By Dustin Duncan
Governmental agencies in Southern Illinois are using Facebook to keep residents informed.
Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens uses his own personal Facebook account to keep residents in the loop. He said the city also has a Facebook page for the same reason.
“I, as mayor, maintain a Facebook page and do my best to promote Murphysboro and inform the residents through it,” he said. “I often post about new businesses coming to town, boil water orders and discuss issues facing the city.”
He said his personal page is updated daily. Posts to the city’s Facebook page are less frequent, but are done at least once a week.
Marion also has a strong social media presence, said Information Technology Director Terrance Henry.
“Mostly, that page is for the mayor to have interaction with the public,” he said. “When we first launched the city’s Facebook, we had so many friends liking the page, we had to block the amount of people joining it in the first couple hours.
“There are several people who turn to social media instead of picking up the phone.”
Henry said, the City Administrator Gail West, Mayor Bob Butler, himself and city council members monitor everything on Marion's Facebook page and watch the conversation others are having on social media about the city.
“We monitor and oversee everything on social media to make sure the right story is going out,” he said. “It is all about protecting the brand and the city, overall.”
Henry said the Marion Police Department has a Facebook page for crime tips or alerts as another avenue to get news to the residents.
Stephens said he makes sure the police department has a social media presence so Murphysboro residents are as informed as possible.
“The police department shares information regarding arrests, traffic hazards, and community outreach programs such as Community Night Out,” he said. “Sometimes, there are old pictures from the police department in years past for people to comment on and connect with the police department.”
Some cities use social media only as a way to make announcements, but are looking to expand online presence.
“Our current strategy in social media is mainly with the police department’s Facebook page and the City Hall’s Twitter announcements from our website,” Carbondale City Manager Kevin Baity said. “We are, however, reviewing options that will allow us to have a much larger social media presence later next year, as we will be launching several initiatives that will help bring the citizens of Carbondale and City Hall closer together.”
