I had the privilege of  attending the recent annual conference of the California Association of Public Information Officials. While attendance was down slightly this year due to budget constraints, enthusiasm remained high among local government PIOs. “Thinking outside the box” and “doing more with less” were two common themes and discussion points. 

These are themes that CSAC has been adhering closely to for some time. Budgets are tight all over and we are not immune. But at the same time, never has there been a greater need for us to communicate our message and inform our members. Our mandate is to “do more with less.” To help accomplish this, we’ve been utilizing new technologies and social media venues. We’ve started this blog. We’ve created audio casts on the state budget. We recently held an online “webinar’ for the media statewide on County Government 101 that was well-attended.  All of these have little cost involved, except for staff time. And we are reaching new audiences. No, we aren’t in Kansas anymore. 

Stay tuned for even more new communication tools coming from CSAC. We will soon be unveiling a new, weekly electronic publication that will wrap the Legislative Bulletin and Around Our Counties into one piece. More information, more often. But we won’t stop thinking of new ways to communicate. No one has a monopoly on great ideas. We’d love to hear yours.