NC|Com NC3C’s Magazine for Communication Professionals May 2012
Volume Four. Number Four
THANKS, FOR BEING OUR VERY FIRST NC3C CONFERENCEESPONSORR about them: ElectriCities provides customer service and safety training, emergency and technical assistance, communications, government affairs and legal services. Through consolidation se of these services, members save their customers the expense of administering these functions locally.
ElectriCities also provides management services to the state’s two municipal Power Agencies: North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1) and North Carolina E®astern Municipal Power Agency (NCEMPA). Most member cities have been in the electric business for 100 years or more.
ElectriCities - serving the needs of public power communities through collective strength, wisdom and action while promoting a more successful future for our citizens.
ElectriCities of NC Annual Conference Co 2012 - August 9-11 - Myrtle Beach
visit them online:
www.electricities.com
We’re looking for sponsors for the 2013 NC3C Conference. Interested? E-mail mpitts@hickorync.gov.
NC|Com
®
NC3C’s Magazine for Communication Professionals
published by the Pitt County Office of Public Information for NC3C Volume Four . Number Four
nc3c executive officers president vice president secretary treasurer past president
Mandy Pitts, City of Hickory Gary Herman, City of Newton Kiara Jones, Pitt County Joshua Harris, City of Morganton Steve Hawley, City of Greenville
contributors writers
Mandy Pitts, City of Hickory Kiara Jones, Pitt County, NC Featured NC3C conference presenters: Daren C. Brabham, Ph.D. Frayda S. Bluestein & Dave Hardin Sonya Shaw
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www.electricities.com Gary Herman, City of Newton Jay-Jay Trophies & Awards www.carolinainn.com/
NC Com magazine, established in 2011, is published quarterly in Pitt County, North Carolina, by the Pitt County Office of Public Information for the North Carolina City and County Communicators (NC3C). Subscriptions: visit www.nc3c.com or the site of any executive officer for your free subscription. Magazine is published online only. To request a high-quality printed version, call 252.902.2955 or e-mail pittinfo@pittcountync.gov. Allow 7-10 days for delivery. For costs, contact the Office of Public Information. Advertising: Rate card available upon request from Publisher. © 2012 Pitt County Office of Public Information for NC3C (All Rights Reserved.)
The making of the NC3C Excellence in Communications Award. See the whole story in Shop Talk.
NC|Com
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NC3C’s Magazine for Communication Professionals Volume Four. Number Four
In This Issue cover stories 7
Spring has sprung ...some awards!
General Membership Minutes
Catch up on what went on during our annual general membership meeting at this year’s conference
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They Came and We Learned... A Lot
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2012 NC3C Award Winners
Check out some of the awesome presentations we experienced at the 2012 conference
Some great communicators were rewarded for some great work. See who came out of the conf. with a win
fixtures 6 8 16
President’s Message Should I...? Remember the Members Only jackets? Shop Talk There’s one on nc3c.com. Do you know where? (image: target.com)
came to the conference but aren’t a member? well, fill out the form on 14-15 and make it official!
NC
3C
is on
North Carolina
City & County Communicators
www.nc3c.com Visit us. Then join us.
