Twitter, the 21st century’s answer to the carrier pigeon, has been a huge hit in Swansea among residents wanting to catch up on the latest news about the wintry weather.
Regular updates on decisions such as school closures mean that families have been able to quickly access trustworthy essential information.
Hundreds of families have been keeping in touch with school closures and the latest information on Council services by using the online social network.
And they’ve also been logging on to the Council’s website at double the usual rate to pick up the news.
Website traffic to www.swansea.gov.uk is almost double what would normally be expected at this time of year.
The cold weather has prompted 300 people to join the growing army of followers of the Council on Twitter, taking its total to 1,516- the seventh largest figure for UK local authorities.
And the three days up to January 6 saw 113,124 views of the website’s school closure pages, with the site receiving a total of 390,145 page views. That’s 96% up on normal figures. The total number of visits was 83,651. The number of unique visitors was 45,973.
And the Council’s efforts to keep people informed has been praised by local people.
Jenni Aazem wrote in an email: “The what schools are closed section was great.”
E-mailer Jo Haines wrote: “Today brought the worry of whether or not my children’s school was open. You updated the list. Thanks and well done.”
The Council’s education department began using Twitter last year to inform parents and carers.
Now, the Council’s tweets and website are valued and essential tools for parents, pupils and schools.
Cllr Mike Day, Swansea’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “We’ve had positive feedback about our tweets and website updates and are delighted that these services are of such great use.
“When a decision to close is made based on a safety and resource assessment it’s vital for parents to have that information as quickly as possible.
“The decision to close a school during bad weather is never taken lightly. Headteachers have that responsibility and there are a number of factors specific to their own sites which they consider.
“Schools make every effort to open and we thank families for their cooperation and understanding.”
