South of Sunnyside

A few weeks ago The Business Journal posted a story about the City of Fresno’s Twitter account; at the time, the city had just surpassed 500 followers. The article quoted Randy Reed, director of communications:

“Twitter is an important part of the City’s public outreach effort, so I’m excited to see so many citizens linking up with us in this way…I hope that more people will take advantage of technology like this to stay connected to City Hall.”

I was skeptical that the account would provide genuine connection—that it would be used as anything more than a public broadcast. I decided to test the waters with a series of questions about the growing number of chain drug stores popping up around town. Though they didn’t fully answer my questions, I was pleasantly surprised to receive responses.

I’ve had several interactions since—in fact, I seem to be one of only a handful of residents dialoging with the account, even with a list of almost 750 followers. Each interaction is more informative, and response more timely.

Case in point: After posting about dying trees in the neighborhood, I tweeted the link with a question about who to contact. I received a prompt reply; I also received a warning that funds are tight (my response). I called the next day, and on Friday received confirmation that the trees had been evaluated, and that corrective steps have been taken.

Win!

To Randy Reed, I offer kudos for embracing evolving tools for communication.

If you’re on Twitter, follow the City of Fresno.

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