STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

More All

• Talkin’ Turkey: the turkey, the pilgrims and the noble bird of Collier County
• Turkey trivia test your wish bone
• How chefs celebrate Thanksgiving

Share and Enjoy [?]

It may not be as popular as "American Idol, "Desperate Housewives," or even "Dateline," but Naples' new online video meetings are gaining a following.

The streamlined online city meetings, which began June 5, allow Naples residents and others to fast forward, rewind or jump to exactly what they're looking for during Naples City Council, Planning Advisory Board and other meetings.

"We have avid watchers," said Naples Webmaster Jeff Cochran. "The availability is obviously easier because you don't have to wait for a replay on TV."

The agendas and Channel 12 live and archived meetings, which also are available on podcasts, are provided by Granicus Inc. of San Francisco, which Naples paid $23,985 for the initial purchase, implementation and management of the streaming video system. Naples also will pay a $12,000 yearly management fee. The service provides the same meetings that are replayed on public access Channel 12.

Naples wanted to increase public access, but it wasn't only locals they wanted to accommodate.

"One of the big reasons we went through with this program is outside access outside the Naples area — snowbirds who want to stay up to date on things, they can go online," Cochran said, joking, "For some reason, the Boston stations don't want to broadcast Naples meetings."

He said staff hasn't tracked the number of callers, but most said they liked the ability to jump to specific items they were interested in. "They don't want to sit through eight hours to find what they want," he said, adding that city staff also uses that feature to conduct research.

The city clerk's staff is still getting accustomed to using the new technology, he said, so Naples isn't using the system's full capabilities yet. For instance, public speakers may soon be listed by name.

Staff has always had access to rebroadcasts and taped meeting archives, he said, but now they can do research more easily without involving the city clerk's office. The service also allows any staff member to monitor meetings from their desk, a service that was provided to a few staff members when only cable service was provided, Cochran said.

City Manager Bob Lee said the "jump to" feature cuts down on research time by allowing staff to fast forward or jump to what they are looking into. "It makes staff time more efficient," he said, adding that staff also can make sure what's promised is done. "We can make sure we follow up appropriately."

Cochran said the top five favorites, so far, are:

• June 21 Planning Advisory Board meeting — 204 requests to watch.

• June 7 City Council meeting — 171 requests.

• June 5 council workshop — 138.

• June 12 council meeting — 130.

• June 15 Naples Airport Authority meeting — 93.

Naples isn't yet able to differentiate hits from staff members and residents, but Cochran said city officials plan to get those reports.

"For all I know, 198 of them came from staff inside," Cochran said of those clicking the link to watch the June 21 PAB meeting.

The city Web site to view streamlined meetings is www.naplesgov.com.