The National Association of Counties annual conference is just wrapping up in Nashville, Tennessee.  NextGenWeb was there over the weekend to highlight for county leaders from around the country just how important broadband is to their communities.

During one session, the audience heard about the latest technology challenges and opportunities from a panel of experts.  A representative from the FCC talked about the recent launch of broadband.gov and urged participation in upcoming public workshops to collect opinions on a national broadband plan.  The FCC also shared its recent report on bringing broadband to rural communities.

One Economy discussed the obstacles to broadband adoption, such as digital literacy and lack of computer ownership.  The non-profit organization uses innovative approaches like public-private partnerships to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people.

Verizon spoke about the growing number of people connecting to the Internet via smartphones, further expanding the broadband choices available to consumers.  And, NextGenWeb gave county leaders a crash course on the importance of engaging in broadband-enabled social media tools and some tips to get started.  Although our presentation wasn’t as in-depth as our Social Media for Staffers series, it did cover popular online tools for monitoring and participating in social media.

NextGenWeb captured an interview with one county leader who is especially active with social media.  Click below to learn more about what inspires D.I. Smith, a supervisor from Madison County, MS, to use Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites to connect with his constituents.

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