RINDGE — College students around the world shuddered as one-by-one their parents signed up on Facebook. Now, their governments are getting involved, too.

Rindge has a Facebook page and as of Monday afternoon, the town had 53 fans. The page was started Sept. 2 with the initial comment, “Welcome to the Town of Rindge’s Facebook page. We hope to improve communication by offering this service. We will share information about what’s happening in town and ask that you let us know what’s on your mind.”

During the past month, photos of town officials, municipal buildings and town-owned vehicles have been posted. Meetings have been announced. Budget figures, such as the town’s maintenance budget of $191,742, have been provided.

“I think it’s good,” said Rindge resident Linda Gravel, who counts herself as one of the Rindge page’s 53 fans. “With them having Facebook, I find out what’s happening in the town.”

The page allows citizens to comment, an opportunity that Gravel has taken advantage of. On Sept. 6, she expressed her approval of a senior housing project in town. On Sept. 9, she censured youths in town who had toilet papered the trees in front of the Town Office building.

“When I see that someone has responded, I can see what citizens are saying and I have the opportunity to respond immediately,” said Town Administrator Carlotta Pini at a Select Board meeting last week.

Administrative assistant Julie Labonte said town administration staffers check the page at least once per day and it has been working well.

“It’s been useful for discussions, like with the new cell tower,” Labonte said Wednesday. “It’s a good way to get word out to people who don’t check the town Web site.”

Gravel said she found out about Rindge’s Facebook page through other friends on Facebook. She does not check the page every day, but finds it useful for interacting with the town government.

“People who can’t get out to go see these people and who have a computer can still find out what is going on,” Gravel said. “The ones here in Rindge are honest. They let you know exactly what’s going on.”

Other fans of the Rindge page have different opinions. Rindge resident Frank DiRusso expressed his surprise that the town would openly subject itself to criticism from Facebook users.

“Does this mean that Facebook can become an invitation to everybody who sees that this town has many problems with nobody really running it?” DiRusso commented on Sept. 2.
The town administration replied to DiRusso’s message, stating that they are open to criticism as well as constructive comments from residents.

“It is a risk,” the posting read, “but one worth taking for the sake of improving communication.”

In Jaffrey, the Fire Department started reaching out through its Twitter.com account. As of Wednesday, the department had 126 followers.

Most days, the department posts the forest fire classification of the day as well as activity in the department. On Sept. 26, the department posted that firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle that crashed into a home. On Sept. 11, the department used its Twitter account to pay their respects to those who died in the 2001 tragedy.