Welcome to TAMIO Thoughts, our new blog you’ll see regular posts on starting today. These posts have one simple goal: continuing the conversation about communication beyond our annual conference. We all face similar issues, no matter the size of our community or where we are located in this huge state. So, in this space you’ll hear from folks dealing with major, timely issues and how they handled things like racial justice protests or how they kept their residents up-to-date on coronavirus. At other times, these posts will focus on the more routine aspects of our jobs like dealing with a particularly persistent resident on social media or finding the latest gadget to improve your video programming. No matter the topic, hopefully TAMIO Thoughts will keep us learning from each other year-round.
You should see a TAMIO Thoughts post in your Facebook feed and on our website at least once a month, if not more often. The authors will be the members of the TAMIO Board of Directors and our soon-to-launch TAMIO Teammates program. TAMIO Teammates will be designated TAMIO members who will help facilitate a conversation about social media, video programming, marketing, media relations, and website design. And here’s a challenge for our members: we’d love for you to participate as well. If you’ve dealt with something that you think everyone could learn from, write up a quick post and send it over to me (jay.warren@arlingtontx.gov) or to our TML consultant, Lauren Grossman (LaurenG@tml.org).
Be on the lookout for more new TAMIO content, including webinars, an e-newsletter, updated website, social media content, and more regional programming. Last week, we had our first webinar with more than 80 communicators participating. The discussion, which was straight from the headlines (How Cities Listen and Demonstrate Understanding of Residents’ Sentiment During Crisis), was led by Drs. Jacque Lambiase and Ashley English from TCU’s Bob Schieffer College of Communication. As always, Jacque and Ashley brought their A game, with a stimulating conversation about listening to and working with our residents, particularly during a crisis. Don’t worry if you missed it, we recorded the session and posted it to the TAMIO website and Facebook page. Look for our next webinar in August!
As we have learned time and again during our annual TAMIO conferences, we often learn the most from our peers. With our new TAMIO features, we can extend that learning year-round.
Best,
Jay Warren, CPC
TAMIO President
Director of Communication & Legislative Affairs
City of Arlington