Crafting Stories You're Compelled to Share with Sidekick

This is the fourth blog post in a series dedicated to mySidewalk's new AI-powered community data assistant, Sidekick.

Data tells a story, and nowhere is this more impactful than in our communities, where the abstract becomes personal, shaping our daily lives and futures. Sidekick excels not just in analyzing data but in transforming it into narratives that reflect the unique fabric of each community.

Have a conversation with your data.

If your data could talk, Sidekick is its voice. On that thought, perhaps we drop an idea ticket to the Product Team to develop a voice for Sidekick.

Regardless, Sidekick's intelligence allows for a rich interaction with data which was formerly impossible. Answering questions like, "Is my community at risk for air pollution?" or "How many households in this ZIP code receive SNAP benefits?" is a simple chat away. All you have to do is ask. 

Not only will Sidekick return values, but Sidekick will respond with context.

Why Does Storytelling Matter?

Glad you asked. Data alone can inform, but when crafted into context—better yet, a story—it has the power to inspire and engage. Because when data is personalized, it becomes more than statistics—it becomes a snapshot of our lives.

Sidekick helps you bridge the gap between raw data and impactful narratives, ensuring your messages resonate with both the heart and the mind. By localizing demographic data, Sidekick helps community members see themselves and their neighborhoods in the numbers, making complex issues relatable and urgent.

Bringing Data Home

Imagine understanding not just how many are affected by a policy change, but exactly who in your community could benefit or face challenges. Sidekick’s powerful visualization tools bring this data to life, mapping out the human impact of social, economic, and environmental policies right where it matters most—home.

With Sidekick, you can easily highlight trends, draw historical parallels, and forecast future scenarios to create stories that matter. Our dynamic storytelling tools allow you to present data in a way that is both accessible and compelling.

For example, by focusing on specific neighborhoods, Sidekick could effectively illustrate how fluctuations in housing trends impact populations, turning general data into a compelling call to action that rallied the community and local policymakers.

Never Start from a Blank Page

Even the best storytellers struggle with a blank page. Sidekick is extremely helpful in brainstorming ideas, outlining data stories, and helping to draft narratives.

Just as Sidekick was designed with ethical AI principles, we strongly suggest all of Sidekick's responses are reviewed before being published. If your organization has its own artificial intelligence standards, tell Sidekick and it will apply those rules to your conversation.

Tailoring Insights for Deeper Engagement

Sidekick’s interactive features not only allow mySidewalk subscribers to explore data specific to their own neighborhoods, making every chart and map a personal insight into their community’s health, prosperity, and challenges, but also Sidekick can craft narratives unique to your community and audience.

Tell Sidekick a little bit about your community's culture, current or relevant events, or the people who will be reading your data story. Using intelligence, Sidekick tailors its response and crafts accessible copy, writes compelling narratives, and breaks down complexity. 

Making data stories more relatable for readers makes them more engaging and drives home the relevance of data in everyday life. Narratives that are easy to understand are like invitations to learn more. And the more your audience learns about your community, the easier it is to make impactful change.

Transforming Data Stories into Action

Translate vast data into vivid, localized stories that not only inform but inspire. Engage your partners, board members, and residents with narratives that resonate, advocate, and motivate. Because when data reflects reality, it has the power to change it.

Ready to see how your data can tell a story that inspires? Try Sidekick today and start crafting narratives that not only inform but drive meaningful action. Join the ranks of changemakers who use storytelling to make a difference.

Meet Sidekick

The future of data is here.

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