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ITD exploring use of social media to serve customers

Development of new Internet sites provide government agencies with a variety of communication options that didn’t exist a decade ago. Among them are Facebook. MySpace, Twitter, Linked-In, Youtube and Flickr.

Like many transportation departments across the country, ITD is assessing how social media sites can help reach new, technology-sophisticated customers. ITD communications specialist June Sparks explained the potential to members of the department’s executive team Monday. (Click on logo to visit ITD's YouTube site.)

“We are evaluating the various new media applications as part of our overall effort to get information directly to the customer, and to make them aware of the many positive programs and safety campaigns happening at ITD that are not always covered by traditional media,” Sparks explained.

She recently researched the use of the alternative media across the country and found:

29 states use 511 services to communicate highway, travel and weather conditions
19 have e-mail updates/alerts/RSS feeds
18 have Twitter accounts to convey short messages (140 characters or less)
9 have Youtube (a site for short video segments)
2 have Flickr (primarily a repository for still images/photos)
6 have Facebook
3 have blogs, and
2 do “podcasting,” recorded messages tailored for I-Pod and similar technology
8 states do not use social media to convey messages

Following is a state-by-state overview of how they use the emerging technology:

Alabama: None	Montana: 511, RSS feeds, Twitter
Alaska: e-mail updates, text message, 511	Nebraska: 511, Twitter
Arizona: e-mail updates, 511	Nevada: 511
Arkansas: Twitter	New Hampshire: 511
California: 511	New Jersey: 511
Colorado: 511, Twitter	New Mexico: 511, RSS feeds
Connecticut: e-mail updates and traffic alerts, Trips 123	New York: 511, webcasts, email news alerts
Delaware: e-mail updates, RSS feeds, Flickr, Twitter, Youtube	North Carolina: Youtube
District of Columbia: Facebook, Twitter, traffic alerts, newsletters	North Dakota: 511
Florida: e-mail updates and traffic alerts, 511	Ohio: None
Georgia: 511	Oklahoma: None
Hawaii: None	Oregon: Radio news and videos on server
Idaho: 511, Twitter, Youtube, e-mail updates	Pennsylvania: 511
Illinois: e-mail updates, Twitter, Facebook	Rhode Island: Twitter, blog, Facebook, MySpace
Indiana: RSS feeds, mobile updates	South Carolina: None
Iowa: “Staying Connected” 511, Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds, e-mail updates, Youtube, newsletters	South Dakota: None
Kansas: 511, mobile updates	Tennessee: 511, Twitter, monthly column - In Motion
Kentucky: Twitter 511, RSS feeds	Texas: Facebook, podcasting, Youtube, Twitter
Louisiana: 511	Utah: Twitter, text updates, RSS feeds
Maine: 511, e-mail alerts	Vermont: 511
Maryland: None	Virginia: 511, Youtube, Twitter
Massachusetts: 511	Washington: “Stay Connected” blog, Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, RSS feeds
Mississippi: Evacuation alerts on Twitter	West Virginia: None
Minnesota: 511, e-mail updates	Wisconsin: 511
Michigan: RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, 511	Wyoming: 511, 511 notify alerts
Missouri: Facebook, Twitter, Blog, YouTube, podcasting, widgets