " Seven decision points when you plan to evaluate the effectiveness of a program." These steps are useful tools in evaluating any program, and would make good reading not just for superintendents, but for any administrator.