C 3 C N e r A e W / m o c . e b u t u d r a w a 2 www.yo 201 See the s d i v g n i n win
President’s Message
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Dear NC3C Members,
NC3C President Mandy Pitts
Dear NC3C Members, It is an honor to serve as your President again this year and I appreciate the vote of confidence during our March 29 General Membership meeting in Chapel Hill. Over the last year, we developed new communication tools; membership grew 41 percent, and participation in the “Excellence in Communications” awards program increased. The three goals set for last year were met and that is because the board of directors and the entire membership worked hard to achieve the goals. A special thank you goes to Judy Rhew Davidson (Bumcombe) for being an excellent Vice-President in 20112012, as well as Secretary in 2010-2011. Over the last year she worked closely with Catherine Lazorko (Chapel Hill) to plan the stellar NC3C conference last month. We appreciate Judy’s service to the board of directors over the past two years. Another important thank you goes to LouAnne Kincaid (Caldwell County) for serving as treasurer for two years. This is a big job and it is more than just balancing a check book and making deposits. She has been patient, thorough and generous with her time. Congratulations to all the “Excellence in Communications” award winners, and to Annette Privette-Keller who received the Chris Coulson Memorial Award. All awards are well-deserved. The food during the awards ceremony was magnificent, the speaker was entertaining, and the emcee for the awards, well she is just plain wacky (that is me). I felt like I was on a late-night comedy show with all the follies and fumbles with the presentation, but at least I kept all of you on your toes … you never knew what was coming next! I look forward to a new year and welcome Vice-President Gary Herman (Newton) and Treasurer Josh Harris (Morganton) to the NC3C Board of Directors. Kiara and I will enjoy working with you. Your NC3C Board will be developing the goals for this year in the upcoming month and we will share them with you in the summer edition of NC|COM. Wishing all a happy spring with no natural disasters, uprising of citizens or any other out of the ordinary drama. All my best,
Minutes from the NC3C General Membership Meeting Elections, Legislative Updates and More
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The general meeting started around 12:30p on Thursday with NC3C President Mandy Pitts opening up with a review of NC3C goals. She then opened the floor for questions from the members, and with none, thanked Past President Steve Hawley for being a mentor and presented him with a gift. Then Vice President Judy Rhew-Davidson thanked the conference committee for doing such a wonderful job planning the conference. She presented a call to renew membership and acknowledged our very first sponsor, Electricities (see their ad on page 2). Each member of the conference planning committee received a gift for their work. NC3C 2012 Conference Planning Committee: Judy Rhew Davidson, NC3C Vice President, Buncombe County; Catherine Lazorko, Conference Planning Chair, Town of Chapel Hill; Sabrina Oliver, Member, Town of Chapel Hill; Annette Privette, Member, Town of Matthews; Beverly Thompson, Member, Durham County; Brian Bowman, Member, City of Wilson; Deanna Boone, Member, Town of Cary; Stephanie Knotts, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools; Joni Powell, Member, Town of Holly Springs; Renee Boyette, Member, Triangle J Council of Government. Judy was presented an award for serving as 2011 Vice President and the meeting proceeded with door prizes and a treasurer’s report from LouAnne Kincaid. Secretary Kiara Jones reviewed minutes from the 2011 general membership meeting; reviewed web site updates and changes, including the new Members Profile page, which Gary Herman spoke of; and introduced NC|Com, the quarterly magazine comprised of articles written by members, to the group. Annette Privette-Keller then gave an update on certification. The School of Government can’t accommodate the org’s needs right now, and a motion was made by Steve Hawley and seconded by Glenn Hargett to table the item. Motion passed unanimously after a brief discussion of how long the process would take and if Annette felt the org could actually move forward with the process. Annette then gave a legislative update concerning organizing managers to better rally the General Assembly. She recommended getting to know legislators, write thank you notes, share what’s going on, and set up a day-in-the-life events for legislators to attend. Mandy Pitts told the group to be on the lookout for 2013 conference info in NC|Com, and Steve Hawley proceeded with elections. New executive officers: President: Mandy Pitts, City of Hickory; Vice-President: Gary Herman, City of Newton; Secretary: Kiara Jones, Pitt County; Treasurer: Joshua Harris, City of Morganton; Past President: Steve Hawley, City of Greenville. After a call for new faces in leadership, Mandy adjourned the meeting. Interested in why we run things the way we do? See the bylaws online at www.nc3c.com.
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Should I... Join NC3C...
