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Member Johnson stated that she understands the purpose of not allowing public comments, as one <br /> negative experience from someone does not necessarily need to be shared. She stated that younger <br /> people use Instagram much more than Facebook and therefore if this is going to be done, it should <br /> be a dual account. <br /> Economic Development Manager Sullivan confirmed that staff could look into that. <br /> Member MacLennan agreed that it would be important to reach out to the younger crowd as well. <br /> He stated that the ability to not have public comment is important, noting that posts often get ugly <br /> on the Ramsey Community Facebook page. <br /> Member Steffen stated that he understands the intent. He stated that the City of Ramsey Facebook <br /> page already has 5,600 followers and advertises for EDA events. He stated that he would prefer <br /> to stay with that method rather than creating more work to get less attention. <br /> Economic Development Manager Sullivan agreed it would be more work but stated that it would <br /> also allow posts to be more targeted. He stated that perhaps some Ramsey businesses are not <br /> following the City page because of the general posts that do not apply to them. He stated that if it <br /> is not successful, they could take the page down. He stated that there was a company that the City <br /> completed a spotlight on and there were a number of residents that did not have a positive <br /> experience with the business and therefore provided negative comments. He stated that this would <br /> be a way to highlight businesses without allowing opportunity for people to provide negative <br /> comments. He stated that he does not feel strongly that they have to pursue this option, as it was <br /> just an idea. <br /> Chairperson Olson stated that his wife has a social media business and in order to have an effective <br /> social media presence requires constant effort, otherwise it would go dormant. He believed that <br /> the time needed to make it successful may be underestimated. He stated that he does see value in <br /> going to social media as tentacles from the City website, with the City website remaining as the <br /> main information source. He stated that allowing comments can be dangerous, but perhaps there <br /> is an ability for someone to provide a comment or reach out through messenger. <br /> Economic Development Manager Sullivan stated that he would include his contact information on <br /> the page and could also include a representative from the EDA if desired. He stated that the goal <br /> is not to provide communication, but not to facilitate discussion in a public manner. <br /> Member Johnson commented that at different times of the year businesses would offer different <br /> specials and perhaps businesses could submit their information to be shared on the EDA page. <br /> Economic Development Manager Sullivan stated that he would lean towards not doing that as it <br /> would be difficult to provide direct advertising for a specific business. He stated that the City <br /> offers advertising through the Ramsey Resident at a set price. He noted that he also does not want <br /> to create that additional work for staff to sift through requests to create advertisements for the <br /> Facebook page. <br /> Economic Development Authority/February 10, 2022 <br /> Page 9 of 13 <br />