Charleston County Ramping Up Social Media Presence

As more and more people are relying on social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for news and information, Charleston County is growing it's online presence to keep up.

County staff has been tweeting from the @ChasCountyGov Twitter account for two years now, and the Emergency Management Department and the Consolidated 9-1-1 Center have been managing Facebook pages since July 2010 and April 2011 respectively. The county also has been running a YouTube channel since March 2009. In December it finally launched an official Facebook page.

"We are pleased about expanding the County’s means of communicating with the public," Charleston County Administrator W. Kurt Taylor said in a press release. "Until recently, government entities had to rely on costly direct mail or the media to get information out to constituents. Today, social media is rapidly developing as a fast and free way to share news and information, and the County has embraced this ability to directly communicate with our citizens."

County officials encourage Charleston County residents to follow the Twitter account or like the main Charleston County Facebook page to see all of the news releases the county sends out, as well as to gain access to additional photos and videos from various county events.

The Facebook Pages run by individual departments give residents easy access to other important information as well. For example the Consolidated 9-1-1 Center Facebook page includes a video how-to guide for making a 9-1-1 call, and the Emergency Management Department's Facebook page will play a central role in distributing up-to-date information on emergency situations like hurricanes and other disasters, both natural and man-made.

"We will always see the value in face-to-face communication and will still use direct mail to reach people when that is the appropriate means. But in today's fast-paced world, we want to take advantage of giving people multiple ways to find out about our news and services," Taylor said.