Southold Town Set to Explore Social Media

Southold Town might soon begin exploring ways to become a bit more savvy in the realm of social media.

At today’s work session, Councilman Jim Dinizio began by saying he’d like to see the town’s website more user friendly in terms of having department schedules and calendars easily accessible.

The discussion then moved on to social media. Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said the process involves more than just creating a Facebook page; concerns are raised over public comments and other issues.

“It has been suggested in the past that Southold Town should come into the 21st century and utilize social media,” he said in an email after the meeting. “Posting information and issuing notices is an efficient way of getting information to the the public in an expeditious way and it allows us the ability to provide information that is more complete and substantial than can be included in a legal notice.”

Dinizio said former Special Projects Director Phillip Beltz had utilized social media handily to announce the town’s youth bureau events.

While the board agreed to investigate the possibilities further, Russell said concerns need to addressed. “Issues such as content and public comment sections can prove to be a challenge,” he said. “For instance, do comments on the site count as public input if the comment is made under a notice of a public hearing? Also, do we regulate comments for inappropriate language? If so, is that censorship?”

The board agreed to evaluate the cost benefits over the next month or so, he said.