My boss asked me to write something for this blog about an award we just received for our social media program. Although the award is from a well-respected organization and we have put a lot of work into interacting online… my first thought was that people wouldn’t care and we’d sound like we were tooting our own horn. An actual trophy arrived in the mail yesterday, and I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with it.
Then something happened yesterday that reminded me why it’s important that the City of Reno keep trying to connect with people on social media, and that more people know about it.
This tweet came in at 11:40 a.m. on October 3:
Well that didn’t seem right. So we looked into it, and it turns out that the contractor for the project sent out notices Monday instead of Friday as planned. We talked with the owner of the referenced business and with the contractor, and made arrangements to maintain access to the business for customers during the time of construction.
Our Twitter post at 6:45 p.m.:
The behind-the-scenes activity that you didn’t see involved public works staff having conversations and an in-person visit with the business owner, working out a plan to make sure customers could get to the business, arranging for the crew superintendent to slurry the street earlier in the day, and communicating the results back to public information staff.
We decided from the beginning that if we were going to try to connect with people online, we needed to be responsive and have an internal process for addressing any issues. I’m grateful for the department support we have to make that happen, and that we have so many people here who really care.
So this morning I found a place for that little glass award on the shelf above the counter on the 12th floor of City Hall, and now I’m hoping someone asks what it’s for.
We just started archiving our City Council meetings on our YouTube channel. We normally try to keep our videos short and sweet, but our special government channel allows us to upload long videos as well. We think this will be a nice format to archive these meetings.
As with any YouTube video, viewers can jump to any spot in the Council Meeting they want to see. We have a Council Meeting archive page set up on our website – check it out.
Do you need to file a report with the Reno Police Department but have little time and want to be able to do it at your own convenience?
The Reno Police Department offers an online reporting service by which you can report a variety of criminal and civil activity, as well as accidents. It’s simple to use. Simply visit www.reno.gov and select “Police Reporting System” from the Self-Service menu.
Once your report is submitted, it will be reviewed by the Reno Police Department staff. A case number will be issued and sent to the e-mail address you provided. On-line reports are processed just as walk-in reports are. If applicable, and there is viable suspect information, the report will be forwarded to a detective for follow-up and investigation.
If you wish to use the system and don’t have a computer of your own, you may use any public-access terminal, such as the ones located at any Washoe County library.
Reno’s Regional Emergency Dispatch Center is a dynamic place to work. The center is CALEA certified. On top of having this accreditation, the dispatchers handle all 911 calls and dispatch for nearly every public safety division in the Truckee Meadows. The dispatch is about to go through more changes to meet the demands of smart phones and other technology, so they can be even more effective at saving lives.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MH3EvSzbUg]
Several online services at www.reno.gov will be unavailable as the City of Reno conducts network maintenance and upgrades.
The interruption to online services will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 26. Every effort will be made to lessen the downtime and to restore these services as quickly as possible.
The following online services will be affected and may last through Monday, March 29:
• Sewer bill payments
• Parking ticket payments
• Service requests through Reno Direct
• Class registration for Parks and Recreation
• Sewer estimates
• Registration for golf tee times
• Reno Connect email notifications
• Webcams
The online filing of police reports will be affected yet is only expected to be unavailable for a three hour period. Additionally, emails sent to all reno.gov email address will experience a delay in delivery to the recipient.
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
Check out the City of Reno’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/cityofreno. Our videos have had over 26,000 views! Make sure to subscribe to our channel and browse our videos. You can rate them and submit your comments as well. Check out our ‘Most Viewed’ videos to see what everyone else is watching!
Take any smart phone and browse to www.Reno.gov. The mobile website is more than just formatted to fit a cell phone screen – and it’s not an application that must be downloaded. You can navigate the site via the touch screen using specially designed menus. During emergency situations, emergency announcements will appear first on the screen. News and events have been redesigned to be accessed easily from your phone.
We’re hoping to use your feedback on how to make the mobile site better. Please take a moment to try it out and share your ideas here http://www.reno.gov/Index.aspx?page=2066 or let us know on Facebook. Thanks for your help, and don’t forget to bookmark the site on your phone
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Posted by: Kristy Fifelski on October 4th, 2011 
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