Empire 2.0 and xbox alert

Information Week - Gamers are used to confronting invading terrorists, nuclear attacks, and natural calamities—in virtual form. But those living in New York State could soon receive warnings about real emergencies through their favorite video console.

State authorities are testing a plan that would see the Emergency Management Office issue alerts over online gaming networks in addition to regular channels.

The goal, said New York State Deputy CIO Rico Singleton, is to reach younger residents who spend more time on the Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii than with television or radio.

I find this to be a very interesting way to connect with people to alert them about possible threats. Xbox notifications aren't the only thing they have done, in fact New York State has launched a whole program called Empire 2.0, and the goal is to make the states government more "transparent, paricipatory, and collaborative." The department of mental health is monitoring Facebook posts in an effort to spot suicidal behavior, and the department homeland security is using second life to train 700,000 first responders. The Senate is publishing bills on a wiki-style blog so that members of the public can mark up proposed legislation. Empire 2.0 is a statewide jump into the world of web 2.0.