Utilizing Texting Applications to Engage

PARTNER: CITY OF CALDWELL & JUNETEENTH PROJECT FACULTY: TXTC STAFF

Hello Lamp Post is a platform that creates engaging and insightful conversations with residents through SMS texting It is inherently designed to serve three main functions: 1 2 3.

Create unique and engaging conversations with a range of people Ask questions of the participants who interact around key themes Disseminate information playfully and creatively through each conversation.

Catalyst: In the past, community engagement has been bound by in-person interactions. Some platforms used, like Social Pinpoint, require internet access, which is more challenging in low-capacity and rural areas. TxTC sought to engage residents with limited internet access and time or interest in attending in-person community meetings.

Purpose: To engage a wider range of residents at their leisure and in a format comfortable to them

TxTC tested the Hello Lamp Post platform with the City of Caldwell after the adoption of the comprehensive plan Questions posed to residents centered around public arts, parks improvement, and ongoing city initiatives.

TxTC then utilized Hello Lamp Post with the Juneteenth Commemorative Spaces project. Six signs were posted at key historic markers. The virtual engagement provided historical facts about the event, opportunities for participants to add their oral histories, and questions to gather feedback on the possibility of a future museum.

Outputs

Caldwell:

Six signs installed - signs around Davidson Creek Park and the Downtown Square

94 interactions, 44 conversations with 23 unique users

Juneteenth:

Six signs installed

First weekend results: 86 interactions, 40 unique users, and 44 conversations

The first object received 29 conversations