Yes, you should! If you attended the fantastically great 2012 NC3C Conference in late March, you know that we have some fantastically talented government communicators in our organization, who are excellent at what they do and are willing to share their expertise with their peers. If you attended the conference, you also know that we hold general meetings in order to go over important news concerning the members, elect executive officers, vote on bylaws changes, etc. Did you see that word, “vote”? Well that’s something you can’t do when you’re not a member! See how great our org is and want to serve as an officer? Well, you can’t do that either if you’re not a member! And, if you’re reading this as a nonmember, you should know that articles are written by, you guessed it, members! If you want to write a story or want your jurisdiction to be covered in NC|Com, go ahead and fill out the membership form toward the end of the mag. Ok? Ok. Kiara Jones|Pitt County Yep. She’s a member. 8
NC3C members and conference attendees,
Check out the updated NC3C web site! You can find photos from the conference, posted by VP Gary Herman (he made a nice slideshow of them on the ’12 – Chapel Hill page, found under Photo Galleries); download the PowerPoints of the conference presenters on the 2012 Spring Conference page; see the NC3C Excellence in Communications Awards recipients on the 2012 NC3C Awards page; and new to the site – NC3C News! You’ll find press releases concerning NC3C award winners and a link to the story from the NCACC’s publication, CountyLines. Check back often for news concerning the organization, and if you’re a member with some great news to share, send over the press release to pittinfo@pittcountync.gov. Lastly, you’ll see a link to the NC3C YouTube Channel, where you’ll find clips of the 2012 Excellence in Communications Award-winning programs. So visit the site, and visit often! God bless! - Kiara J., NC3C Secretary
New! Member Profile: Gary Herman Gary works for the City of Newton and he’s pretty cool Get profiled in this section by sending your info and pic to gherman@newtonnc.gov to be placed on the Member Profiles page on NC3C’s web site.
Q: A:
How long have you worked for Newton?
6 years (former newspaper reporter and editor for 12 years prior)
Q: A:
Degree(s)?
BA in Business Administration from Lenoir-Rhyne University
Q: A:
Public Information Officer City of Newton (828) 695-4266 gherman@newtonnc.gov
What do your duties entail?
News releases, photography, special event planning, special projects, employee and citywide newsletters, copy editing/proofreading, videos, etc.
Q: A:
Garnered numerous national and state awards
Q: A:
Major work accomplishments?
Fun facts?
www.newtonnc.gov Married 12 years, have two boys – Robbie, age 8, and Charlie, age 6; I enjoy reading, computers, photography, dogs, watching sports, playing golf
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They came, we listened, and we learned... a lot We had some awesome presentations at the 2012 conference and we share some of them with you here Social Media’s Growing Influence: From Service Delivery to Engagement Presenter: Daren C. Brabham, Ph.D. There are 6 phases of e-Government: providing information, providing online forms, accepting completed online forms, handling single transactions, handling multiple, integrated transactions, and developing intergovernmental projects ... to allow the delivery of new integrated services. When it comes to social media, don’t take the “social” out of it. Aim for conversations and engagement, not just dissemination and service delivery. Do a variety of things with the tools, like direct use (promotion & direction to other URLs), indirect use (individuals as brand ambassadors), and signaling (listening for chatter and alerts). And finally, use wikis and collaborative work spaces to empower citizens to give input on policies and let citizens volunteer their time and expertise to make government more efficient and effective.
Responding Smartly to Public Records Requests Presenters: Frayda S. Bluestein & Dave Hardin Ask yourself a couple of questions: Is it clear what is being requested? Is it possible to narrow the request? Know that standing requests are probably valid as long as it’s clear what records are covered and that name and contact information is ok to request, but if refused, you can’t require them. All you need to know is how/ where to deliver the records. Local government may coordinate the process of responding to public records requests through a centralized point of contact. Check out Chapel Hill, Catawba and Orange counties to see what other governments are doing.
