Caption lakeblue: Our Expert video's were shown on the YouTube Channel to highlight and share our department staff's skills and knowledge
The department continued to use social media as a tool for conversation with our visitors and users. We have more than 3,100 subscribers that follow our social media posts each day.
Though social media was popular, it was visitation to the department’s traditional website that exploded in 2012. There were more than 164,000 visits to the department website in 2012, up a whopping 53 percent from 2011. The department website is now the third most heavily visited department site in the city, second only to Police and Human Resources/Employment.
Social media likely helped these numbers; the department’s social media strategy revolves around using current park, recreation, exercise and fitness trends to highlight its own parks, high-quality staff and recreation facilities. Most posts to the department's Facebook page and Twitter account includes a link to a corresponding webpage.
The department also created a YouTube channel in 2012, which it uses for a series “Experts” videos to highlight the skill and knowledge of department staff while sharing useful professional advice residents can use at home.
Caption lakeblue: Lifeguards taking a break last summer during the 1st Annual Lifeguard Olympics. Lifeguards made 242 rescues in city pools in 2012. The games are a fun way for guards to stay sharp and build a sense of teamwork crucial to keeping our busy pools safe.
