EC 2.0: Social Media and the City
The City of Eau Claire has officially joined the world of social media.
In addition to its web site athttp://www.EauClaireWI.gov/, the City now offers information and connections on Facebook, blogs, YouTube and Twitter. Each outlet offers residents a slightly different way to stay informed about City services and events, and to join with us in building a stronger and more vibrant community.
City of Eau Claire on Facebook
A City of Eau Claire Page is now available on Facebook, the popular social networking site. Facebook helps you see whatâs happening in the City of Eau Claire, stay in touch with friends/colleagues, make new contacts and explore communities of shared interests. The City of Eau Claireâs Facebook Page acts as a platform for community communications and hosts news updates, project stories, links to articles, pictures and status updates on emergency situations such as flooding and snow removal efforts.
The City Facebook Page is accessible for viewing to anyone, but if you wish to receive updates or post/interact with other users, you must have a Facebook account and âlikeâ the City. Recent Facebook content on the City of Eau Claire Facebook page includes updates related to the recent 22 inch snowstorm, blog posts from the City Manager, department initiatives, Hastings Way reconstruction updates, interesting photos, safety information and links to information on the Cityâs web site.
The City’s Facebook Page is: http://www.Facebook.com/CityofEauclaire. We also have a separate Facebook Page for Hobbs Ice Arena that can be accessed at: http://www.Facebook.com/HobbsFb
Blogs
I post my thoughts and perspectives about local government and community activities twice a week on this blog. We will be adding additional blogs from other departments over time.
Twitter
The City has also created a new Twitter account designed specifically to inform and interact with Eau Claire residents. The new page, http://Twitter.com/CityofEauClaire âtweetsâ short, informative messages on various events, programs and services going on in the City of Eau Claire that the media and residents may find newsworthy. The convenience of Twitter also offers a mobile phone feature to receive the messages on the go, which many journalists and our residents may find useful.
YouTube
The City has a YouTube account that can be accessed at http://www.YouTube.com/CityofEauclaire. Interesting and informative videos about City operations can be found at this link.
Web site
The Cityâs web site is http://www.EauClaireWI.gov. This site hosts a wealth of material, information and data concerning the City of Eau Claire. Agendas and meeting minutes are posted for each City Council meeting, as well as for many of City’s advisory boards and commissions. Links to all City of Eau Claire social media platforms can be found on the Cityâs home page.
We have been working on our social media initiatives since last June. Much of that time was spent in training (kudos to the Chamber of Commerce for its excellent social media workshops, and to social media consultant Laurie Boettcher for her customized training support and advice and patience!) and in researching and developing the policy guidelines to address the somewhat different operational and legal issues we face in government. Although we had originally planned a “soft launch” for our social media applications in January, last week’s record snow emergency moved our schedule up a month.
The world of social media is a bit of a culture shift for our organization, but exciting. We’re looking forward to your feedback and comments on how we’re doing, and how we can improve.
One final request: If you have a Facebook account, please go to the following link and LIKE THIS asap. We need 25 likers so that we can update the URL for the new City Manager Facebook page.