Information is in high demand and in a matter of seconds I can have all the information i need to know about your city. What happens when your city lacks substance online. Sure you can Google most city's and get a list of city websites, but the sites listed are technical and not updated as often as social network entities. In this information rich economy, it is imperative that your city has an online image that is refreshed rather frequently.
What Social Media tools would be beneficial?
1) Micro blog's: Micro Blogs such as Twitter and Rejaw allow followers to receive a snip it of information about whatever your city is promoting.
2) Blog: Using a platform such as Blogger allows you to tell a story and provide potential residents and investors with vital statics and details that don't receive the attention you'd like in the press. It also allows you to describe your culture and all the amenities your city has to offer.
3) Social Media Network's:
Create One: Using a platform such as Ning allows you to use a spectrum of tools to develop the optimum networking community to share and cultivate ideas with other city's and organizations. Additionally, it connects you to an audience in your community that may not show up for council meetings, but have concerns and ideas that can contribute to the growth of your community.
Join One: Joining established Social Networks such as Linkedin and MediaPro allow your city to sync with established professionals who can spread the word about your city. These platforms are free tools which can add to recruitment efforts to attract more professionals, businesses and industry's to your city.
Social Media is the optimum public relations tool of this time. If a Google search of your city does not produce accessible, content rich information the relevance and attraction of your city is questionable.