Tue
Feb 9 2010
11:13 pm
A Useful Facebook Page
By: RoaneBooster

I've come across a Facebook page that I think could be very useful to Roane citizens. The Roane County Office of Emergency Services & Homeland Security has a (relatively) new page on the social networking site Facebook.

You can go to it here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kingston-TN/Roane-County-TN-Office-of-Emergency-Services-Homeland-Security/280572297660

I'm not sure why the URL didn't convert to a link, but it should still work if you copy and paste the whole thing.

There are already some useful pieces of information there. There are two things about it I like: 1) They can communicate important and useful stuff to the citizens, and 2) by posting our own comments, we can provide input, ask questions, even report situations (like bad weather/roads, etc). I think this is a good step, and I commend it to all of you who use Facebook. Maybe some of you who don't could give it a try. You may find it worth your while.

RB

Topics:

Facebook

Submitted by onetahiti on February 10, 2010 - 8:25am.

I do not recommend Facebook to individuals because of the site's past egregious privacy and security problems. On the other hand, Facebook can be relatively safe for businesses and organizations.

Unfortunately, individuals cannot experience the pages of participating organizations without an account themselves. :(

Of course the Roane County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is to be commended for this attempt at communication and openness.

However, the county would be better served were the OEM&HS to also improve their own website.

-- OneTahiti

Agree

Submitted by WhitesCreek on February 10, 2010 - 8:24am.

What One T said!

...the county would be better served were the OEM&HS to also improve their own website.

It's about all the tools one can put in one's toolbox...

Submitted by RoaneBooster on February 10, 2010 - 11:01am.

You know what? - you do what you can with what you've got. As you can get to it. There is not really, IMHO, a "better" served way to go... there is putting as many tools in one's toolbox as possible. That seems to be a better way to go than saying one or the other is the way to go. This is A tool, obviously not THE tool. Should we ask them to take it down because one has to have an account to see the pages (FREE account, I might add)?

I think past is perhaps a decent word in describing how egregious a site Facebook is. There are numerous methods by which one protects oneself on the internet, which I utilize. And I have been safe from Facebook. Websites try to cause me more problems that my protective systems detect than Facebook does - at least at present. I'm not talking about those past egregious things.

All this is stuff they are trying to do for free, especially since there is a new commissioner from Rockwood who is the self-appointed watchdog to root out all the massive waste and luxury in the emergency management department (though he has no expertise in the subject).

That said, from what I'm hearing there is a plan to put some time into making a more updated website for them. It's a walk before you run issue.

There is another issue as well: Facebook is much more quickly updateable as things happen, and it provides for simple and fast feedback/input. Facebook changes happen on the fly. Website changes do not. Real-time two-way communications is more facile using a Facebook interface than a website. And that isn't egregious - it's good.

RB

RB

Submitted by onetahiti on February 10, 2010 - 4:18pm.

RB,

I agree completely that there need not be just one method of communication. :)

However, I must disagree with your statement, "Facebook changes happen on the fly. Website changes do not. Real-time two-way communications is more facile using a Facebook interface than a website."

After all, Facebook is a website. And this (RoaneViews) is a website. Two-way communications are pretty facile here with many on-the-fly changes on a continuing basis. :) Putting up a Drupal site (like RoaneViews) for the county wouldn't take too long and Drupal is free, too. :)

And unlike Facebook's CEO did in January, at least RoaneViews' Whitescreek hasn't yet declared that "...privacy is dead." ((link...), (link...))

Also, Facebook is not free. It may not cost money directly but there is a price in lost privacy. Some of us value that more than others.

Bruce Schneirer, the security expert, wrote an excellent essay on this called The Eternal Value of Privacy.

-- OneTahiti

Two points

Submitted by WhitesCreek on February 10, 2010 - 11:22am.

1. I'm glad that at least one county commissioner accepts the fiduciary responsibility to see where our tax money goes. (He didn't appoint himself anyway, but we'll see how long his fervor lasts if he gets elected and settles in)

2. We've seen spectacular expenditures from our County Homeland Security Department. We're ready for bombs and terrorists. A dedicated website to deal with the more usual problems would not be that big a deal and the money could be spent locally.

That's whatcha get, I reckon...

Submitted by RoaneBooster on February 10, 2010 - 11:51am.

for trying to point out something positive and good. I should have known better.

1) The self-appointment I'm talking about is that of watchdogging things about which he is not qualified to pass judgment. I know full well he did not appoint himself to the County Commission, WC. Contrary to your apparent belief I am not as stupid as I look.

2) Prior to judging what seem to be "spectacular expenditures" it might be good to gain an actual understanding of where the money came from, what mandates came with it, and myriad other details. The FACT of the matter is that extravagance is NOT what is practiced by that department.

Nothin anybody does is good enough for some people, and I've found out again that I step in shit when I try to type something positive here.

I should return to lurking only.

RB

RB

Submitted by onetahiti on February 10, 2010 - 3:37pm.

I said that the county should be commended for having a Facebook page. I'm not sure why you think you "stepped in sh*t."

I just wanted to point out that Facebook, a private business in the business of gathering and selling private information, a business that many people are rightly avoiding, should not be the only web-based means for the communication of this valuable emergency and security information.

Remember that I love your posts! :) :) :)

-- OneTahiti

The county has been offered free services from a web developer

Submitted by onetahiti on February 10, 2010 - 12:33pm.

An improved website need not cost a dime.

-- OneTahiti

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