Royal Oak-based Web site open for discussion

 

By Beth Garcia

C & G Staff Writer

     ROYAL OAK — Ryan Shelby was looking for answers. The 33-year-old research and development engineer said recent city issues, such as school funding and the city budget, are getting complicated.

     “With some local issues, it seemed like the more I find out, the more questions I have,” Shelby said. “I wanted to know if others had questions too, and what they thought about these issues.”

     So Ryan Shelby went looking for answers.

     Shelby built a new Web site, royaloaksoundoff.com, on April 29, in hopes of giving community members a forum in which to discuss important city issues.

     “I thought it would help to talk about these things and to see how others in the community feel about them,” he said.

     The Web site forum allows residents to easily post questions or comments on relevant city issues. Past topics on the forum include public schools, parking and millages. In addition to the forum, residents can also take part in opinion polls on similar subjects. Since April, site traffic has increased so much that Selby had to have the Web site transferred to larger Web server.

     “I just kind of put it out there as an experiment,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how well it would be received. But I’m been pretty surprised how popular it’s become with some of the residents.”

     The site was even visited briefly by Mayor Jim Ellison.

     “I think it has the potential to be a very valuable tool for residents,” Ellison said. “I often check the Web site to see what some of the people’s concerns are. If a true problem is raised we will look at the issue. It can serve as a good tool.”

     However, in order for this forum to benefit the community, Shelby and Ellison both agree that users need to help keep the site credible.

     “I really hope people use this site in a constructive way,” Shelby said. “So far everyone has been fairly positive. It’s not a site for negative aggressions, but for conversation and discussion.”

     Shelby says that negative comments and continual anonymous posts may force him to require a user ID and password prior to posting comments.

     “Right now people can just freely post their comments and reply,” he said. “That was my original goal. I’m sure we should be able to keep it that way.”

     Although the Web site is fairly new, Shelby believes its user base will continue to grow.

     “Many of the issues in Royal Oak today aren’t just black and white,” he said. “They are different shades of gray. Hopefully the Web site will allows residents to share their different views about these issues and answer questions others might have. It will ultimately help those in the community.”

     For more information, visit royaloaksoundoff.com.

     You can reach Beth Garcia at bgarcia@candgnews.com