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Senior commission approves sharing 'Seniors in the Know' items with Garland Gazette; website and email-blast details discussed
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Summary
The commission voted to allow select material from the city 'Seniors in the Know' newsletter to be posted to the Garland Gazette after City Press publication, and discussed the senior email-blast sign-up process and website reach for seniors.
Commissioners voted to let the Garland Gazette publish pieces from the commission's "Seniors in the Know" material after those items appear in the city press, and discussed an email-blast signup and the senior centers' website presence.
AJ Cole, founder of the Garland Gazette, described the local online news site and said it reaches roughly 10,000 visitors per month. "I cover Garland, Rowlett, and SACCE," Cole said, and said the site mixes local reporting with community notices and daily updates aimed in part at older readers. She described a technical problem that prevents Garland Gazette emails from reaching some Yahoo users and said she is working with hosting and email providers to resolve it.
Commissioner Kathleen (first name only in meeting record) moved and Commissioner Gail seconded a motion to share the commission's "Seniors in the Know" write-ups on the Garland Gazette after the items have run in the City Press. The motion carried on a voice vote with all in favor.
Commission staff and the commission discussed how residents sign up for the email blast: staff said people can sign up at the senior centers' front desks (Gale Fields or Carver) where an iPad and a JotForm entry capture name, email and ZIP code; or residents can sign up via the Garland Parks website by following the senior-centers link to the sign-up form. Staff cautioned that some email filters (notably Yahoo in Cole's case) may send messages to spam and recommended people check spam folders if they do not receive emails.
The commission asked about the frequency of email blasts; staff recommended sending notices "when there is something to send" rather than a fixed daily or weekly schedule, and commissioners named Angela as a volunteer to coordinate topics with staff and Jesse, the staff member who manages the distribution list. Commissioners also discussed paused edits to the Boards and Commissions webpage and identified the city public-information coordinator (Courtney Vanover, City Secretary's office) as a contact about web updates.
Ending: Commissioners approved sharing senior newsletter material with the Garland Gazette and agreed to continue developing web and email distribution offline and bring any unresolved policy questions back to the commission.
