Tech-savvy residents will soon be able to plug into Rocky View County in a whole new way.
The municipality is joining the growing social media revolution by launching Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin accounts and continuing with its recent addition of enewsletters and RSS feeds, an online method of receiving updates.
“It is to hit the demographic of our population that want quick updates of things going on in the county,” said Rocky View’s communications assistant Julie Verch. “It’s a fast way to get information out and provides for two-way communication.”
Verch is hoping the initiative, which is yet to receive final council approval, will be launched within the next month. The sites will be used to offer quick updates on scheduling, such as snowplowing, emergency situations, to gauge community interest, gather feedback and provide more communication opportunities for residents.
Verch said County staff spent about a year researching how more than 40 different municipalities from across Canada use social media to communicate with residents.
Her research showed her that it should only take between five and 15 minutes per day to update the sites and check for messages.
“I think we came up with something that was very solid that touches on all the sensitive areas and benefits,” said Verch.
“The return on investment is excellent considering the time we are putting in and the benefit that we are getting out.”
The initiative is worthwhile, added Verch, as it provides staff with an accurate number of the amount of hits per day.
“Right now, we don’t have a tangible number of how many people are seeing our messages,” said Verch. “With technology it is very visible.”
Verch said the County will likely engage in other forms of social media in the future, such as a blogs, podcasts, YouTube and Flickr, which is a photo sharing site.
According to Verch, not many rural municipalities use the technology, although communication via social media sites is becoming increasingly common in cities, such as Red Deer, Edmonton and Calgary.
“This is a precedent-setting and forward-thinking opportunity for a rural municipality,” said Verch. “It is especially new in the rural setting.”
Reeve Rolly Ashdown said the County is open to all forms of communication with residents.
“We want to be the leaders in communication,” he said.
