Woodstock's website needs CPR

I've commented on our City's website before, and I'll sling another arrow today, after reading dated information about the Transportation Committee that is almost a month out-of-date. Our website is stagnant and boring.

Surely, there are resources, even volunteer opportunities, to put some LIFE in our website. When information on websites grows stale, readers stop visiting them. And even when they do, if nothing causes an item to leap out, a visitor will move right along and click away to something more interesting. Attention spans are short.

The City's website could use more photos and fresh photos. City employees could be featured, such as on the Police Department webpages. Officers' photos and short bios could be published. Geographic outlines for beat assignments could be shown. The City could recognize career employees and compliment (or commiserate with) those who have been employed by the City of Woodstock for 20-25-30 years.

Check out the photos of the Divisions on the PD's webpage, in particular the poster on the wall behind the officer speaking to students in a classroom. It reads, "WHOO'S (sic) DOING GOOD WORK?" This was (hopefully) on the wall when the officer arrived; then only the school and the teacher should be embarrassed. Even so, once the background was checked, should the photo have been used without explanation of the misspelled word?

I'll bet there is plenty of brainpower right on the PD staff to liven up the webpages, like maybe with a video of Brinx or of one of the motorcycle officers. The K-9 unit isn't even shown on the Patrol Division webpage. Does Woodstock still have the dog? Show the dog snuggling with kids and then attacking in a training set-up.

Several years ago I suggested (several times) that the patrol "beats" be shown on the City's police web pages. Make it easy for residents to ascertain the "beat" in which their home or office is located.

Beat assignments and officers' names and email addresses could also be shown online, making it very easy for residents to communicate about crime problems. What would be so hard about that? Has it happened? If so, I can't find the pages. If the public wishes to email all the officers of a particular beat, notice of the "group" email address could be published.

For your information, the Permanent Beat Officer "group" email address is "pbo@woodstockil.gov"; ex., pbo21@woodstockil.gov will get your email to all three beat officers for Beat 21 and their supervisors.

I remember a billboard in Albuquerque with the flashing lights of a police car behind a violation and the message, "Don't let there be bright lights in your future." No reason we couldn't have something clever like that around here, at least on our website.

Take a look at the Community Calendar at the bottom of the homepage. "Letters to Santa?" From November 16 on? Was it there earlier? Can't tell, because the City wipes out events on all days past. What is the "community" value of that?

If you have an opinion or suggestion for improvements in the City's website, post your comment here and also email it to CityManager@woodstockil.gov