The city of San Carlos, Calif., launched its own Facebook page last Tuesday to provide information on city projects and events. The initial information on the Facebook section includes a Pulse of Business Social Media Workshop, this weekend's citywide garage sale sponsored by San Carlos Together and San Carlos Green, and the upcoming Goblin Walk sponsored by the San Carlos Parks and Recreation Department, San Carlos Chamber of Commerce and Miller & Associates, according to Assistant City Manager Brian Moura (pictured).  Even though the San Carlos Facebook page is very new, it already has more than 300 "fans" (Facebook members that are watching the city's Facebook page).

The city will follow local businesses that also use social media. San Carlos firms with a current business registration on Facebook and Twitter are linked to the city's pages on these services.  This creates a virtual San Carlos Business Guide on each service and helps to leverage the traffic that both the city and the local business firms receive. According to Moura, this is another way that the city is stimulating economic development and the success of businesses located in San Carlos. The city anticipates expanding these virtual business guides as more San Carlos companies join Facebook and Twitter.