The Power of a Positive Public Image: Or What Not to Blog

In the competitive world of attracting new and growing businesses to a community a positive public image is quite important.  Here on Cape Cod there are those who get it, and those who don't.  The advent of so many ways of communicating to the world creates many challenges.  Before blogging, Facebook, Twitter and all the others we all had to rely upon our local print and broadcast media to determine whether a message was important, and from what angle they were going to cover the story.  Now we all have the tools at our disposal to communicate directly with our audience, and, communicate the message we desire.

From an economic development point of view communicating the good things about your community is essential.  On the Cape, it might be the great natural resources we have, our beaches, or the welcoming atmosphere a town may bring to attracting new jobs to the community.

Of course this gift at our disposal also becomes a double edged sword.  All these tools also allow for anonymity, and therefor, the ability to get negative without normal societal mores coming into play.  These situations make our jobs as planners all the more challenging as comments get posted about a community that paint an image of that community that will make potential investors shy away.  After all, who wants to go to a community where key citizens, whether in elected positions or simply a part of the town, are being anonymously criticized.

The simple probability that anonymous naysayers exist out there, makes it even more important for local planners and economic development specialists to put forward the good things about there community.  A relatively high unemployment rate, becomes a readily available labor force.  School spending issues bring out improvements in SAT scores and other recognition the schools have received.  General government spending issues perhaps reflect high quality beaches, recreation facilities and other infrastructure investments.  However, it is not engaging the anonymous bloggers head on.  Its all about identifying your message and sticking to it.

At work I have been blogging for nearly four years now.  Discussing town issues such as standardized test scores, changes in housing values, and unemployment of course.  But, we are also talking about what we are doing zoning changes, land acquisitions and public improvements that enhance the town image.  The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Both from within the town, and from outside the town.

Yes, we have had our interesting debates, but by staying on message we have managed to promote the positive image everyone ultimately desires.

Planning and Open Communication

My first full blog post, and my first opinion. Planners, in general, lack public relations skills and know-how. We shy away from having public personna and tend to feel that having an opinion is a dangerous thing.

We need to rise above this. Explore the advantages of finding and using all technology available to us to spread our message. In my own experience I have found that most employers want us to take leadership roles. To express an opinion and provide guidance to a discussion. We just cannot take it personally when an idea we float gets shot down. That’s all part of life, and part of growing in the field. Without planners challenging communities, we would be stuck back in the days of Euclidean Zoning, single use zones everywhere. Entire concepts like Smart Growth, New Urbanism and Form Based Codes would not exist without forward thinking planners to challenge the communities they serve.

However, we also cannot simply sit in our tiny offices talking amongst ourselves or with our board members. We need to find ways of bringing the message to the public. We cannot continue to rely upon the local media to sell our plans. We need to expand. The planning
world needs to embrace the new technologies, bring planning to where the people are. Podcasts linked to ITunes, blogs such as this one in Blogger, MySpace pages and Facebook all need to be tapped into.

Whether you are a grey-haired planner or a new planner still wet behind the ears, the challenges are out there to advance our profession. Remember our message must reach our target audiences. If nothing else, get our there and blog!