blogging, multi media and bunnies
TRANSCRIPT
Living…for the CityBlogging, Multi-media & Bunnies: Three Things You Need Not Fear
Living…for the City
• Who cares if I have a blog?
• How can blogs help downtown/Main Street districts revitalize their communities?
• What factors make blogs effective means for communication?
Living…for the City
Tacoma, Washington• Second largest city in
the Puget Sound region• 2008 population –
200,000 (with a bullet)• Transformed over the
past decade from a “gritty mill town” into “America’s #1 Wired City”
Living…for the City
Downtown Tacoma
Business Improvement
Area (District)• 84-block assessment
district• Services: Security,
maintenance, and marketing
• Budget: > $750K annually
Living…for the City
Why Blog?• Electronic Bulletin Board - fast way to connect with our
diverse publics • No Spin Zone - ability to shape message and deliver it
accurately • Street Cred – more effectively market our value to
constituents, city leaders• Coolness – being hip to what our target groups want
and to be where they hang out
Living…for the City
Venues• BIA Blog (http://
tacomadowntown.blogspot.com/)
• On RAMP (http://on-ramp.blogspot.com/)
• Tacoma Tech Connect (http://tacomatechconnect.blogspot.com/)
Living…for the City
Results• Successfully renewed assessment district despite
organized effort to end it• Visibility and clout of our organization increased
dramatically• Gained access to young urban professionals, our
target group for housing and tech start-ups
Living…for the City
Elements of a Successful Blog• Relevancy• Timeliness• Novelty• Engaging Writing
• Regularity
Living…for the City
Columbia, Illinois• Smaller suburb in the St.
Louis metropolitan region
• 2008 population – 9,818 (also with a bullet)
• Transforming from an agricultural center to a high-income bedroom community to…?
Living…for the City
Civic Progress
Committee• 11-block Introductory
Main St. Community• Initiating work on all four
points
• Façade program well underway and streetscape project about to launch
Living…for the City
Why Blog?• Electronic Bulletin Board - fast way to connect with our
diverse publics • Broad Cast – getting the word out to potential
customers, developers, etc.• Run Deep – they don’t know what we think they know
(they don’t know what they think they know)
• Coolness – building bridges to our target groups
Living…for the City
Venues• Topix (Bloggers
Beware!)• Columbia Connections (
http://www.illinoiscolumbia.blogspot.com/)
• Find It! in Monroe County (http://monroecountylocal.blogspot.com/)
• Columbia Crossings (http://columbiacrossings.blogspot.com)
Living for the City
Living…for the City
Results• Building an audience for our programs and initiatives• Beginning to build a brand for local shopping• Engaging young professionals• Broadening our reach to external audiences (retailers,
developers, etc.)
Living…for the City
Lessons Learned• Deploy blogs as one venue—have an overall strategy• Know why you blog—then fill that niche• Budget for blogging—time, talent, technology• Moderate comments—and monitor them
Living…for the City
Thank you!
Paul A. Ellis
Director of Community & Economic Development
City of Columbia
208 S. Rapp
Columbia, IL 62236
(618) 281-7144 x.118
(618) 281-5477