Montgomery Township is Full of 'Twits'

A little birdie told me Montgomery Township has joined the social network.

On Monday night, the supervisors voted unanimously to make @MontTwp and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Montgomery-Township-PA/114856081944737 a technological reality.

Montgomery Township Technology Manager Richard Grier told supervisors that management staff, including township manager Larry Gregan and public information coordinator Stacy Crandell, has been working on a social media policy since the spring.

“They had the input and insight into something like that,” Grier said. “To make an account takes a few minutes, but, as we see in the news, it has the potential to ruin peoples’ lives and jobs, so we wanted to make sure we did it the right way.”

The policy, he said, will give staff a foundation to move forward.

The draft policy was reviewed by solicitor Dischell, Bartle and Dooley, Grier said.

“The public information coordinator and I are working in conjunction to get the tweets and status updates online,” Grier said.

The website, he said, will be an alternative form of communication.

“Using Twitter and Facebook will enhance our communication ability so that we can respond to the community in a more timely manner,” Grier said.

Supervisor Joe Walsh asked where management got the framework for the policy. Grier said one specific framework was found after searching out numerous policies online.

“The one we found that was most suitable was the one from Seattle,” he said. “A lot of others were adopting that policy, so we tuned it to fit our needs.”

As of Wednesday, there were seven followers on the township’s Twitter page and eight Likes on its Facebook page.

On Monday night, the Twitter page had one follower: Rep. Todd Stephens.

“He’s everywhere,” joked Walsh.

Grier said as word gets out about the new social media sites, the township could let residents know how to connect to them.

“Those in the know are aware of the account and requested to follow us,” Grier said.

Walsh asked who would be handling the tweets at the township. Grier said primarily Crandell, but Gregan could also have access to it.

A manual will be made to utilize how to form online updates, he said.

Both platforms will be useful for the township in situations where an emergency or cancellation of an event has to be broadcast to the public.

Grier gave an example of how a recent concert in the park was cancelled and Twitter and Facebook would be useful in that respect to get the word out.

Gregan hinted that the township has set precedence with its social media policy.

“A lot of other municipalities in the area have asked us for a copy, and we’ve provided it to them,” he said. “We’re cutting edge.”

Prior to approval from supervisors, chairman Robert Birch and Walsh thanked the staff for all their input.

“Nice job,” said Walsh.