As of September, the Chico Public Works Department has an up-and-running Facebook page.
It displays information about storms, construction updates and also fun informational videos showing things like this year's leaf pickup.
With more and more cities using social media as news outlets, these pages demonstrate the importance agencies place on getting certain news to the public quickly.
It displays information about storms, construction updates and also fun informational videos showing things like this year's leaf pickup.
With more and more cities using social media as news outlets, these pages demonstrate the importance agencies place on getting certain news to the public quickly.
“News happens fast. And I don’t mean to sound cliche, but it does happen fast. We have things that start and stop within the work day before the 5 o’clock news. So sometimes we need to have immediate trajectory out to the public and then they stop by the end of the day,” explained department Facilities Manager Jason Bougie, who manages the Public Works Facebook account.
Social media can sometimes be a lot faster than TV news teams driving out to a location of some event and filming it and reporting on it. Because social media access is available on most cell phones these days, anyone at the location of an event can post something and it can appear on a Facebook page almost immediately.
“We sometimes are in need to give (information) out immediately -- road closures, if we have a flood or a fallen down tree," Bougie said. "These are some of the things that people need to know immediately and social media is a perfect example (of) needing to make it right now and put it in the public’s feed."
The Chico police and fire departments also have Facebook pages.
The Police Department’s is more focused on news releases and information for the public, but it also seeks the public's help if a robbery or other crime happens.
“Using public feedback for these scenarios can help with apprehending criminals,” Bougie said.
The Fire Department page has local stories and press releases, too, but it also provides tips on how to prevent fires during the holiday season or news on forest fires around the U.S.
Because anyone can comment on a Facebook page, especially one maintained by a public agency, there can be problems with critical comments. Bougie makes it clear that his posts on the Public Works Facebook page need to be informational and should not be overtly political.
“I’ll be perfectly honest; we do a lot of just fluffy things. We don’t try to attack anything that is hardcore political, not just internally or on a big scale. We do very fluffy things so it gets the word out with basic information because otherwise you become a target,” Bougie said.
Bougie tries to be aware of what is best to post on the Public Works page and understands how to handle any concerns that may come from citizens. He said the page will change as time goes on.
“I think we are going to revamp and bring in more aspects of Bidwell Park," he said. "When we have done things about the park, it gets a lot of views and comments. That department needs to promote and have more social presence because people are interested in what is happening in the park. It is a huge draw. That along with the animal shelter,” Bougie said.
“The animal shelter could use better advertising and better support. They have a lot of volunteers and donation scenarios that they could probably better utilize with social media like, 'Hey, these certain people donated or we need to do this,'” Bougie said.
-- By Tom Sundgren