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{{short description|US digital communications system company}}
'''SeeClickFix''' is a web tool that allows citizens to report non-emergency neighborhood issues, which are communicated to [[local government]], as a form of community [[activism]]. It has an associated free [[mobile phone]] application.
{{Infobox company
| name = SeeClickFix
| logo = SeeClickFix Wrench Heart.png
| logo_size =
| image =
| image_caption =
| type =[[privately held company|Private]]
| traded_as =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| founders ={{flatlist|
*Ben Berkowitz
*Kam Lasater
*Jeff Blasius
*Miles Lasater
}}
| defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| fate =
| area_served =
| key_people =Ben Berkowitz {{small|(CEO)}}
| industry =[[Information technology]]
| genre = <!-- Only used with media and publishing companies -->
| products =
| services =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| aum = <!-- Only used with financial services companies -->
| assets =
| equity =
| owner =
| num_employees =
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid =
| footnotes =
| intl =
| homepage = {{URL|www.seeclickfix.com}}
| caption =
| foundation = {{Start date|2008|09}}
| location_city =New Haven, Connecticut
| location_country =USA
| location =770 Chapel Street, 3rd Floor
| locations =
}}
'''SeeClickFix''' is a digital communications system company founded and based in downtown [[New Haven]], [[Connecticut]]. The company runs a website and app which assist users in communicating with local governments about non-emergency issues. SeeClickFix was established in 2008, with co-founder Ben Berkowitz as chief executive officer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=15 questions with Ben Berkowitz|url=https://money.cnn.com/interactive/technology/15-questions-with-ben-berkowitz/index.html|access-date=2021-02-23|website=CNNMoney}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thewhiteboardct.com/profiles/entrepreneur-profile-ben-berkowitz-seeclickfix/|title=Entrepreneur Profile: Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix|last=Gribskov|first=Alena|date=|website=The White Board: Advancing Entrepreneurship in Connecticut|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref>


The company was acquired by [[CivicPlus]] in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-11 |title=CivicPlus Acquires 311 Software Company SeeClickFix |url=https://www.govtech.com/biz/CivicPlus-Acquires-311-Software-Company-SeeClickFix.html |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=GovTech |language=en}}</ref>
The tool centers around a web-based map that displays all user comments. All users may add comments, suggest resolutions, or add video and picture documentation. Anyone can elect to receive email alerts based on "Watch Areas" by [[geographical area]] and filtering reports by [[Index term|keyword]].


== Website ==
Founded in September 2008, SeeClickFix is based in [[New Haven, Connecticut]], and currently covers more than 25,000 towns and 8,000 neighborhoods, both in the [[United States]] and abroad. While it continually expands, the system has built its strongest networks in New Haven<ref>[http://seeclickfix.com/new-haven SeeClickFix: New Haven : Report non-emergency issues, receive alerts in your neighborhood<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and [[Philadelphia]].<ref>[http://seeclickfix.com/philadelphia SeeClickFix: Philadelphia : Report non-emergency issues, receive alerts in your neighborhood<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The site received its 50,000th issue report in August 2010 - from [[Sonora]], [[Mexico]].<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/news/2010/08/07/4944633.htm SeeClickFix celebrates 50G issues reported<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
SeeClickFix is an issue reporting platform which allows people to report non-emergency neighborhood issues to [[local government]] bodies,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Using GPS To Tag Potholes|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124371598|access-date=2021-02-23|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Rahman|first1=K. Sabeel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fymqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA129|title=Civic Power: Rebuilding American Democracy in an Era of Crisis|last2=Russon Gilman |first2=Hollie |date=2019-08-29|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-38660-9|language=en}}</ref> assisting city staff.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-05-16|title='Show Me City' salutes MCPD during National Police Week|url=https://apnews.com/article/81c5542f30654923a0fa08dcbb4f68c3|access-date=2021-03-16|website=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> The tool has a free [[mobile app]] that maps user comments. Users may add comments, suggest courses of action, or add video and picture documentation. Users can receive notifications based on selected areas and keywords.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mergel |first=Ines A. |date=2012 |title=Distributed Democracy: SeeClickFix.Com for Crowdsourced Issue Reporting |url=http://www.ssrn.com/abstract=1992968 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |language=en |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1992968 |issn=1556-5068}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Johnson|first=Steven|date=2012-09-22|title=Peer Power, from Potholes to Patents|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444165804578008511493789642.html|access-date=2021-02-23|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>


The site also allows [[anonymity|anonymous]] reporting to file complaints against others which may lead to someone being cited, arrested, fined, or towed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Sisson|first=Patrick|date=2017-02-07|title=How a simple app can actually empower street-level democracy|url=https://archive.curbed.com/2017/2/7/14541760/311-app-digital-citizen-seeclickfix-digital-democracy|access-date=2021-03-08|website=Curbed|language=en}}</ref>
The site allows for [[anonymity]] of reporting as a way to encourage more people to report issues, hoping for transparency that keeps civic agencies accountable.<ref>[http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2010/02/03/seeclickfix-civic-solution-or-cyber-soapbox SeeClickFix: Civic solution or cyber-soapbox? | Twin Cities Daily Planet<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Ben Berkowitz, one of the founders, says that what sets SeeClickFix apart from other [[hyperlocal]] sites is that it can foster interaction among [[government]], [[news media]] and residents.<ref>[http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/seeclickfix-now-covering-25000-towns-8000-neighborhoods SeeClickFix Now Covering 25,000 Towns, 8,000 Neighborhoods | techPresident<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Participating news organizations include [[The New York Times]], [[San Francisco Chronicle]], [[Miami Herald]], and [[Philadelphia Inquirer]].<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://govfresh.com/2010/01/get-the-311-with-seeclickfix/ Gov 2.0: Get the 311 with SeeClickFix<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> News outlets following stories from SeeClickFix often stimulate responses from local government.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/business/media/04click.html?_r=1 New York Times - News Sites Dabble With a Web Tool for Nudging Local Officials]</ref> City governments such as [[Houston]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Tucson]], and [[New Haven]] use the site as a [[work order]] system.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Participating cities are charged $100 a month.<ref>[http://www.ajc.com/news/north-fulton/fix-a-pothole-in-576562.html Fix a pothole in Alpharetta? There's an app for that | ajc.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


