Remember the old days, when you could pick up the receiver on a wall phone and dial the telephone company to ask for information? Back then, most communities also had several competing newspapers covering local beats, and people who wanted to keep up with community happenings "took" one or more through a subscription.
The choices available today have exploded, beginning with cable television and on to a majority of people who have at least one type of personal and portable tools providing entertainment and information. Telephone land lines are priced to discourage their use and becoming obsolete (remember, they generally continued working even during long power outages). Today, electronic social networking sites and satellite access from anywhere is the norm.
A recent study by the Knight Commission examines the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, recognizing the stakes are higher in a digital age. Communities can be left in the dark ages if broadband is limited or charged by bandwidth use (similar to consuming electricity or natural gas), and these technologies are dramatically changing how our society communicates and stays informed. Economic health of regions is another element in this dialog.
This information and communication starts at a "Be local" mindset, and some area governments have grasped this shift. See Pulaski, Radford, Montgomery County or Blacksburg with public information flowing out from community or economic development functions using a variety of technology tools and staffers charged with being today's "Town Criers."
The technology may include a public information channel on a local television cable franchise, webcasts on demand from the government's homepage, email alerts and traditional media outlets as either news articles or advertisements.
Spend a few minutes reviewing any of these sources to grasp the scope of the types of information being made available. Payment of bills, ordinance changes (including what and why), citizen meetings about special tourism districts and incentives, specific traffic events (so you can plan an alternate route or watch out for the street crews), to volunteer opportunities and recreational program details and highlights.
Christiansburg currently has the technology and ability to offer this type of information, and should do so both for its citizens and as a way to market itself without the function simply serving as a propaganda machine. Done correctly, this can help engage business operators, attracting investment to our area (whether commercial or residential), and build an informed and supportive citizenry. Leaders recently touched on this when presenting the Vision 2020, stating a Public Information Officer hire would be a good thing.
Agreed, yet any constraints which have allowed a dearth of information in the past need to change first. The practice of selectively releasing information (what and when, or to whom) also needs to be addressed. There's no reason to wait for another new position to be funded and filled before the town starts pushing out information which would benefit and build this community.