Communication is Key - April 27, 2016
Throughout time, communication has allowed us to work together toward a common goal, to survive in a harsh environment, and to enjoy one another’s company. Communication on a larger scale presents its own set of challenges, and our changing demographics and advancing technology only complicates the dissemination of information. Meeting these challenges takes patience, innovation, and creativity. We in Foster City are fortunate to have such talented people working in our Communications Division. Under the leadership of Doris Palmer, who also wears her City Clerk hat, our City has met and is still meeting these ever changing challenges.
In the days before the Internet, we read local newspapers to find out what was happening in our city. Even after the invention of television, the newspaper was still popular as a source of news. Now, however, we have so many sources for our news that reaching the residents requires a diverse knowledge of many different technologies and resources, requiring us to hone our skills regarding new communication channels to effectively communicate with our residents.
Our City has a long history of active public engagement. In 1963, the Foster City Progress newsletter was created as a community-based communication tool. The Foster City Islander was founded in 1973. Live broadcasting of the City Council meetings started through the establishment of FCTV in 1978. The telecast content of FCTV was expanded in 1996-97; and in 2000, FCTV started streaming online. In 2014, the FCTV YouTube channel was created. Since April of 2015 and the initial launch of the Communications Division, the City’s use of social media tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Foster City Forum, has increased outreach to our residents. The Foster City Forum is an online tool that is used to receive feedback from the community. Most recently, the City has launched Foster City Access and the E-newsletter. Foster City Access is a tool that residents may use to report issues directly to the correct City department for prompt resolution.
Moving forward, the Communications Division’s goals include motivating and supporting the City Council, staff, and the public to engage in City initiatives and activities and transforming our community relations through genuine dialogue. These efforts will be supported through the use of current and new tools to inform, educate, and engage our residents. The City plans to increase our presence on social media, provide more information and resources to our residents, develop communication plans for every city project, and explore new communication tools to expand our outreach.
With our innovative and creative Communications Division on the job, we will increase our outreach to our residents and remain in touch with your voice. This is meant to be a two-way conversation and communication effort; and, with your help, we will continue our history of active public engagement.
As always, you may reach me at cmahanpour@fostercity.org if you have any comments or ideas as to how to improve our communication efforts.
