AVON, Ind. – In a move to extend its outreach to constituents, the Town of Avon is employing the full resources of the Internet and social media. In addition to creating a polling forum and town manager blog on its website at www.AvonGov.org, the town has also created a You Tube channel, a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter account. Avon is the first in Hendricks County and one of the few in Central Indiana to use these tools as a cost effective approach to communicate with constituents.
You Tube is a video sharing website that allows users to upload their own videos. The town plans to use You Tube to explain road projects, zoning issues, and overviews of the public meetings. Currently, there is an explanation of the Go!Avon dual-lane roundabout project at Dan Jones and County Road 100 N. and recaps of Plan Commission and Town Council meetings.
“We are always looking for ways to communicate with residents and stakeholders,”
Internet users can go to www.youtube.com/
Facebook is a social media website where friends can share photos and information. One of the newer features is fan pages. Last month, the Town of Avon created a fan page that can update subscribers on events, news, and photos. Recently, fans were told about the closure of Dan Jones Road at County Road 100 N. for the upcoming dual-lane roundabout project.
The Facebook Fan Page is only accessible to users of Facebook and can be found by searching for Town of Avon, Indiana.
Finally, Twitter is a microblogging website where users can post short messages in their status box. Followers can be updated on the computer or even texted over their phones, if they choose. While the typical user posts about what they’re doing, Klein plans on using the resource to alert residents about breaking news.
“Twitter is still very new, but it offers us a cost-effective way to text many people at once,” Klein said. “We can use it to cancel meetings or events or post an intersection opening.”
The Avon Twitter account may be followed at the web address twitter.com/
