Co-Presenters:Carla Pendergraft Associates Web Design

Will Hampton, City of Round Rock

Intro to Social Media for Municipalities How municipalities are using social

media “Lite” and Advanced

Social Media Questions for Municipalities

It’s about conversations and communities It requires a new way of thinking. Push vs. Pull; Telling vs. Asking

Facebook – 250 million users, top 10 website

MySpace – 110 million usersLinkedIn – about 30 million users

Twitter – 54 million visits per monthYouTube – 70 million videos

Flickr – hosts over 2 billion imagesBlogs – over 200 million

And new social communities are added every day.

It allows new audiences to engage and connect with your city and its services

It increases participation in city government

It informs citizens about what the city is doing and why

Upcoming Events Video of Past Events City Council videos City photos Level of use: “Facebook Lite” Public Info Office maintains Facebook

page Most cities can easily work at this level

City News City Events City Services Level of use: Advanced

City News – 9/13/09 City Council approves 2009-10 budget, tax

rate on first reading Round Rock Fire Department responds to

pair of fires Volunteers install flower bed for United We

Serve Day of Service City accepting applications for arts funding Book signing celebrates Hispanic Heritage

Month at the Library

City Events Sept 15 Teen Book Club Sept 15 Ballet Folklorico at the Library Sept 15 Teen Advisory Board Sept 15 Book signing with Don Miles at the

Library Sept 15 Historic Preservation Commission

Meeting Sept 18 Fairytale Threads Children's

Consignment Sale Sept 19 Fairytale Threads Children's

Consignment Sale Sept 19 Project Linus Blanket-Maker

Meeting

City Services Job openings – Browse job openings by

category and department Library Catalog - Search for library items such

as books & DVDs Staff Directory – City employees by department

and last name Service Directory - City services and phone

numbers by category Service Request- Report problems such as

weedy lots & potholes  Round Rock Replay - View City Council and

Board and Commission Meetings Rock Enroll - Register for Parks and Recreation

programs

The Wall Commentary on the new budget from

citizens, and an opportunity to answer questions and address specific concerns.

Like a micro-blog

City Hall - "Decision Points" Library - 5 blogs Projects –

Sports Complex Improvement Project Downtown Redevelopment General Plan 2020

Parks and Recreation - 2 blogs

All the programs available on the city access TV channel are also offered on YouTube

Waco City Cable Channel has its own “channel” on YouTube

Viewers can subscribe to the channel so that when new videos are posted, they get a notice

Twitter for real-time tracking of crimes in progress

Facebook for police departments to post footage of crimes or mug shots of “Most Wanted”

Facebook for police departments to post crime prevention videos

What are we trying to accomplish? What expertise do we currently have on

staff? Which social media will we use to

accomplish our goals? Are we prepared to allow questioning of

our actions? How will we promote the media we use? Who will be responsible for initiating and

maintaining our presence? How do we measure success?

Start by listening Saved Twitter search on your city’s name Google alerts on your city’s name

Identify creative talent on staff and set them free Don’t let IT staff call the shots

Create a policy for what departments will be allowed to start their own presence Prevent brand fragmentation

’ Don t neglect your core website