Pasadena is a good illustration of what the Internet can do. Visitors to its site will find, in addition to comprehensive city information, tools for online transactions, an interactive calendar, downloadable official documents, and a way to sign up for bids and RFP's. In contrast to state and federal government, we often turn to municipalities for the building of parks and civic centers, for the oversight of private development, for the offering of city-wide programs and events. All this is done in the interest of sustaining and building community. For some municipalities, the Internet has become another tool available to this ongoing endeavor-the building of community.
Community is all about people interacting.
At its best, the Internet is all about people interacting as well. But very few cities have developed their sites to the point of fostering relationships among constituents and civic institutions in the community. Regardless, the potential of the medium is real, and a few Southern California municipalities are starting to turn this potential into reality. When looking over the community orientation of municipal websites, we found sites tended to focus on community information or tourist information. Those that were community oriented tended to be using the Internet for posting community calendars and describing community services.