We have to give it to New York City. When it comes to Gov 2.0, they are taking charge. Last week, Gotham marked the inaugural Social Media Day, official proclamation and all. The day was the result of collaborations between Mashable, Mayor Bloomberg and NYC Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne.

Social Media Day Highlights Role of Technology in Government

Social Media Day recognizes the increasing role technology plays in advancing real-time sharing of information, communication and overall government efficiency. The declaration of a Social Media Day also highlights NYC’s embrace of social media in fostering government transparency and citizen engagement. While declarations like this can be just press releases and nothing more (or Gov 2.Faux in Reset speak) NY has been leading the way in the digital economy.

The NYC push is more than just for show – with the digital economy driving economic growth and creating high-wage jobs, the city with the most Web 2.0-savvy government is creating an economic advantage.

And NYC was not alone in setting aside one day to acknowledge the increasingly crucial role of Gov 2.0, eight other cities also celebrated a Social Media Day last week… but not San Francisco.

Why Doesn’t San Francisco Have a Social Media Day?

There really isn’t a reason why San Francisco can’t declare a Social Media Day of its own – and back it up with real action all year round. At Reset SF, we envision a day where all city officials are listening and responding to San Franciscans via Facebook and Twitter, crowdsourcing ideas and solutions to the city’s problems, both big and small.

While San Francisco and Silicon Valley may be the birthplace of Web 2.0 – the city government itself has been slow to embrace the fundamental tenants of social media. As we’ve pointed out before – it will be difficult to maintain our lead in the new Web 2.0 economy if our city government keeps falling behind in Gov 2.0.

Gov 2.0 Needs Universal Access

Creating and maintaining Government 2.0 takes big steps like Guaranteed Access to close San Francisco’s digital divide and important advances like YouTube testimony to give more San Franciscans a chance to be heard.

It is a task that we should be working on 365 days a year. But setting aside one day to celebrate progress and highlight the challenges wouldn’t hurt. Let’s see if next year we can join the growing movement of cities by celebrating Social Media Day too.