Central Saanich is getting off the social media platform X starting in April, with district staff saying it’s just a matter of the platform not being as effective as it once was, rather than because of any negative engagement or harmful content on the site.
Britt Burnham, the district’s manager of community engagement, says the decision was made simply to better allocate staff resources.
“We’re trying to reach diverse ranges of audiences,” Burnham said. “And, we’re also trying to be really conscious of how we’re dedicating our time and resources to our communications channels.”
The district also uses Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, all of which Burnham said the district plans on continuing to use. Those channels had recently become more effective ways of communicating with local residents than X, she said.
“We just don’t seem to seem to get much engagement there anymore,” Burnham said of X.
She said it was her that gave the advice to leave the platform, but ultimately it was a decision made collaboratively among district staff.
As the popularity of these platforms waxes and wanes, Burnham is trying to keep up with what is working best. Lately, this is Instagram.
“We’re reaching or reaching a lot of people through Instagram, and finding that to be a better and newer tool for us,” Burnham said.
In addition, she has had many people reach out asking for a return of print communications such as mailers.
The Central Saanich Fire Department is run by the district, and so it will also stop using X starting, while the police department is a separate entity and will continue to use the platform.
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