Minneapolis Snow Emergency:
making friends on Facebook and MySpace
Students asked to create “Snow Emergency” videos for City cable
Dec. 3, 2008 (MINNEAPOLIS) With another snow season upon us, the City of Minneapolis is turning to fun, creative ways to get drivers informed about Snow Emergencies.
You can now find “Snow Emergency” on the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace. Along with offering some fun facts about Snow Emergencies and plowing, these pages will be updated whenever a Snow Emergency is declared. By “friending” Snow Emergency, you’ll be able to keep tabs on the latest Snow Emergency status.
Over the last several years, the City of Minneapolis surveyed drivers who had their cars towed during Snow Emergencies. Through that process, it was clear that many younger drivers were not hearing about Snow Emergencies. The City is now using these social networking tools as a way to reach these people and keep them informed about Snow Emergencies.
The City of Minneapolis is also using television to spread Snow Emergency awareness. We’re asking for aspiring videographers across town to create and submit fun, clever videos that help people follow Snow Emergency parking rules and avoid getting ticketed or towed. We plan to put the best videos we receive on our cable channels 14 and 79.
To give folks an idea of what we want, the City produced its own Snow Emergency video that parodies a “monster truck rally” commercial. It can now be viewed on YouTube or the Snow Emergency pages on Facebook or MySpace. For more information, go to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/snowbiz.
The videos and social networking sites join many other tools the City of Minneapolis has in place to prevent drivers from getting ticketed or towed during a Snow Emergency. Every fall, Snow Emergency information is mailed to every household in Minneapolis. Folks can also sign up to get e-mail alerts whenever a Snow Emergency is declared, and notifications are posted on the City’s Web site. In addition, Minneapolis uses a phone alert system to notify residents when Snow Emergencies are declared. It is an automated notification system that can place thousands of calls per hour. The City also has a hotline for folks to call (612-348-SNOW) and includes information in Spanish, Somali, and Hmong. News releases are sent to the media so TV and radio stations can inform their viewers and listeners that a Snow Emergency is in effect.