Alabaster officials recently began offering city residents two more ways to keep up with news and events throughout the city.

The city has begun “testing the waters” to determine the feasibility and usefulness of posting certain city information on the popular social networking Web sites Facebook.com and Twitter.com, according to City Manager George Henry.

City officials have already begun posting city-related news items and announcements to the two accounts, and are planning to post more information in the future, Henry said.

“The end goal is to be able to share information concerning city events, meetings, etc.,” Henry wrote in an e-mail. “This is meant to continue the trend towards accessibility and openness within government.”

Because the city’s involvement with the two sites is still in the “testing” phase, officials will gauge public reaction when determining what type of information to post to the sites.

However, some laws prohibit the city from posting some information on the sites. As a result, the city will only use Twitter and Facebook to share general information, Henry said.

“It is not to be used for anything emergency (fire, police, sewer) related, but general information,” Henry wrote.

Anyone interested in adding the city on Facebook or following the city on Twitter can find links to the two sites on the front page of Cityofalabaster.com.