Local governments are all a-Twitter over social networking

As they seek new ways to reach out to residents, many municipalities, police departments and school districts across the suburbs are increasingly turning to Twitter.

Twitter, for those still living in the 20th Century, is the free Internet site through which users answer one question in 140 or fewer characters - "what are you doing?" - and beam it to all of the people who are "following" them online.

It gives local officials yet another way to reach scores of people instantly about anything under the sun - water main breaks, missing dogs, road closures, even armed robberies - with just a click of the "update" button.

In some cases, followers opt to receive messages on their cell phones.

The trick, officials say, is posting timely, topical items. And keeping it brief.

"It's challenging and fun just finding a new way of reaching our constituents," said Gabrielle Infusino, Bartlett's community relations coordinator.

Cost savings

Geneva and Elgin have realized huge savings by using Internet communications, including Twitter.

Elgin's membership on Twitter and Facebook - where it has a combined 1,600 fans/followers - has let the city get its messages out just as effectively as it did when it published a quarterly "Spirit" newsletter and a parks and recreation brochure, city spokeswoman Sue Olafson said.

Elgin is now banking the $78,000 it cost to print and distribute the brochure, which the city mailed to 35,000 households, as well as the $34,000 it once spent to produce and mail out the newsletter.

"I think that everybody right now in this kind of an economic environment is expected to do more with less," Olafson said. "The return on the social media investment is huge. What you put into it is very small."

In Geneva's case, Twitter, which the village logged onto last summer, was a natural step in its push toward using more electronic communication to become transparent, City Administrator Mary McKittrick said.

Officials all but ceased printing a newsletter; the reduced-sized hard copy version is only available to residents living in senior developments.

Everyone else can read it online, a move that is expected to save the village $8,000 annually, McKittrick said.

The village also e-mails a weekly electronic newsletter to its 2,500 subscribers detailing the city's happenings.

Geneva made the leap to the Internet because it didn't have enough employees to secure advertising for the newsletter and its general fund budget fell 8 percent and hours were cut.

"When that happens, you don't have the staff to do the work and it's going to take longer and you have to be more creative," McKittrick said. "That's why we use these types of tools ... there is no hard cost associated with them."

In Lake County, where multiple units of county government are on Twitter, officials plan to use the site to supplement, rather than fold, existing publications.

"A lot of times, we use it to reach people and then link back to publications or videos on our Web site," said Joe Chekouras, a county spokesman.

'Everybody's talking about that'

With the H1N1 flu dominating the news, the McHenry County Department of Health told its followers in short blasts how to protect themselves from it, offered a link to its vaccination schedule and asked nurse volunteers to help out at upcoming flu clinics.

"Remember, H1N1 vaccination is a long-term campaign and will continue for months," one "tweet" reads. "We expect everyone who wants a shot will (have) received one."

Spokeswoman Debra Quackenbush posts on the health department's behalf and says H1N1 flu information has dominated its Twitter site because "everybody's talking about that."

"The cold and flu season is upon us and we're seeing a lot more people interested," Quackenbush said. "Hopefully, they're sharing with their family and friends."

A crime-fighting tool?

The Web site's advantages haven't escaped local law enforcement agencies.

Bartlett and Naperville police departments use Twitter for public service announcements on daylight saving time, road closures and arrests.

They also send out information about unsolved crimes in hopes someone will help find the suspects who have eluded police.

Naperville police recently posted a tweet asking if anyone knew who was responsible for slashing tires on six parked vehicles in the downtown on Halloween.

The police department has yet to make an arrest based on a tip from one of its "followers," said Cmdr. Mike Anders. "I'm waiting for my first Twitter success story," he said.

Twitter newsies

East Dundee is just getting its feet wet.

Village Administrator Frank Koehler set up an account under his name in early October to see whether it would catch on in the village.

So far, his 30 followers have read about varying topics, including leaf burning, Halloween tips and the village's vote to ban video gambling.

An official village account is expected to follow suit by the end of the year, and while other towns may have a presence on Facebook, Koehler doubts East Dundee will ever go that route. He is just not a fan of the social networking site.

Twitter posts don't allow followers to comments, but on Facebook, "friends" can post their thoughts ad infinitum, something Koehler says often detracts from the original message.

"You see that in newspapers online and the 22 comments that follow," Koehler said. "They tend to comment back and forth with each other and pretty soon, you lose sight of what you were trying to get out there."

As well, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 has recognized the benefits of Twitter and will make its debut on the site later this month.

The state's second largest high school district plans to use it as a public relations tool - for promoting success stories and encouraging local attendance at student plays, concerts and other fine arts activities, spokeswoman Venetia Miles said.

For now, the district would reserve emergencies and other pressing information for its Web site, but that's not to say those announcements won't one day find their way to Twitter.

"How we use Twitter will be constantly evolving," Miles said.