City all A-Twitter over social media
By Kyra Hoggan
The City of Castlegar has hit the ground running as it embraces social media – tweeting and posting like mad as the first Kootenay community to utilize Facebook and Twitter as a vehicle for public dialogue.
City council green-lighted the new communications approach at its regular meeting Monday night – and within hours, the City was a Facebook force with a torrent of Tweets. “Social media venues are becoming a strong and vibrant means of communications for different organizations, including local governments,” city manager John Malcolm told council when pitching the plan. “Considering the success of other communities in adopting social media as part of their communication campaign, staff believes the use of social media will enhance the (other) methods the city uses, such as our website.’ Since going live online less than a week ago, the city has put forth more than a dozen posts, regarding everything from the library to water conservation to pet adoption clinics … and councillor Russ Hearne said he thinks it’s terrific. “I think it’s a great idea – a great way for us to spread the message of the city, and a great way for residents to offer feedback, be it positive or negative,” he said. “It’ll also drive a lot of people back to the city website, where we have a ton of information available. “There’s so much we do that people just don’t know about – this will help us let people know what fun things are available to them as residents, and help bring us all together as a community,” he said, citing, for example, the city’s upcoming movie night. “It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s a great community-builder. We don’t want anyone to miss out just because they didn’t know about it.” The City of Castlegar’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/City-of-Castlegar/230338926976408
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