MindMixer & Code for America Launch Five-Week Civic Engagement Rally Asking Americans For Their Ideas About How Technology Can Improve Communities

OMAHA, Neb. and SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MindMixer (www.mindmixer.com), an online engagement platform connecting people with the things they care most about, and Code for America (www.codeforamerica.org), a national non-profit working towards a government that is truly by the people, in the 21^st century, today announced Ideation Nation, a five-week civic engagement rally that asks Americans to share their ideas about how technology could improve the way their communities work.

"While citizens may not be experts in economics, policy or even technology, they are experts about their communities and in many cases, more capable of seeing the bigger picture than their elected officials, who can be bogged down in policy and tradition," said Nick Bowden, CEO of MindMixer. "Our company has found success in helping these citizen experts and officials connect better, but our vision has become much bigger than that. We believe that Ideation Nation will tap into both citizens' sense of duty and their entrepreneurial spirits by giving them an opportunity to be heard in a big way."

Beginning today, Americans can join the Ideation Nation conversation and share their ideas with the Ideation Nation community. After the submission period ends on Oct. 31, 2013, the panel of judges, which will include civic and tech leaders, will review the ideas for creativity, innovation and practicality, and select 25 finalists. On Nov. 11, 2013, the top ideas will be announced and shared with the Ideation Nation community for two weeks of further ideation and feedback.

Based on community feedback and further review, the panel of judges will select the winning idea, which will be announced on Dec. 3, 2013. The winner will be awarded with a free MindMixer site to continue the open dialogue in their community, as well as $5,000 in financial support along with mentorship and coaching to develop and implement their idea in 2014. The remaining 24 ideas will remain publicly available to inspire civic hackers everywhere to put them into action.

"Ideation Nation calls on citizens to change the conversation about their governments from one of frustration or apathy to one of collaboration and action," said Abhi Nemani, Co-Executive Director of Code for America, which has a national network of thousands of technologists committed to using technology to enhance their community. "Time and time again, we are seeing how even simple applications of technology can radically change the citizen experience -- in some cases making it easier to track the bus, in others to get your business permitted. Citizens, working with their governments, are showing what's possible. Ideation Nation should take it to the next level, towards a national dialogue and community to move our country forward."

Code for America and MindMixer both work to provide citizens across America with the necessary resources to effectively communicate with governments for positive change. MindMixer was among the first set of companies to participate in Code for America's Accelerator program, which helped further its goal of improving the relationship between citizens and government.

About Code for America
Founded in 2009, Code for America (CfA) is a nonprofit collaborating with local governments to foster and facilitate innovation. CfA is known for its fellowship program, which embeds tech and design professionals in local governments explore new approaches to resolving local challenges. Through the Accelerator, Brigade, and Peer Network programs, CfA is connecting cities with startups and volunteers, as well as each other. For more information, watch Founder Jennifer Pahlka's TED talk: http://codeforamerica.org/TED or go to http://codeforamerica.org.

About MindMixer
MindMixer believes that good, informed ideas are out there, but many don't make it to the surface or are drowned out by the volume of usual voices. Leveraging the power of the Internet and social media, MindMixer's online community engagement and social media intelligence tools connect organizations with community members who might not otherwise get involved. With the country's largest suite of best-in-class engagement technology, MindMixer makes it easier for community leadership and members to have more productive, collaborative discussions than they would using traditional approaches like offline town hall meetings and message boards. Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.

Media contacts:
Tory Carroll
Atomic for MindMixer
323-648-5422
[email protected]

Lauren Reid
Code for America
415-200-9468
[email protected]

SOURCE MindMixer