Facebook, Twitter give a face to local government in Palm Beach County

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Foreclosure auctions, passports, traffic tickets and much more can be found on an information highway you might not have traveled.

"A lot of the interaction through the call center is what we will now see through these social media outlets we have set up," said Sharon Bock, Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller.

The Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller is harnessing social media in her office like never before. "We tweet every morning to show people on twitter what will be sold on the courthouse steps," said Bock.

They are topics you would not expect to pop up in your Facebook or Twitter news feed, but those tools offer you an easy link to the clerk's office.

Want to know how long you will have to wait in line to pay a traffic ticket? It is as simple as sending a text to Clerk PBC or reading a tweet. "Right now we're tweeting wait times," Bock said.

Or, you can skip wait times altogether in the digital world. People can already pay for their traffic ticket online, and even that is about to become easier. "We are now moving into a mobile device for paying traffic tickets".

The Clerk & Comptroller sees Facebook and Twitter as forms of interactive education on the go. "You can learn how to buy a foreclosed property while sitting there waiting for the dentist," said Bock.

Social media is a lot of things, including a 21st century helpline -- that is streamlining government and your busy life.

Click here to follow the Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller on Facebook and Twitter.