Social Media Suggestions and Questions

Comments & Questions:

I believe our social media needs to revamp their methods. Some parks have events that aren't advertised at all on their page or very sparsely. There was an event that wasn't even advertised at all by our social media. I tried googling it to find more information and the only flyer I found for the event online was from a vendor attending the event.

Looking at the page now, I see one post about events in October, but followers have to copy and paste [the link]. It's not even a hyperlink. That's a quick way to get people disinterested. If there's so many events that we're afraid of flooding our main page, you can use the Instagram "stories" feature. That only lasts 24 hours and it's a good way to keep people reminded of what's going on while not overcrowding the main page. The main page should really only have posts about pictures from an event or of the beautiful parks themselves. Which leads me to my next point.

Why don't we post stuff about what the staff is doing at the park? Or about our volunteer events? We could post pictures right from the event. These could go over well with the community because it shows we're not just some monolith, it shows we are active in our community. If it's a matter of staffing, then we can ask our staff to take pictures and send it to the social media manager. It's not that big of an ask and it would be awesome to be able to advertise our parks because a lot of us take pride in where we are and what we're doing in the park and want more people to visit. I understand we don't want to have separate pages for parks, but that can be mitigated by having pictures sent in from employees.

Separate from that, there could even be a little contest made out of it. "Photo of the week" or something like that. You can encourage employees to take pictures of the park. Employees can win a 5 dollar gift card if their photo is good enough to be posted on the [Instagram] page for the week. All I see on the main page is ads. That is not an organization that feels like it's part of the community. There needs to be more pictures of people at the park and enjoying the park.

Another thing is consistency. I believe the social media manager needs to be posting more. People's attention spans are so short nowadays, it's a necessity to post more frequently than they do. I barely even know it exists and I'm following it. They also need to be more mindful of what they post. Today the [Instagram] page posted a story about Hidden Springs and Box Springs being closed and then an hour later they posted a story saying people are welcome. I understand things change quickly, but both those parks have been closed since the 11th.

Response:

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and recommendations regarding our social media presence. I appreciate the thought you've put into your suggestions and, more importantly, your desire to see our parks, programs, employees, and volunteers better represented. You raise several valid points, and there are opportunities for us to improve.

The timing of your feedback is particularly relevant, as we recently introduced a new social media calendar during our Supervisors, Managers, and Marketing meetings to strengthen our approach to planning and sharing content.

As a District, we recognize that our social media platforms should do more than just advertise events. They should tell the RivCoParks story by highlighting the beauty of our parks, the experiences we provide, the contributions of our employees and volunteers, and the connections we create within our communities. We have missed opportunities to share some of these stories and promote activities happening throughout the District, and we are working to improve both consistency and variety of our content.

One of the challenges of representing an organization with so many parks, programs, and activities is ensuring that information and content are consistently shared with our Marketing team. Our new social media calendar is designed to improve that coordination, provide greater visibility into upcoming events and activities, and create opportunities to highlight the great work happening across the District.

We've also expanded our capacity to support these efforts. Nine additional team members have received social media training and can now assist with creating and posting content, responding to inquiries, and supporting timely communication. This expanded team, combined with improved planning and coordination, will help us to share more frequent, timely, diverse, and engaging content from across our parks and programs.

I particularly appreciate your suggestions about encouraging employees to submit photos, highlighting volunteer activities, and featuring the work taking place in our parks. These ideas align closely with what we hope to accomplish. We already showcase some of these stories through Park Talk, and there is an opportunity to bring more of that content to our public-facing social media platforms.

Employees are among our greatest resources for telling the RivCoParks story. Our field teams see and experience things every day that would resonate with the communities we serve. Encouraging staff to share photos, upcoming activities, and stories with Marketing will help us better represent the full scope of what we do.

Regarding the recent social media stories about reserve closures, I agree that this is an area where accuracy and consistency are especially important. Our visitors rely on us to provide clear and timely information when making decisions about visiting our parks. We recognize that posting conflicting information can create confusion for our visitors and we will continue strengthening our internal coordination and review processes to help prevent these situations.

Finally, our monthly Marketing meetings will transition to a biweekly schedule to provide more frequent opportunities to coordinate upcoming content, identify stories and photo opportunities from the field, and address communication needs across the District. You are welcome to participate in these meetings or join our Campfire meeting to share additional ideas and help us continue improving our approach.

Thank you again for your thoughtful feedback and for taking pride in our parks. I appreciate employees who care enough about our organization to identify opportunities for improvement and offer constructive solutions. Our goal is to create a social media presence that reflects the incredible places, people, and experiences that make RivCoParks special, and feedback like yours helps us get there.

RivCoParks or RivCo Parks? The Case of the Sneaky Space

Question:

Officially, is it RivCoParks or RivCo Parks? I see it without a space on the website and departmental designs, but I often see the space show up in emails and documents. Did the space used to be there, or did the sneaky space show up on its own?

Answer:

Officially, it’s RivCoParks - one word, no space.

RivCoParks is our official brand name and is used in marketing, promotions, social media, signage, and other less formal communications about the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District.

For legal documents, Board items, official reports, and other formal uses, you’re more likely to see our full legal name - Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District - or a shortened reference such as the District or Park District.

So, where did that sneaky space come from? Most of the time, it's just plain human error. The same can be said for the mysterious "s" that regularly finds its way into our legal name. Side note: there is no "s" at the end of Park.

There is another reason you may occasionally see RivCo Parks. Riverside County often uses RivCo as shorthand for Riverside County across departments, programs, and services. As a result, Countywide publications and communications sometimes refer to us simply as Parks, Parks District, or RivCo Parks. Since many of those materials are produced outside our department, we don’t always get to chase down that wandering space before it makes an appearance.

When you see communications directly from us, RivCoParks is the brand to look for. One word. One team. And officially, no space required.

Balancing Collaboration and Focus

The following questions have been edited for clarity, brevity, or to remove identifying details while preserving the intent of the original submitted questions.

Question: 

Is it acceptable for employees to work from a different office or shared workspace? What should employees do if they feel a coworker's conversations or work habits are creating distractions?

Answer:

Thank you for taking the time to share your concern.

Employees may occasionally choose to work in a different location when it supports their productivity or collaboration, provided it does not interfere with operational needs or the work of others. Flexible use of shared workspaces is generally encouraged when it helps employees perform their jobs effectively.

Personally, I don't think any of us are meant to spend 8 to 10 hours a day staring at the same computer screen and office space. Some of the best ideas come from talking to one another. A change of scenery, a chance to collaborate with coworkers, or even a friendly conversation here and there can make work more enjoyable and help build the relationships that make our organization stronger. That's a good thing. The key is finding the right balance, so those interactions don't become a distraction for others who are trying to focus.

We also recognize that shared work environments require consideration and respect. If a coworker's conversations or other behaviors become disruptive, we encourage employees to address the concern directly and respectfully whenever possible. In many cases, individuals are simply unaware that they are creating a distraction, and a courteous conversation can resolve the issue quickly.

While anonymous feedback is always available and appreciated, day-to-day workplace concerns are often addressed most effectively through open communication between coworkers. If you have attempted to resolve the issue directly and it continues, or if you are not comfortable addressing it yourself, you are encouraged to speak with your supervisor so the situation can be reviewed and addressed appropriately.