Managing Scotty-Mania Presenter: Sonya Shaw, CPRP A Garner native had made it on to American Idol. Time for a plan. They key was to not only work with the media, but to build community partnerships that would help make the events - viewing parties, and ultimately a parade and concert - a success. And a success they were! The viewing parties had a weekly attendance of over 2,000 and the parade and concert had an estimated attendance of over 30,000. Fundraising was a must, and the town raised over $53,000 so taxpayer dollars weren’t at risk. There were challenges along the way, but Garner made it happen and Scotty was chosen as the next American Idol.
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Thanks to ALL of the fantastic presenters who took the time out of their busy schedules to share with us NC3Cers. Find a list of the conference presentations on our web site at http://www.nc3c. com/2012-spring-conference.
Thanks, Carolina Inn, for a great stay.
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ww.carolinainn.com
2012 NC3C Excellence in Communications Award Winners Drum roll, please! Oh yeah, the cat’s already out of the bag! Communication Technology: Electronic Employee Newsletter First Place: Union County, Union County View Communication Technology: Electronic External Newsletter First Place: Union County, Union Update Second Place: Pitt County, NC|COM Communication Technology: Website First Place: Town of Fuquay-Varina, www.fuquay-varina.org Second Place: City of Morganton, Compas Cable website Communication Technology: Other Technologies First Place: Town of Matthews, MyMatthews Mobile App Second Place: City of Morganton, Morganton QR Codes Printed Publications: External Newsletters First Place: Cumberland County, “Cumberland Matters” Weekly Newspaper Column Second Place: City of Newton, Newton Citywide Newsletter Printed Publications: Magazine First Place: City of Fayetteville, Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation Activities Guide Second Place: Buncombe County, Buncombe Life Magazine Printed Publications: Annual Report First Place: City of Fayetteville , 2011 Annual Report to the Community: Live, Thrive, Prosper Printed Publications: Brochure First Place: City of Morganton, Morganton Greenway System Kiosk Poster Special Events First Place: Town of Fuquay-Varina, Teen Day Fuquay Event Second Place: City of Concord, Community Ceremony for Vietnam MIA Soldier Donnie Shue Citizen Participation First Place: Town of Holly Springs, Your Path, Your Parks, Your Vote 2011 Parks and Recreation Bond Referendum 12
Second Place: City of Fayetteville, Citizens Academy Service Delivery First Place: Town of Matthews, Biweekly Recycling PR Campaign Second Place: City of Concord, Comprehensive Education/Communication Campaign for Solid Waste Improvements Communication or Marketing Plans First Place: City of Fayetteville, 2011 All-America City Award Communication Plan Community Visioning First Place: Town of Holly Springs, Paper Windows Marketing Tools: Direct Mail or Print Advertising First Place: Orange County, 52 Reasons to Love Orange County Second Place: Dare County, Roanoke Island Water Expansion Mailer Most Creative with Least Dollars Spent First Place: City of Garner, Scotty McCreery “American Idol” Homecoming concert/parade Second Place: Orange County, 52 Reasons to Love Orange County TV and Videos: Interview/Talk Show First Place: City of Greenville, cityscene Second Place: City of Raleigh, Under Construction; Capital Improvements TV and Videos: Regular Programming First Place: Cabarrus County, Historical Moments: Brumley Avenue Gold Mine Second Place: City of Durham, City Hall This Week TV and Videos: One-time special programming First Place: Cabarrus County, Foster Parents Stories, Julie, Ruth and Staria Second Place: City of Durham, City of Durham Review of 2010 TV and Videos: Public Service Announcement First Place: Pitt County, The Mr. Danger Holiday Safety Campaign Second Place: City of Raleigh, City of Raleigh Bond Referendum Proposal TV and Videos: Promotional Video First Place: Cabarrus County, Channel 22 Promo Second Place: Cabarrus County, Foster Care Baseball Celebration
2012 Chris Coulson Memorial Award Recipient Annette Privette – Keller Matthews, NC
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2012-2013 Membership
Please complete and mail with membership dues of $50 by check payable to NC3C:
NC City-County Communicators c/o Joshua Harris, Treasurer P.O. Box 3448 Morganton, NC 28680-3448
Name
Title
Jurisdiction
Address
City/State/Zip Code
Website
□ Please contact me regarding serving on a committee!
