Published: Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 / Updated: Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 03:55 PM

Now you can friend Fort Mill on Facebook

FORT MILL -- The Town of Fort Mill has a new communication tool, and it's right at your fingertips.

Last week, the Town of Fort Mill made its debut on Facebook, the popular social networking Web site, Town Manager David Hudspeth said.

“It's just one more way that we can get our information out to our citizens,” Hudspeth said.

While the town uses Comporium cable TV Channel 19 to help communicate with residents, production costs run anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 annually, Hudspeth said. That's not the case with Facebook, Assistant Town Manager Joseph M. Cronin said.

“With Channel 19, we're restricted to people who live inside town limits,” Cronin said. “With Facebook, we can reach beyond those limits and really reach anyone in the world at no cost to the town.”

However, town officials maintain that Facebook is no substitute for Channel 19.

“It's meant to compliment Channel 19,” Cronin said. “Whatever we have on Channel 19, we will have on Facebook and vice versa. It's (Facebook) just one more method of communicating with residents and potential visitors.”

Facebook is an accepted social networking system used by many to network, advertise, keep up with old friends and make new ones. Fort Mill went live last Thursday, Cronin said.

“We had 22 fans at the end of the day,” he said. “We were surprised to have that many fans before we even made a formal announcement that we were on Facebook.”

Yet, the effort is less about building fans and more about efficient communication, he said.

“What we hope to do at some point is to have it become a communication channel where the public can ask questions and give suggestions,” Cronin said.

“It allows us better and more personal interaction with town residents,” he added. “It allows us to get information out there quickly and efficiently.”

Town leaders hope to carve a niche of faithful followers.

Mayor Danny Funderburk was excited about the town's Facebook venture.

“As long as it's tastefully done, it will be a good thing,” he said.

The town's Facebook page will publish dates and times of town council, committee and sub-committee meetings. Information is available about the town's inaugural Hall of Fame class and its annual Christmas parade.

For now, Cronin is the town's administrator for Facebook administrator.

“It's really an opportunity for us to tie in with other ‘networks' and people,” he said. “News and information will be viral. When people see it, they will share it with their friends and their friends will share it with their friends.”