Original article written by Alan Bartels, Lower Loup NRD Information and Education Coordinator
Loup Lines, Volume 46, No. 5 (May 2025)

I typically drag my feet when it comes to adopting the latest technology. Then, months or years later, I end up being one of the last ones on the bandwagon. Weekly visits to the bank for cash allowed me to stave off getting a debit card for years. Then, when I finally got one and realized the convenience, I wondered what took me so long. Lesson learned? Not really. Read on.

Younger readers of this column may be surprised to learn that we haven’t always had cell phones, let alone smart devices. I know a thing or two about long commutes to work, so, I got a cell phone fairly early on. That yellow and black Nokia proved its worth right away when my car wouldn’t start after a hunting trip. But it wasn’t until a friend told me to text him that I delved into that new language and mastered the art of spelling with my thumb without looking. Years later, it is hard for me to imagine life without texting or instant messaging.

Social media is another one of the technological advances that I ignored for years. When I finally set up a Facebook account, and immediately started receiving friend requests from people I was already friends with in real life, I deactivated my account. It wasn’t until a couple years later, as a requirement of my job, that I began to learn social media management. Facebook grew on me, and rarely does a day go by that I don’t login to see what friends are up to.

Now, I manage four social media accounts for work, and three for personal projects. I don’t know about the newest fads in online communication, and I’m not saying that all aspects of every social media platform are good, but I do know that properly managed social media pages can be effective outlets for disseminating important, timely information.    

The Lower Loup NRD has Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts. We’ve found that Facebook is the most popular. We often use that platform to inform constituents about what our field technicians and other staff are up to; to post help wanted, office closure, and cost-share information; as well as sharing photos of wildlife and LLNRD recreation areas, providing project updates, and providing information on other things going on within the Lower Loup NRD.

Sometimes we simply post a beautiful landscape image taken somewhere within the district. Lately we’ve received a ton of response to posts about one project of particular interest across Nebraska.

We’ve been posting periodic Facebook updates about the road paving project through Davis Creek Recreation Area. As the days have grown warmer so too has the interest in visiting this popular recreation area near the village of North Loup. Now, when we post an update, we will receive thousands of views within hours, and 20,000 to more than 40,000 views over the course of several days.

Those numbers don’t necessarily classify our posts as having gone viral, but those numbers of views and shares do indicate to us that the platform is working for getting the information out there to the people who want it.

I hope you’ll follow us at facebook.com/lowerloupnrd. Without getting too serious we will provide useful information. And don’t worry, Russ won’t let me share funny cat videos or recipes (not yet anyway).