Tax ID Number for NC3C—26-0265279
Officers for 2012– 2013
Mandy Pitts, President mandy@nc3c.com mpitts@ci.hickory.nc.us Gary Herman, Vice-President gherman@newtonnc.gov Kiara Jones, Secretary kdjones@pittcountync.gov Joshua Harris, Treasurer jharris@ci.morganton.nc.us
Committee Chairs By-Laws Committee
Accreditation Committee Annette Privette-Keller—Matthews aprivettekeller@matthewsnc.com
If you would like to serve on a committee, please contact the chair.
Membership now OPEN
Enjoying our
Fifth Year
of Association
Learn more: www.NC3C.com
North Carolina City & County Communicators 2012-2013 Dues Invoice North Carolina City & County Communicators 2011‐2012 Dues Invoice Please complete and mail with membership dues of $50 with check made payable to NC3C and mailed to:
NC City-County Communicators NC City‐County Communicators c/o Joshua Harris, Treasurer c/o LouAnne Kincaid, Treasurer P.O. Box 3448 Caldwell County Government Offices Morganton, PO Box 2200 NC 28680-3448 Lenoir, NC 28645 ______________________________________ Name ______________________________________ Title ______________________________________ Jurisdiction ______________________________________ Address ______________________________________ City / State / Zip Code ______________________________________ Phone – Fax ______________________________________ E‐mail ______________________________________ Website Yes, please reach me about serving on a committee! Tax ID Number for NC3C – 26‐0265279
Shop Talk
The making of the NC3C Award
Contributed by Mandy Pitts, City of Hickory It all began in the fall of 2008. Categories and criteria for the NC3C “Excellence in Communications” awards were approved by a committee and board, and in late 2008, early 2009, NC3C members were invited to nominate projects that were award-worthy to the current president (Annette Privette-Keller). Annette made contact with 3CMA (City-County Communications & Marketing Association) members across the nation who had received Savvy Awards (the top awards in our business) and asked them to be judges. Categories, deadline date for nominations, and judges were all in place … it was then time to design the NC3C awards and find a company to make them. Since the 2009 conference was to be held in Hickory, I (who was on the conference committee and award committee) volunteered to talk with Jay-Jay Trophies in Hickory. Of course, it was imperative that the awards were big, bold and beautiful (no, not like the soap opera). Why? Because NC3C members work hard throughout the year and if a project is one of the best across the state, the award needs to reflect the high honor. Seriously, that’s what happened (I know that some of you thought the awards are made by Keebler Elves). M a n y options Bob & Myra w e r e created, but it seemed that the diamond shape fit NC3C well; and First Place awards were large and heavy and needed to be put on a granite base. Second Place was a little smaller, so a hard plastic fit well …. But both are stunning and always stick out in a trophy case. It takes about a week to build the awards, personalize them, and polish them!
Making the award
One of the reasons that NC3C pioneers started the “Excellence in Communications” awards was to help fellow NC government communicators better prepare for the 3CMA awards. In the meantime, the NC3C awards have already built a worthy reputation and competition is fierce, and all “Excellence in Communications” award winners are Savvy contenders.
DON’T FORGET!
the deadline for the Saavy Awards is May 18. entry fee submission Regular Entry Fee - Postmarked no later than May 18, 2012 - 3CMA Member: $85 - Non-Member: $160
2012
mail your entries USPS: 3CMA Attn: Savvy Awards PO Box 20278 Washington, DC 20041 FedEx, UPS, etc.: 3CMA 481 Carlisle Drive, First Floor Herndon, VA 20170
more info www.3cma.org