Blog: City on cutting edge of information offerings
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: December 08, 2004
Santa Paula has become a rarity: a city with its own blog.
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
Santa Paula has become a rarity: a city with its own blog. A blog is a Web site that offers information and City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, who also acts as Web master, said “Blog is the sort of a word that came from the phase Web log, it kind of morphed over time.”
The City of Santa Paula blog – perhaps the only one in the country – lacks some of the hallmarks of other blogs, especially the ability of visitors to leave comments. “This is meant to be a place where, if people are looking for updates on news and information, the city can get it up quickly and it’s easy to access” in a timely manner.
Of course, the timely manner depends on Bobkiewicz, who after Thursday’s council meeting posted information about the session - that lasted until about 11 p.m. - on the blog after midnight. Postings can consist of just a “couple of lines” that people will find informative, Bobkiewicz added.
“We have no television station that covers us, with the daily newspapers it’s catch as catch can, the same with radio, and the Santa Paula Times is published twice a week. For those looking for news, the blog is up to the minute information,” on city business. Bobkiewicz used as an example the budget cuts the council tentatively agreed to at the December 2 special meeting.
“The people wanted to know what happened with the cuts and don’t want to wait to get the facts the next morning. Our blog will post the pertinent acts of the council after each meeting and then they can turn to the newspapers,” for more details.
All news organizations offer such cyberspace service and Bobkiewicz noted that the city blog meets one of the council’s goals of better use of computer technology. The council approved the creation of the blog at the November 15 meeting at the urging of Councilman John Procter, who noted, “This is kind of my baby, I asked for it.”
Bobkiewicz noted that the city’s blog is the first in the state and Vice Mayor Mary Ann Krause noted that a blog would be a “good way to communicate” accurate city information.
“My only concern is beating the bush on the Webmaster,” Bobkiewicz, said Councilman Rick Cook. “I don’t want to see him here at night or weekends,” working on the blog.
“As the Web master I think we should give it a try,” said Bobkiewicz. “I think it would be fun.…”
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