Utah government heads towards social media

Nielson-Stowell, Amelia. "Cities use social media sites to reach residents". Deseret News. 26 Aug. 2009. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705326130/Cities-use-social-media-sites.html

Summary:
The Utah Association for Government Communications now allows the use of commonly used websites, Facebook and Twitter, as a new forum where city leaders can communicate with the public. It started in the beginning of this year and has been increasing throughout the year. Government officials find websites spread the word to the public very quickly addressing emergencies and other things going on in their districts. It allows them to share a little bit on a personal level as well. One such leader would be Salt Lake City Mayor, Ralph Becker, who one afternoon posted on his Facebook status, "Mayor Ralph Becker is repelling off the Grand America today at noon to show support for Special Olympics Utah!" St. George Mayor, Dan McArthur also enjoys being a little more personal on the websites. He claims, "it gives me a chance to be instantaneous and sometimes funny." Now these men and women are opening up to whole new, large, and diverse audiences. The government leaders, though some were on the fence about using these websites, are now finding it very quick, useful, easy, and enjoyable. "It seems such a perfect fit for us to use what's fast becoming one of the most popular means of communication," said Herriman's public information officer, Nicole Martin. And another bonus is it's free!

My response:
I think its very interesting that the internet has become so important and used in citizen's lives that instead of sticking to the old tactics, government officials are putting these famous sites into play, where they can spread the word about their communities, themselves, and what they're up to. It just goes to show how quickly technology is taking over. I do believe it is something they need to do to keep up with modern communication and reach a large audience. They've gone where the public has gone and now they're realizing that it's quick and efficient. Personally, I think it's rather funny that the officials put their status to show what good they're up to at the moment. It's great for them, but at the same time it could appear to be showing off. One very helpful use is how they can spread the word quickly about emergencies. In the article, Amelia Nielson-Stowell gave the example of Centerville's Lisa Bednarz who, as part of her job, twittered about a water main broken in the area. It lets the citizens know what is going on and what is being done about it. It was a very smart move of the Utah Association for Government Communications to allow city leaders to start using Twitter and Facebook. The use of the internet is increasing and now people my age, as well as older and younger, who like me, don't read the newspaper often, can have easy access to what my city leader is up to. A bonus, I don't get it through the "grapevine", I get it through them personally.