County Commission | The Magazine January February 2018 | Page 13

FROM THE COVER FAQ: ALCountiesTweet Q. What is ALCountiesTweet? #ALpolitics and #YourCounty hashtags are there. friendly competition among counties, designed to find out which county is most actively using the social media platform for legislative advocacy. The winning county will be announced at the ACCA Annual Convention in August. Q. When does ALCountiesTweet A. Twitter is the playing field for a Q. Why? A. “This platform is the future, and this is where legislators are paying the most attention to their constituents,” said Jeannie Gaines, ACCA Public Relations Manager. “We don’t want to miss this opportunity.” Q. What can I do to help my county? A. Sign up for Twitter, if you have yet to do so. Tweet your legislator. Tweet about important legislation. Tweet your support of or opposition to bills. Be sure to use #ALpolitics and #YourCounty Example: Urging @SenTomWhatley to please vote YES on HB987 for better rural broadband and a stronger local econom y #ALpolitics #Russell take place? A. The competition begins and ends with the 2018 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature. Q. Help! What should I say track on the hot topic of the moment. 67 Counties, ONE Voice! Have another question? Call ACCA at 334-263-7594 and ask for Abby Luker Fitzpatrick ([email protected]) or Jeannie Gaines ([email protected]). in my tweets? A. Think of it as a team sport, and ACCA has got your back. The Association will provide sample tweets throughout the session. You will have Want ACCA’s Jeannie Gaines to walk you through setting up a Twitter account? Just do a Google search for “ALCountiesTweet” (all one the inside word). You’ll find a 14-minute YouTube video with step-by-step advice. Q. How does the competition work? A. The winning county will be chosen based on the number of tweets to legislators and the number of legislative-focused tweets. Q. Who can participate? A. Every member of the county family – elected officials and staff members. Plus, tweets and retweets from friends, family and community members count too – as long as the COUNTY COMMISSION | 13