NY ♥ Kelly Choi

Time to get serious about social media! And what better time than Social Media Week. New York City may be winning accolades for its sloppy, wet embrace of the local budding tech sector, but City Hall was still a step behind. Too that end, during Mayor Bloomberg's speech at Tumblr headquarters today, he announced that the city will be streamlining its efforts with four new central channels on Facebook and Twitter, and well as hometown heroes Tumblr and Foursquare all under the NYCGov handle.

Of course, because this is government we're talking about, links to said channels weren't embedded in the press release. But to get some idea of just how tangled and confusing the city's existing forays into social media are, take a look at this list, showing the manifold Twitter accounts and Facebook pages by agency, department, community board, etc.,  until it's practically just a dude on a street corner tumbling about his block.

In a press release, the Mayor, who stood before Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne, NYC EDC President Seth Pinsky, and Tumblr CEO David Karp while making the announcement, said:

“In this era of the information age, these social media platforms are where so many New Yorkers are increasingly getting their news, conducting their business, sharing their opinions, and living their lives. With these new channels, the City will be able to get New Yorkers the information they need in the way they want to get it.”

As Ms. Sterne added, it was all according to plan:

“When the Mayor and I outlined the Digital Road Map last May, we recognized that for the City of New York to realize its digital potential, we need to embrace new technologies. We also know that it is crucial that we use digital media in a way that is efficient, making life easier for New Yorkers and always meeting their needs,”  said Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne. “The NYCgov channels we are introducing today achieve the best of both worlds, and thanks to support from our partners, we know that we are able to go above and beyond in taking advantage of all that Bitly, Buddy Media, Facebook, Foursquare, Tumblr and Twitter have to offer New Yorkers.”