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Comment worries put Dare Facebook page on hold
Dare’s website doesn’t include a Facebook link.
County officials, seeing the potential of social media to move information quickly, had set up a page and were ready to join Facebook’s worldwide online community.
But after Facebook went public on Wall Street earlier this year, it discontinued the option for site administrators to lock out comments.
While several departments, including Parks and Recreation, have their own Facebook pages, a countywide page was put on hold.
During a discussion of a new social media policy, county staffers and members of the Board of Commissioners focused on the resources involved in monitoring comments, potential legal liability and the risk of personal attacks.
“People can be very hurtful, and we seem to attract that,” Commissioner Allen Burrus said at Monday’s board meeting.
County Manager Bobby Outten said that the small public relations staff does not have the time or manpower to monitor and respond to comments.
“The problem with the comments, for me, is less the negative comment than it is managing the comments,” he said. “When you allow comments, then you create an expectation of responses when people send you information that’s topical . . .
“If you don’t have the staff and the people to respond and act on that information that’s coming in, then you shouldn’t put the medium out there to accept the comments.”
Individual departments with Facebook pages are required to monitor comments, and if one is deleted they must log and copy it. Problem visitors can be banned. The assigned administrator of the page also receives an e-mail alert of a posting.
While Facebook chatter can be an issue for governments, some websites are moving toward requiring commenters to sign up under their Facebook accounts rather than allowing anonymity or nicknames.
In lieu of Facebook, the county is offering other means to get information in addition to its website.
In an emergency such as a hurricane, the Emergency Management department will activate its own web page, Public Relations Director Dorothy Killingsworth said.
Users can also sign up for an RSS feed and automatically receive press releases by e-mail as soon as they are available.
“So I think our citizens and property owners and media, all folks, are really going to appreciate that feature,” she said.
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Duke Geraghty says:
Good move on the County’s part. As Ms Killingsworth stated, there is plenty of medium to get emergency news out to the public. It starts with the good job OBX Voice does. I don’t think our county employees need to be spending any more time on FB then they already do and a county page shouldn’t be the place for policy debate.
Monty montcalm says:
I have been in DAre for 12 years and I have yet to see any kind of emergency planning documentation that provide me with oprikmary and alternate RADIO stations or other media that have the latest county news !!! Not really great when you have lkeft the beach and are thinking of heading back !!!!
infojunkie says:
Using their own website will be welcomed.
Commissioners, managers and staff might benefit from continuing education about modern communication and social media. Hopefully all will revisit this decision after they have a better understanding about the importance of facebook and other social media as tools of communication for the masses and how they can be integrated into their current media plan.
Will folks appreciate this? Yes. I think most have expected it well before now.
Nags head bob says:
Non resident property owners have very little say as it is. A comment section might allow them to vent their complaints about the county government. Can’t have that…….
John Mcconaughey says:
Afraid of criticism? Cute.
Pete Hummers says:
Facebook is a proprietary (closed) environment with profound privacy issues, not to mention the near-criminality of its leadership (the film “The Social Network” only deals with the tip of that iceberg).
As Andrew Brown has written in the U.K. Guardian,
“Facebook is not your friend
“If you care about your privacy and that of your real friends, unfriend Facebook now. We are its product, not its customers”
The open-source (for now) world-wide web should be enough of a “Social Network” for anyone, especially with the myriad of free blogging platforms … and anyone that requires me to use a Facebook account to comment will immediately lose me forever.
cmsobx says:
Count me in agreement on the previous comment concerning requiring me to use Facebook. That is a deal breaker for me also. Anyone with a criticism for the county can take the time to look up the appropriate person on the county website and either email or call that person. I’ve done it and have gotten a return call or email every time.
obxer says:
That’s a good decision Dare County. I am not a facebook user and dont plan on joining facebook. Agree with the previous post that sites requiring you to join their site with facebook turn me off and I will not use them.
Majority of the comments are a waste of time.
Jeff says:
Gee, we wouldn’t want folks commenting on the actions on our elected government officials. Funny how the bulk of the towns use Facebook without issues.
obxdad says:
Ridiculous – social media can provide the impetus for positive change, but Dare county would far prefer keeping us divided and conquered.
And some people seem perfectly content to play along.
junkman says:
What are they afraid of ? Constructive criticism ?
NagsHeader says:
Lets play “spot the old folks”.lol
Joan says:
Just wondering,
What does the $150,000 of our tax dollars spent on salaries (plus generous benefits)in the small PR department actually pay for? We have a lawyer for a leader, who needs PR? Love Jeff’s comment! When the County started airing commissioners meetings on TV, towns soon followed a good idea…on this good idea the towns are in, but the County is too prideful to follow or behind the times in the latest communications…why not communicate where all the people spend their time?
South of Oregon Inlet says:
REALLY Dorothy????
Thank God for battery operated radios and the wonderful folks who stayed on air and kept us as up to date as possible!!!
What good is an updated website and e-mails when you have no electricity and/or internet service????? Or the local government channel on TV that was off air for at least 2 months after Irene, but what did that matter since we had no cable either, in turn no cable meant the majority of Hatteras Island also had no internet, which is why so many of us have internet service with Embarq!
Prior to the actual hurricane their was that really embarrassing You Tube video from emergency management, hopefully they realized what a disgrace that was and have given up on using You Tube as a means of communication about an imposing hurricane!
NOT everyone in this County owns a computer or can afford a “smart phone” and the required data plan that comes along with it! Not that we had phone service either, no cells or land line phones!!I still have a dumb phone…..
Oh and I guess I am dumb too, since I have no idea what an RSS feed even is! There are so many of us down here just trying to survive by keeping a roof overhead and food on the table, who has the time or money to keep up with all this?
Now they are contemplating requiring us to join Facebook so we can find out we are in a state of emergency???? Hatteras Island has been in a state of emergency since the consent decree was signed! Irene was the icing on the cake!
If Dare County wants to use the internet to communicate with its residents then they need to supply all their residents with a dependable internet service and a free device to access it with!
In the meantime Dare ought to reconsider rewarding the radio station folks who did an excellent job of keeping folks informed over the airwaves. In fact Dare should contract with the local radio stations to keep us informed during emergencies and reward them for their awesome public service!
I would rather die than join Facebook and try to keep up with the endless dribble….. It is a social media outlet NOT a tool for emergency management, who are charged with protecting all of us!
“In an emergency such as a hurricane, the Emergency Management department will activate its own web page, Public Relations Director Dorothy Killingsworth said.
Users can also sign up for an RSS feed and automatically receive press releases by e-mail as soon as they are available.
“So I think our citizens and property owners and media, all folks, are really going to appreciate that feature,” she said.”
Steve says:
I bet the commissioners and other county leaders fear they will be called out on their shenanigans such as their tax payer funded vacations.
Fifi says:
If any of them used social media, they would be used to the terms “mark as spam,” “ban,” and “block.”
Apparently they prefer the dark ages.
teedoff says:
Of course they are scared of critcism. They are so disconnected from the people. They need to be voted out. ALL of them!!!