Allerdale Borough Council is embracing the digital age by using internet sites, such as the online video broadcaster YouTube and the social network site Facebook, to connect more with its communities in west Cumbria.
The local authority has launched its own channel on YouTube, featuring video clips profiling the work of the Council; ranging from informative films warning children of the dangers of playing on building sites, to coverage of entertainment events organised by the Council to celebrate public art installations.
In addition, Allerdale Borough Council has established a presence on Facebook. The unusual step started out as a way of encouraging younger voters to make sure they were on the Electoral Register but has grown to include links to the authority’s videos and its official website, as well as publicise upcoming events.
Visitors to the page can also communicate with the council by posting messages on its Facebook “wall”.
Initial reactions to the initiative have been positive, with local media picking up on the line that the Council is the first local authority in Cumbria to join the Facebook generation.
The Council has even begun a fun campaign to help spread a song featuring local dialect across the world, via YouTube, in a bid to put the area on the map. It has also produced its Council signs up to YouTube and Facebook
To watch Allerdale Borough Council’s videos, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/allerdalebc
For the council’s Facebook pages, visit:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/workington-United-Kingdom/Allerdale-Borough-Council/19233423780
