Tech shifts how city gets the word out

Published June 24, 2011

Getting the word out today involves more than a press
release, says Elgin City Manager Sean Stegall, who says
the city must look at multiple information platforms,
such as the Internet, as well as traditional media.
(Image by Stock.xchng vi)

First of two
By Ted Schnell • BocaJump
The explosive growth of new media over the past 15 years has seen a correspondingly dramatic shift in the way people gather and share information – even how they communicate individually with each other.

“You can never communicate enough,” City Manager Sean Stegall said Wednesday afternoon.

More media vie for city ad dollars

Published June 24, 2011

Information is gathered today in far many more ways
than when it was delivered on your front porch.
(Image by Stock.xchng vi)

Second of two
By Ted Schnell • BocaJump
The dominance of traditional media such as newspapers, radio and television once meant there were relatively few choices for “getting the word out” about anything.

For cities, government agencies, civic groups and businesses, press releases typically were the way to go, sometimes sparking enough interest that an editor would assign a reporter and photographer or cameraman to cover the story.

Elgin's post-blizzard dig continues

Published Feb. 4, 2011
By Ted Schnell • BocaJump
Elgin residents awoke to sunny skies that took a slight edge off the bitter cold on Friday, two days after the end of a blizzard that dumped about 18 inches of snow on the area. City roadways were clearer than they had been since the massive snowstorm hit Tuesday, as Public Works Department crews continued efforts to widen the paths through snow-clogged side streets that just days earlier had been limited in some cases to just one lane.

City manager on road with plow crews

City Manager Sean Stegall posted this image
of city plows to Facebook while on the job
with city snow command crews late Tuesday.

Published Feb. 1, 2011
This first story was updated more than 30 times over the course of its first 12 hours online. In large part, the number of updates reflects the ingenuity of the city manager, who used his smartphones and computer tablet to update residents via city Facebook and Twitter accounts, demonstrating the relevance and effectiveness of social media when news is developing.

By Ted Schnell • BocaJump
Schools, government offices and even some businesses closed earlier than usual on Tuesday afternoon as they buckled down in preparation for a monster snowstorm that one city official described as potentially extraordinary.

City plows were out in force as the snowfall intensified.