This has led to concerns by some that SeeClickFix.com is enabling a culture of snitching that tends to disproportionately target the homeless and other poor and marginalized people. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Other|url=https://seeclickfix.com/issues/15275624|access-date=2024-01-11|language=en|website=SeeClickFix.com}}</ref>
The site aims not only to hold government accountable, but to facilitate community volunteering. Co-founder Ben Berkowitz has stated, "We hope to get citizens participating in government rather than just consuming it."<ref>[http://thecityfix.com/government-by-the-people-the-importance-of-public-engagement/ Government by the People: The Importance of Public Engagement | TheCityFix.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


News outlets following stories from SeeClickFix have prompted responses from local government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/business/media/04click.html|title=Newspapers See the Appeal of a Local Web Gadget, SeeClickFix|first=Daniel E.|last=Slotnik|date=January 3, 2010|work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=July 16, 2017}}</ref>
The tool has also been made into an [[iPhone]] App, which combines [[Global Positioning System|GPS tracking]] and the iPhone's built-in [[camera]] to allow users to report issues from their mobile phones. The site contains a [[Widget (computing)|widget]] generator that provides code for creating customized displays to embed on external sites. The text widget displays a list of reported issues within the defined area, and the map widget displays them spatially using [[Google Maps]] software.


According to the company, about 300 municipalities subscribed to it in 2017.
Over 50% of issues reported using SeeClickFix ultimately get resolved.<ref>http://seeclickfix.blogspot.com/2011/07/accountability-for-all.html</ref>

==See also==

* [[3-1-1]], U.S. non-emergency service telephone number
* [[Find It, Fix It]], a municipal customer service application developed for the city of Seattle


== References ==
== References ==
Line 17: Line 69:


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://seeclickfix.com/ Main site]
* {{Official website|http://seeclickfix.com}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Seeclickfix}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:SeeClickFix}}
[[Category:Collaborative mapping]]
[[Category:Collaborative mapping]]
[[Category:Crowdsourcing]]
[[Category:Companies based in New Haven, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Mobile software]]
[[Category:Open government in the United States]]
[[Category:Open government]]
[[Category:Software companies established in 2008]]
[[Category:Companies based in New Haven County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Online publishing companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Software companies based in Connecticut]]
[[Category:American companies established in 2008]]
[[Category:2008 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Software companies of the United States]]

Latest revision as of 21:33, 10 December 2024

SeeClickFix
Company typePrivate
IndustryInformation technology
FoundedSeptember 2008 (2008-09)
Founders
  • Ben Berkowitz
  • Kam Lasater
  • Jeff Blasius
  • Miles Lasater
Headquarters770 Chapel Street, 3rd Floor,
New Haven, Connecticut
,
USA
Key people
Ben Berkowitz (CEO)
Websitewww.seeclickfix.com

SeeClickFix is a digital communications system company founded and based in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. The company runs a website and app which assist users in communicating with local governments about non-emergency issues. SeeClickFix was established in 2008, with co-founder Ben Berkowitz as chief executive officer.[1][2]

The company was acquired by CivicPlus in 2019.[3]

Website

[edit]

SeeClickFix is an issue reporting platform which allows people to report non-emergency neighborhood issues to local government bodies,[4][5] assisting city staff.[6] The tool has a free mobile app that maps user comments. Users may add comments, suggest courses of action, or add video and picture documentation. Users can receive notifications based on selected areas and keywords.[7][8]

The site also allows anonymous reporting to file complaints against others which may lead to someone being cited, arrested, fined, or towed.[9]

This has led to concerns by some that SeeClickFix.com is enabling a culture of snitching that tends to disproportionately target the homeless and other poor and marginalized people. [10]

News outlets following stories from SeeClickFix have prompted responses from local government.[11]

According to the company, about 300 municipalities subscribed to it in 2017.

See also

[edit]
  • 3-1-1, U.S. non-emergency service telephone number
  • Find It, Fix It, a municipal customer service application developed for the city of Seattle

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "15 questions with Ben Berkowitz". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  2. ^ Gribskov, Alena. "Entrepreneur Profile: Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix". The White Board: Advancing Entrepreneurship in Connecticut.
  3. ^ "CivicPlus Acquires 311 Software Company SeeClickFix". GovTech. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  4. ^ "Using GPS To Tag Potholes". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  5. ^ Rahman, K. Sabeel; Russon Gilman, Hollie (2019-08-29). Civic Power: Rebuilding American Democracy in an Era of Crisis. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-38660-9.
  6. ^ "'Show Me City' salutes MCPD during National Police Week". Associated Press. 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  7. ^ Mergel, Ines A. (2012). "Distributed Democracy: SeeClickFix.Com for Crowdsourced Issue Reporting". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1992968. ISSN 1556-5068.
  8. ^ Johnson, Steven (2012-09-22). "Peer Power, from Potholes to Patents". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  9. ^ Sisson, Patrick (2017-02-07). "How a simple app can actually empower street-level democracy". Curbed. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  10. ^ "Other". SeeClickFix.com. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  11. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (January 3, 2010). "Newspapers See the Appeal of a Local Web Gadget, SeeClickFix". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
[edit]
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